By Ragheema Mclean
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to tackling extortion and related crimes that continue to plague several regions in South Africa.
Speaking before Parliament last week, Mchunu emphasized the ongoing efforts of the South African Police Service (SAPS) to combat these crimes, particularly in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, and Eastern Cape.
In several Cape Town communities such as Philippi, Samora Machel, Gugulethu, Nyanga, and parts of Khayelitsha and Hout Bay, criminal syndicates are increasingly targeting small businesses, spaza shops, salons, and even EduCare centers through extortion.
Meanwhile, essential services, like waste collection, have at times been halted to protect workers from the threat posed by these syndicates.
Speaking on VOC’S Sunday Live show Professor Irvin Kinnes from the UCT Centre for Criminology highlighted the ease with which these extortion groups can be formed.
“To bring young men together and arm them isn’t very difficult. All they need to do is send a group of men to a particular place, and if the owner does not pay, he or his business will be harmed. That is a sufficient message for business owners to start panicking.”
“As our economy grows and develops over the years, we’ve seen huge divisions between businesses and a reduction in the manufacturing sector in our country, leaving many people jobless,” Kinnes explained.
He further noted, “In Khayelitsha, Samora Machel, and Phillipi, there has always been a problem with different gangs operating extortion rackets. This has grown rapidly among township and Cape Flats communities. Even smaller informal gangs are now extorting small businesses.”
He warned of potential repercussions if communities take matters into their own hands.
“If communities begin to stand up against this, there is going to be much more violence, and more people will be affected.”
“There is going to be some reaction to this level of extortion in the townships. People are going to organize against it because the police have been very slow to do a proper analysis. There have been some successes, but the response has been far too slow.”
“All law enforcement agencies must answer for this and explain why they have not been able to rein this in. It’s far past needing to be nipped in the bud—adequate measures are required to prevent this from spreading to new areas.”
Listen to the full interview with Professor Irvin Kinnes below.
VOC News
Photo: @Senzo_Mchunu_/X
