By Staff Reporter
Cape Town business owners have asked gang members to stop bringing guns with them when they come to their stores to collect protection-fee money.
“We have accepted that we are working for them — so there is no need to bring guns when coming to collect money because it leaves our families traumatised,” said a business owner speaking anonymously.
The woman, who sells vetkoek for a living and pays R500 to a gang on the fifth of every month, said other business owners agreed with her.
“I wake up at 4am every day to make vetkoek. By 6am I am on the streets selling to people going to work. During the day I sell to the community and school kids,” she said.
The business owner said when the protection-fee gangsters arrive carrying guns at her home, her family members get scared and think they are going to die.
“We don’t see the need to carry guns. We will give them the money even if they come to collect unarmed,” she said.
“South Africans are paying R500 and foreign nationals pay R1,000 [to the gangs]. We can’t afford to miss the payment because we know we might get killed along with our families.
“They are traumatising us by taking the money we worked hard for. They don’t need to add to our misery by carrying guns as if we are going to fight back.”
Last year, the Cape Town mayor launched an anti-extortion campaign in the hope it would lead to positive results.
As part of the campaign, the city has set up a 24-hour hotline and a rewards system to encourage residents to help the authorities tackle extortion.
“But it is not helping us — we are not reporting the extortion gangs simply because we know that after reporting we will get killed,” said the business owner.
“The minute you report them and they are arrested their friends will come for you, and it will end badly.”
Mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said the city has been able to continue large-scale projects that were previously hampered by extortion and incidents relating to staff decreased dramatically.
“It must be noted that the SAPS is the lead crime-fighting authority,” said Smith.
“Both the city’s anonymous tip-off line and the extortion tip-off line have played a key role in combating crime within the municipality.”
Mayoral committee member for human settlements Carl Pophaim said there are incidents of extortion across the metro, especially in the Cape Flats and the southeast, east and central areas of the metro.
“It is important not to normalise extortion. It is not normal,” he said.
“It is a highly-organised lucrative criminal enterprise and the most vulnerable communities suffer the most as service delivery and spending in terms of the Integrated Development Plan are at risk.”
Pictured above: The South African police is the city’s main crime-fighting authority.
Image source: File
