Not even the dead and mourners hoping to bury them with dignity are spared by extortionists.
Thugs threatening a contractor stalled efforts by the City of Cape Town to complete a R9.3m concrete wall around Gugulethu Cemetery to prevent tombstones being stolen and the graveyard vandalised.
And some taxi owners have been accused of extorting money from undertakers transporting bodies from the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape. In Gqeberha, some families no longer want tents at funerals, as they reportedly attract criminals who rob mourners and demand a percentage of funeral policy payments.
Gugulethu councillor Bongani Ngcombolo said residents were outraged after thieves stole the palisade fencing around the cemetery. In response, the city initiated the project to build a concrete wall. However, its efforts were soon disrupted by extortionists demanding payments from contractors.
“For our community, cemeteries hold deep cultural significance, and graves are sacred. The notion of exploiting grieving families is unconscionable. Alarmingly, reports suggest some people are being coerced into paying extortion fees to bury their loved ones,” said Ngcombolo.
In Gqeberha, our clients no longer want tents at funerals because they say they attract criminals who barge in and rob the mourners. They also target mourners for funeral insurance money
— Anonymous funeral parlour owner
“The creeping presence of such criminal activities is disturbing. We’ve seen how ‘protection fees’ once deemed unthinkable have now become a grim reality. It’s crucial we address these issues before they engulf our society.”
Ngcombolo said a resident in Barcelona informal settlement, opposite the cemetery, had used a tombstone, with the names of the deceased clearly visible on it, as a step to enter his shack. “It was evident the tombstone had been removed from a grave. I suspect the resident obtained it from drug addicts who brazenly steal from graves, showing no respect for the deceased or their families.”
MMC for community services and health Patricia van der Ross said: “For Gugulethu Cemetery, the city has allocated approximately R9.3m for the first phase [of the construction project], which includes the installation of precast concrete fencing along three sides of the cemetery.
“The city can confirm that work on the cemetery wall was interrupted due to threats levelled against the contractor. Work is under way to put measures in place so that the project can continue.”
During the 2021 taxi strike, provincial chief director for transport regulation Yasir Ahmed told the provincial legislature taxi thugs had “patrol vehicles” and issued “spot fines” and “release fees” to funeral undertakers and families travelling between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape if vehicles could not produce a “receipt” of payment.
Safety and security MMC JP Smith said: “The taxi industry is involved in a lot of extortion, aside from intimidation. Members of the industry forcibly take vehicles [from motorists] and make them pay extortion money to get their cars back.”
Undertakers approached by the Sunday Times were reluctant to comment. A Gqeberha funeral parlour owner, who asked to remain anonymous owing to safety concerns, confirmed her association was aware of extortion incidents targeting undertakers transporting bodies between the two provinces. She said extortion had infiltrated the funeral industry.
“In Gqeberha, our clients no longer want tents at funerals because they say they attract criminals who barge in and rob the mourners. They also target mourners for funeral insurance money. That is the extent to which criminality has embedded itself in our society.”
Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) spokesperson Nkululeko Sityebi said: "[The] impoundment [of taxis] is the only extortion we know. It is implemented by the City of Cape Town to see the taxi industry collapse.”
South African National Taxi Council spokesperson Makhosandile Tumana said the money taxi owners demanded from fellow operators travelling between the two provinces was for a disaster fund. Operators had to pay R100 to Cata and the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) as a contribution to the scheme.
“I also strongly believe there is a big misunderstanding between our government officials and the industry. Cata and Codeta met — I am not sure whether that was [in] early 2016 or early 2017 — and agreed that every operator travelling from Cape Town to the Eastern Cape or Johannesburg had to pay R100 towards disaster assistance,” he said.
Those found to be travelling without a “receipt” were required to explain themselves at the “long-distance office”.
Taxis are used to transport bodies between the provinces.
“If our van is involved in an accident on [a] long-distance [trip], even locally, and there are people who pass on in that taxi, that R100 goes towards R10,000 [in] compensation [for the families of the deceased]."
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