Establishing ways to fight the scourge of extortion, which is fast becoming the new currency of control, crippling communities through fear and financial ruin, topped the agenda at a Multi-Sectoral Anti-Extortion Summit held recently.
Convened by the Western Cape Government the summit, held in Century City on Tuesday 17 June, aimed to assess the impact of extortion on the province’s economy as well as identify gaps in how law-enforcement authorities are addressing it.
Stakeholders attending the discussion included officials from several provincial government departments, the City of Cape Town, South African Police Service (Saps), representatives of the business community and civil society.
In a press statement Premier Alan Winde highlighted that late last year about R400 million in infrastructure projects in the province were halted due to extortion.
“This is intolerable,” he declared.
“We must recommit to working closer together to hit back at these criminals. One way in which we can do this is by giving provinces and municipalities more of a say in policing, adequately resourcing the police in our province – with crime intelligence significantly bolstered – and by properly capacitating the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).”
Winde said in recent years extortion has evolved from isolated incidents into an organised systemic pattern of criminality.
He added that construction sites were among the main targets of “extortion mafias” with the public-transport sector and hospitality industry also under attack.
Anroux Marais, Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety, said extortion posed a direct threat to livelihoods, small businesses, infrastructure development and public services.
“It undermines the rule of law, instils fear in communities and leaves many of our residents despondent. When gangs and syndicates impose ‘protection fees’ on residents, business owners and contractors they are not just stealing money but opportunities that hamper our collective job-creation efforts.”
Stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to a stronger collaborative approach, integrating law enforcement, community organisations and businesses to dismantle extortion networks.
Marais said provincial government remained steadfast in its commitment to eradicate extortion.
“The valuable contributions made during the summit will feed directly into our collective strategic interventions to follow.”
Col André Traut, provincial commander, said to ensure a focused and coordinated response to extortion police have established two key enforcement units. These include a provincial extortion task team, comprising provincial detectives specialising in investigating extortion-related crimes.
“This unit’s primary role is to gather intelligence, conduct surveillance and build strong cases for prosecution, and they are hard at work with their task.”
The second unit is an Integrated Extortion Team: Comprising police, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and other key role-players.
“This team meets to devise strategic interventions, share intelligence and execute joint operations to tackle criminal syndicates,” explained Traut.
He added that to secure convictions police have boosted their collaboration with the NPA, which led to the Director of Public Prosecutions assigning a dedicated State Advocate to provide police with legal guidance during investigations.
According to Traut, police have bolstered visibility in crime hotspots, such as business districts, transportation hubs and schools. Traut said in the 2024-’25 financial year 115 suspects involved in extortion were arrested.
“Continued investigations are expected to lead to further arrests that will result in a dent in organised crime.”
He added that some schools in hotspot areas have also been targeted by extortionists and several safety measures have been put in place. These include police escorts for learners.
“Particularly in areas where criminal elements have attempted to extort protection money. Community policing initiatives to involve parents, teachers, and local law enforcement in ensuring school safety.”
Traut reiterated that public cooperation is crucial in the fight against extortion and encouraged the community to get involved.
He said through robust law enforcement, legal action, and community collaboration, the province is actively working to dismantle extortion networks and restore public confidence in security and justice.
If you have any information about extortion, report it anonymously via the toll-free hotline: 0800 31 44 44.
