Police Minister Senzo Mchunu says police are hard at work fighting extortion and other related crimes in parts of the country on a daily basis.
“The modus operandi of the perpetrators involved in these heinous acts is well known. Most of them are individuals who do not want to work but rather choose to parade as armies of murderous parasites that must be fought and rejected by society as a whole,” Mchunu said.
Addressing Parliament on Tuesday on measures taken by the South African Police Service (SAPS) to deal with threats posed by extortion in the country, Mchunu said four provinces, namely Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and the Eastern Cape, currently bear 73% of crime levels in South Africa, and the gravity of these crimes alone, including extortion, is of serious concern to the police.
“Extortion has been emerging over time and has now reached levels where all communities in our country beyond the four provinces have become very angry, bitter and agitated. The pain has gone very deep,” Mchunu said.
Mchunu said the mood expressed in communities is also reflective of statements that have been made unanimously in Parliament against these crimes.
“Somewhere in the background, the current socio-economic conditions are militating against [the] crime levels and need to be addressed urgently by the House and the Executive,” Mchunu said.
Mchunu said the perpetrators of extortion are often heavily armed, operating in groups that instil fear and chaos.
“The relative 'silence' of communities and low reporting is all due to these fears. Police... led by the Ministry, are hard at work fighting these crimes on a daily basis.
“[In] recent operations... suspects, identified through intelligence as extortionists, were confronted in Milnerton, Cape Town. Four suspects were fatally wounded in a shootout with police, while four were admitted in hospital with wounds.
“In the Eastern Cape, operations are underway and we are focusing on Mthatha and Nelson Mandela Bay on similar crimes, including illegal occupation of buildings and stock theft, among others.
“Twelve cases have been reported on the hotline and investigations are underway. We are observing signs of resistance among criminals but police will prevail. We must also mention that we see shocking incidents of the lowest morality, where church services, funerals and other family related functions get disrupted by these extortionists,” the Minister said.
Mchunu said in Gauteng, three criminals were arrested in Bronkhospruit three weeks ago in activities related to extortions.
“Soweto is also a place that has received our attention in the incidents of extortion. In Mpumalanga, three arrests were recently made in cases of extortion and fighting over turf for the same purpose.
“In the Free State, the target of extortionists include pensioners and people who receive RAF payments [Road Accident Fund]. Generally, there is more extortion going on than meets the eye. This requires more crime intelligence operations,” the Minister said.
Mchunu said government has initiated the signing of cooperative agreements with provincial and local government, with operational plans seeking to intergrade resources to fight against crime.
“Currently, the operational plan is being rolled out in Cape Town with its new six sub-districts. The model will be replicated in all metros in the country. The operational plan will include CPFs [community policing forums] and private security companies.
“The Eastern Cape and Nelson Mandela Bay have agreed on the operational plan and it is currently being rolled out, and we will be launching it soon,” Mchunu said.
Mchunu said they will be meeting the Gauteng government on Thursday on the same programme, and next will be KwaZulu-Natal on the 19th and 20th of this month.
“We are also holding a series of meetings with sister departments on collaboration against crime, as per the National Integrated Crime Prevention Strategy. This Friday, we are meeting as the JCPS [Justice, Crime Prevention and Security] cluster to tighten up our act and better synergies,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
