The scourge of protection fees demanded from construction mafia syndicates is ruining business people in Mthatha, Eastern Cape.
Owners are reporting closure of their businesses almost on a daily basis.
A business owner from Mthatha, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, revealed that she has been paying R100 000 each month.
Other individuals and business owners, including property owners, are said to have been forced to pay R20 000 for small businesses, R50 000 for medium-sized, and more than R200 000 for big businesses.
Furthermore, school teachers and other professionals renting properties in Mthatha, have allegedly been forced to pay between R500 and R1 000 a month “for protection”.
“For the past six months, I have been paying an amount of R100k for a protection fee. I have been tortured and my family has been walking on egg shells. We live in fear and the saddest part is that my business has not been at its best in Covid-19 and this is financial losses. I am letting go and it’s hard. I am thinking of relocation and start Iverson in Gauteng but that is a long-term goal as I just want to recover from all of this,” the business owner said.
On Monday, The Star reported that last week, an ophthalmologist had to shut down his practice after being threatened by these syndicates who prey on vulnerable business owners.
This forced closure comes the same week Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu, alongside Premier Oscar Mabuyane and Community Safety MEC Xolile Nqatha, led a high-level crime prevention engagement session in Mthatha.
During a meeting with the minister, scores of residents of Mthatha complained about the issue of syndicates.
“The crime that we have is planned in Wellington prison. If there are plans to kill someone, it is first discussed there. The hitman is then hired to carry out the hit. If people like you, as King Dalinyebo fought for our liberation, I must say, we are not free, we are living in fear,” a resident told the minister and his team.
The ANC in the Eastern Cape has called on the government to deploy soldiers in crime hotspots following a surge in extortion cases in Mthatha and Gqeberha.
Provincial spokesperson, Loyiso Magqashela, told Newzroom Afrika that there’s a R1 billion road being constructed by Sanral in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality that has been blocked by individuals extorting money from the service provider.
“These people have become law unto themselves hence we are calling on law enforcement agencies to prevail and show course that they are there to curb these crimes which have crippled our economy in the province which is rural and poor,” he said.
The Star
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