Western Cape Government hosts multi sectoral anti-extortion summit
On Tuesday, 17 June, the Western Cape Government convened a Multi-Sectoral Anti-Extortion Summit in Cape Town with the aim of assessing the impact of extortion on the province’s economy and critical services, as well as identifying gaps in how authorities are addressing this scourge.
Stakeholders who attended the summit included officials from a number of provincial government departments, the City of Cape Town (CoCT), South African Police Service (SAPS), and representatives of the business community and civil society.
In recent years, extortion has evolved from isolated incidents into an organised, systemic pattern of criminality. “It has become a blight on society which requires an urgent, coordinated response,” said Premier Winde in his opening address. Construction sites are among the main targets of “extortion mafias”. But criminals are also increasingly targeting the public transport sector and hospitality industry.
Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety, Anroux Marais, said, “Extortion is 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, they are stealing opportunities which hamper our collective job creation efforts.”
Premier Winded, added, “This criminal toll is strangling economic growth: by late 2024, around R400 million in infrastructure projects in our province were stalled due to extortion. This is intolerable! 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 SAPS in our province – with crime intelligence being significantly bolstered - and by properly capacitating the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).”
Stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to a stronger collaborative approach, integrating law enforcement, community organisations, and businesses to dismantle extortion networks. Some of the commitments include the establishment of a multi-sectoral structure to focus specifically on extortion, the sharing of data and the enforcement of the Collaboration Agreement signed between the Western Cape Government, the SAPS and the CoCT last year.
“The Western Cape Government remains steadfast in its commitment to eradicating extortion. The valuable contributions made during the summit will feed directly into our collective strategic interventions to follow.” Minister Marais added.
Media Enquiries:
Kurt Nefdt, Acting MLO to Minister Anroux Marais
Cell: 084 285 1975
Email: Kurt.Nefdt@westerncape.gov.za