KZN Public Works MEC declares war against construction mafia

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KwaZulu-Natal’s newly appointed MEC for Public Works and Infrastructure, Martin Meyer, says he plans to establish a task team to fight against the construction mafia in the province. The construction mafia have been sabotaging private and public infrastructure projects across the country.

The gangs use mafia-style tactics to hijack construction sites, demanding money or protection fees from contractors who have been awarded tenders for infrastructure projects.

Government takes on construction mafia 21 August 2023:

Briefing the media in Durban, Meyer says the days of the construction mafia in the province are over.

“This department does not negotiate with criminals. We will be engaging with my colleagues from the department as well as the national and the local level. This is a law enforcement matter that other departments also play a role in. This is to make sure that we have a strong task team that includes role-players from the construction industry, from civic societies, CPFs and people on the ground.

Let us also be clear, construction mafias are not there to help people, they are not there to get money to share with the communities. We have policies in place to make sure that communities are benefactors from construction work in the province. They (the mafia) are there to enrich themselves, to enrich a small group of people. They threaten people’s lives and people lose their lives because of these criminals.”