South Africa: Extortion Continues to Cause Heartbreak for Victims, As Police Dither On a Strategy to Combat the Scourge

26 March 2025
Parliament of South Africa (Cape Town)

Ms Tiego Dakana's life has been turned upside down. With her house burned to the ground, her son shot and her name on extortionists' hitlists, she says each day alive feels like another victory. She has knocked on many doors and has not received the help she needs to feel safe in the country she calls home.

This is the reality for many victims of extortion in South Africa and the Portfolio Committee on Police heard about it firsthand when the committee conducted an oversight visit to Umtata, in the Eastern Cape. Once a quiet little town, Umtata has become a centre for the growing crime of extortion in South Africa in recent years, a crisis that has left many businesses, schools and households in fear of shadowy figures demanding protection fees.

The committee was concerned to hear that many victims of extortion are afraid to report their cases to the police. "It is patently clear that communities lack the necessary trust in the police to encourage them to report this crime trend. The reality is that the trust deficit in the South African Police Service is dire and the only way that this trust can be redeemed is through concerted and consistent investigation of crimes that lead to prosecution. That unfortunately takes time," Mr Cameron said.

Ms Dakana is an exception to this silence, finding the courage to tell the committee about her challenges. "My life is literally at a standstill. I have no home and I live in fear as I was told that I am on the hitlist," Ms Dakana said. She said that the South African Police Service has been slow to react to her plight, but she praised the National Intervention Unit and the Tactical Response Unit for their visibility and clear presence in combating the scourge. She said that after numerous attempts to share her plight with SAPS management, she eventually got positive feedback from the Office of the President.

The committee welcomed the assurance by SAPS that her matter will be prioritised and that they will seek to urgently investigate her matter and arrest perpetrators.

The committee was concerned by the huge disparity between extortion crimes reported and the arrest figures - of the 158 cases reported for the 2024/25 financial year, only 60 arrests have been made. While the committee acknowledged that an investigation is a complicated process that requires time and resources, it emphasised the need for prosecutor-led investigations aimed at ensuring successful prosecution.

Malatswa Molepo

Read the original article on Parliament of South Africa.

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