Extortionists thrive in contexts like South Africa, where essential services such as water, transport, and electricity can be sabotaged so easily, according to Professor Christiaan Bezuidenhout of the University of Pretoria’s Department of Social Work and Criminology.
The element of fear that extortionists cultivate within communities, along with the constant growth of violent and organised armed groups, especially in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, are the key factors that fuel extortion’s unabated growth in South Africa.
Writing in an article on Friday, Professor Bezuidenhout said: “It is not only businesses that suffer; specific individuals are also often the targets of extortion. It is not unusual for public figures such as politicians to fall prey to extortionists who use the threat of causing a social scandal by weaponising something from the politician’s past.” In this context, extortion is synonymous with the term blackmail (the older, outdated term for extortion),“ Bezuidenhout said.
He said that currently, in South Africa, gangs extort business owners mostly with illegal firearms to pay extortion or ‘protection’ money, akin to the mafia-like extortion rackets that were so prevalent in the US in the previous century.
The professor said due to fear of the perceived repercussions, the victim acts in their own interest by concealing the transaction and not reporting it to the authorities. He added that the gang will thus keep on extorting due to the relative ‘safety’ of their illegal operation.
“Extortion by gangs, groups, and syndicates is a growing dilemma in South Africa. Many people with small businesses have paid with their lives when they are unable to meet extortionists’ demands. The even bigger challenge for many shop owners is that there will often be more than one group of thugs who target a business, shop, or shebeen more than once a month, demanding immediate payments.”
Bezuidenhout said extortion rackets run deep and wide on all levels of business and politics in South Africa. He said although extortion remains under-reported, the South African Police Service (SAPS) indicates that 6 056 extortion cases were reported between April 2019 and March this year. Only 2 389 arrests resulted from these reported cases, and a distressingly low 178 convictions were secured.
He said that the SAPS stresses that South Africa is seeing an increase in organised groups targeting smaller economic sectors like small foreign-owned businesses, the taxi industry, schools, certain private household businesses, and the construction sector.
Some examples of where extortion rackets are flourishing include the ‘construction mafia’, the mini-bus taxi industry, and even essential businesses like day care centres.
The professor said it is arguably small one-person business ventures like spaza shops and street vendors who are bearing most of the brunt of these extortionists.
“Their profit margins are very low, but still, they have to pay ‘protection’ money. Sex workers are also targeted and have to pay most of their profits to extortionists. Recently, a principal of a primary school was executed in cold blood because he refused to pay ‘protection’ money.”
Professor Bezuidenhout said in recent times a “water tanker mafia” is spreading across South Africa, as a result of municipalities failing to properly maintain and secure water infrastructure, leading to water shortages and water pipe leaks.
“The water mafiosos often connect their own water supply illegally to municipal pipelines and sell it at exorbitantly high prices, or they source their water from dubious sources (contaminated rivers and dams). Sadly, some politicians have also been accused of being in the pockets of these groups and turning a blind eye for monetary kickbacks,” Bezuidenhout said.
Currently, extortion is classified as a common law crime in South Africa. Bezuidenhout said this implies that it is not codified in any specific legislation. “Legislators are considering revising the legal definition of extortion to codify it into specific legislation to make it easier for police to arrest extortionists and punish perpetrators appropriately for the crime of extortion.”
He said that the government has also introduced legislation to impose heavier sentences for crimes committed on essential infrastructure to ensure that criminal elements are prosecuted and punished harshly.
“For now, I believe we can rely on the Intimidation Act 72 of 1982 and the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 to prosecute crimes of extortion. In some provinces, including the Western Cape, the police are urging citizens and victims to report extortion to address the issue swiftly. They have even introduced a toll-free extortion reporting line (0800 314 444).”
The professor said more of these initiatives are needed. “The government must prioritise crimes of extortion and will have to speed up prosecutions, as extortion gangs are seemingly continuing to operate unabated,” Bezuidenhout said.
