Extortion 'major threat to economic growth in W Cape'

EXTORTION is no longer a shadow crime, but a direct threat to development, public services, and lives in the Western Cape.

- MANDILAKHE TSHWETE

That was the warning from Premier Alan Winde and Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Anroux Marais during an Anti-Extortion Summit held in Cape Town on Tuesday.

Hosted by the Western Cape Government, the summit brought together law enforcement, business leaders, civil society, and government departments in a bid to confront what officials described as a “systemic and organised” campaign of criminality.

It comes amid growing concern that extortion syndicates are paralysing infrastructure projects, intimidating communities, and undermining job creation.

Winde told the gathering that extortion has effectively “strangled economic growth”, with roughly R400 million worth of public infrastructure projects stalled in the province by the end of 2024 due to criminal interference.

“This is intolerable,” he said.