FRIDAY BRIEFING | Daylight robbery: SA's extortion crisis

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EDITORIAL Daylight robbery: SA's extortion crisis On Thursday morning, I spoke to the secretary of the Nyanga CPF, Dumisani Qwebe, about the prevalence of extortion rackets. Qwebe says that the CPF has been raising this issue since at least 2015 when he joined the forum, warning even then that this was going to be major problem. "Remember, extortion didn't start today, it has been here for so long. Previously it was called a 'plough back approach'." These criminal elements first targeted construction sites and tender winners, justifying their criminal approach as "you can't leave us [the community] without anything". That evolved into brazen "protection fees" that permeated every facet of community life - schools, local businesses, hawkers, churches and even taxis are forced "to pay something". These "romanticised terms", Qwebe says, keep changing, but the principle is the same - pay us, and we'll protect you from other criminals, including ourselves. All this laced (and not so laced) with threats, intimidation and violence. So entrenched is this culture that Qwebe says he's heard of children as young as 15 extorting other children aged 13 and 14 at schools. "They say: Listen, tomorrow bring this amount of money; if you don't, we are going to deal with you." Learners become so fearful that they don't attend school, and some schools are even declaring this a crisis. This form of bullying becomes an easy way to "earn" money and sets in motion a mindset that grows into adulthood. Asked why this continues unabated, Qwebe says that many people live in fear. Fear that if they tell anyone, then their lives, their livelihoods, and their loved ones will be harmed. Surely, if this is so well-known, the police should already have measures in place? Not so. As revealed in this week's victims of crime report by Stats SA, that many people do not report certain crimes because they believe the police won't do anything about it. The top three reasons people are dissatisfied with the police, the report reveals, is that they believe the police do not respond one time, do not come to their area, and are lazy. Police, on the other hand, say that they cannot investigate the crime if it hasn't been reported. Interestingly, the Stats SA's victims of crime report says nothing about extortion, blackmail or shakedowns. Maybe it is time for a new approach. In this week's Friday Briefing, we focus on South Africa's "extortion economy". Enjoy the read, Muhammad Hussain In-depth writer ANALYSIS | Alexandra's extortion crisis: From Msomi Gang to Gomora's modern-day mafias By tracing extortion-related activities to the 1950s in Alexandra, Jenni Irish-Qhobosheane and Julian Rademeyer describe how extortion has evolved into a pervasive and violent economy affecting every business, from small informal traders to large development projects. Read More Extortion is the new face of firearm crime in many townships The police must differentiate construction mafias from armed criminal groups targeting township economies, with distinct strategies being developed for each, write David Bruce and Vanya Gastrow. Read More Act before the vigilante response to extortion consumes our society All responsible bodies need to enter the kraal and talk, writes Mandla Mandela, or we leave the resolution of extortion to vigilantes at our own peril.   Read More FRIDAY BRIEFING Squeeze extortionists by entrenching the state's legitimacy to protect and serve The trees of corruption, extortion and a great lack of trust must be uprooted to return the country to the observance of the rule of law, writes Ian Cameron. MCEBSISI NDLETYANA The price the ANC needs to pay to get dysfunctional municipalities to work Change at local government will not happen without making some people miserable, writes Mcebisi Ndletyana. GUEST COLUMN Was Steenhuisen aware of Roman Cabanac's racist remarks? Minister John Steenhuisen's new chief of staff called upon South Africans to "build your very own Orania", Gabriel Crouse writes. Will he now do it from the Union Buildings? Editor's Picks Nicklaus Kruger | Remembering UWC's vice-chancellor and rector Professor Brian O'Connell Nicklaus Kruger reflects that Professor Brian O'Connell's story is a beacon of hope and a reminder that with dedication and belief in one's mission, even the most daunting challenges can be overcome. Read more Qaanitah Hunter | Ramaphosa's governance through experimentation won't help reform SOEs On Monday, the Presidency announced SOEs will now politically be under "line-function departments". This real-time experiment is not expected to create any real reforms soon, writes Qaanitah Hunter. Read more Mavuso Msimang | Africanist populism is not African nationalism. If it is, it's a regression If race-indexed politics seem to be on the ascendancy, it is in part because the ANC has so often dropped the ball and pandered to populist parochialism, writes Mavuso Msimang. Read more Most read Tony Leon | The key political question on Simelane and Motsoaledi: 'do I contradict myself?' How President Cyril Ramaphosa and the GNU parties resolve both Ministers Simelane and Motsoaledi's dualism and contradictions will be fascinating to watch, writes Tony Leon. Read more Sipho Masondo | Ramaphosa's legacy may be new Scorpions but don't expect high-profile arrests soon When the number one civil servant in KwaZuku-Natal is caught allegedly doing the bidding of mobsters, then citizens have a reason to lose sleep over the direction their country is going, writes Sipho Masondo. Read more Mbhazima Shilowa | New Joburg mayor must ask himself: 'Why the hell am I in this position?' Judging by the revolving mayoral job in the City of Johannesburg, this cursed post needs the mayor to get back to basics and serve the people, writes Mbhazima Shilowa. Read more Reader's view I don't care who is in charge, if it is DA or ANC or EFF or who the hell ever. They need to sort out their house and start delivering on their empty promises! You are all useless and corrupt! - News24 reader Herkie du Preez wrote a letter to the editor this week that 'Germiston is the most useless municipality ever' DOWNLOAD THE NEWS24 APP CONNECT WITH US

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