South Africa: Durban Summit Declares War On Construction Mafia's Reign of Terror

19 November 2024
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
By Greg Ardé

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson described the Durban Declaration as a historic commitment to confront the construction mafia. This article is free to read.Sign up for free or sign in to continue reading.Unlike our competitors, we don't force you to pay to read the news but we do need your email address to make your experience better.Create your free account or sign in FAQ | Contact Us Nearly there! Create a password to finish signing up with us: You want to receive First Thing, our flagship daily newsletter. Opt out at any time. Please enter your password or get a sign in link if you've forgotten A code has been sent to .... Please check your email and enter your one-time pin below: Didn't get the code? Resend email Use your password instead? Enter password Open in Gmail Open Sesame! Thanks for signing up.

Listen to this article 6 min Listen to this article 6 min The International Convention Centre in Durban's underground parking lot was packed with Raptors, Rangers, Rovers, and G-Wagons - muscle cars often associated with tenderpreneurs.

They attended today's inaugural national summit for crime-free construction sites which drew a capacity crowd.

There, the government vowed unmatched resolve to fight the construction mafia scourge in South Africa.

Sitting side by side, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson promised the "Durban Declaration" fashioned at the meeting would "draw a line in the sand" against extortionists.

Journalists questioned the ministers about who had been invited to the meeting, saying social media users speculated that the mafiosos were present.

But, while big men in black suits and dark glasses were dotted around the International Convention Centre, officials said they were government protectors.

Macpherson was adamant no business forums nor "anyone with AK-47s" were allowed in, making for a "frank" discussion about extortion.

Macpherson described the event as historic, saying the diverse stakeholders were making a public commitment to work together to restore the rule of law in the construction industry.

Delegates heard that 200 construction-related extortion arrests had been made...

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