Deon van ZylIn the news
Cape Town's construction sector is booming — and increasingly under threat.
CONSTRUCTION MAFIA

Zero arrests, R1.5bn hit, engineers leaving: Cape Town's construction extortion crisis

Skilled engineers are leaving the country. SAPOA says construction-site extortion is why.

  • Given Majola
  • Vivian Warby
4 min read
The price of doing business in South Africa? South African construction industry is one of the places facing extortion syndicates. But even a hawker selling sweets is not immune to the "new tax".
SATURDAY LONG READ

Pay or perish: the extortion economy holding South Africa hostage

South Africa's latest crime statistics show 519 extortion cases in three months, but behind the numbers is a growing criminal economy.

  • Vivian Warby
8 min read