Note to Editors: Please note Tammy Colley, MPL sound bite in English
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) strongly condemns the reported payment of millions of rands in ‘security fees’ linked to government infrastructure projects.
Reports that a construction company working on the Lower uMkhomazi Water Project allegedly paid R8.5million to individuals linked to the so-called construction mafia – under the guise of protecting lives – are alarming and expose the extent to which criminal syndicates continue to threaten economic growth, public infrastructure and job creation in South Africa.
In a country where water supply is a crisis, it is inconceivable that a company could think that this kind of transaction could be moral. Those involved in enabling these practices to continue must be held accountable.
Government infrastructure budgets are intended to build assets that the public will benefit from. Every rand diverted to unlawful “protection payments” is a rand stolen from the people of South Africa.
Such criminal practices have also become a tax on development. Communities are denied vital infrastructure, projects are delayed, budgets are inflated and legitimate contractors and workers are intimidated through threats and violence. This culture of extortion cannot be normalised or tolerated under any circumstances.
The DA, as a partner within KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), commends the work being done by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), led by MEC Martin Meyer, to end this criminal behaviour and restore accountability to public infrastructure delivery.
The department has taken important steps to improve transparency, strengthen oversight and ensure that projects are monitored more effectively. Through closer collaboration with law enforcement agencies, contractors and communities, KZN’s DPWI has demonstrated a clear commitment to confronting construction site disruptions and criminal interference head-on.
This progress, under KZN’s GPU shows that decisive political leadership, proper oversight and zero tolerance for corruption and intimidation can begin to turn the tide against the construction mafia. While challenges remain, our province is increasingly demonstrating that infrastructure projects can proceed without surrendering to extortionists and criminal syndicates.
All South Africans deserve infrastructure delivery that is transparent, lawful and focused on service delivery, not fear and intimidation.