“Extortion in the construction sector has reached worryingly high levels, derailing and delaying projects worth billions of rands… [but] with no signs of this trend reversing, construction firms should build extortion preparation and best practices into their planning ahead of every project.”

This is the view presented by the national project manager of Business Against Crime South Africa (BACSA), Roelof Viljoen who said that ‘construction mafias/extortion groups’ have seemingly become engrained in South Africa, and construction firms need to “plan for the worst.”

Executive director at Masters Builders Association North, Mohau Mphomela, agreed with this, saying that it is cause for serious concern that extortion has become so widespread in the country that construction firms now view it as yet another routine challenge.

https://businesstech.co.za/news/business/763667/construction-mafia-here-to-stay-in-south-africa-be-prepared-says-expert/