An Mpumalanga-based project manager who has been in the construction business for more than 20 years says he opts rather to pay extortionists, as putting up a fight is often more costly.
The 45-year-old operates in Mpumalanga and Gauteng, and often lands jobs to renovate schools and government buildings.
In three school renovation projects worth between R450,000 and R850,000 concluded between April 2023 and March 2024, he has parted with R65,000, paying various community groups and business forums that demanded a slice of the pie.
The man, who asked not to be named to avoid potential repercussions, said demands for protection fees had become more prevalent in the last eight years.
“The modus operandi is always the same — you get approached by people saying they are looking for work or [to undertake] a portion of the project as locals,” he said.
About Easter 2023, he was renovating a school in an Mpumalanga township in a project worth R450,000 when three men in their early thirties came onto the construction site and asked him for work.
“I showed them the scope of the work I was doing and told them I had already appointed locals as general labour,” he said.
Another group came a few days later and asked him to give them “something, so we allow this project to continue without any problems”.
When I delayed, those demanding money in Johannesburg ... shut down the project for four days and even stole my material
— Mpumalanga project manager
The project manager said in all instances none of the groups wanted to do any work he offered them, and they were seemingly in it simply to make a quick buck.
He managed to negotiate a one-off payment of R15,000 and completed the project without further incident.
“The price of putting up a fight is more costly ... when I delayed, those demanding money in Johannesburg, where I was renovating a school in June 2023, shut down the project for four days and even stole my materials,” he said.
The group called him to take responsibility for the theft and told him if he did not pay them, the stealing would continue.
“After paying them R20,000, I got to finish the project, but I had already incurred losses,” he said.
In another school renovation project in Delmas, Mpumalanga, he was approached by a councillor who “advised” him in February he needed to “take care of local people”.
He offered them the electrical component of the project, but they rejected the offer.
After paying them R20,000, the visits stopped and the project — worth about R850,000 — was not interrupted.
“Reporting [the extortion] to the police is just a waste of time, because nothing comes of it,” he said.
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