Deputy defence minister Bantu Holomisa does not believe intervention by soldiers is the answer to solving a protection fee syndicate which has led to some businesses closing in Mthatha, Eastern Cape.
In Mthatha and other regions in the province, a troubling trend of extortion through protection fees is significantly affecting local businesses and vulnerable individuals. The form of extortion in which businesses, particularly those owned by foreigners, are coerced into paying for dubious protection services has led to some businesses shutting down due to alleged intimidation and threats from criminal syndicates.
The Mthatha Ophthalmology Medical Practice announced its permanent closure last week. The closure was attributed to hostile criminal activities in the area. The office's premature and permanent closure is due to hostile criminal activities that have threatened my life and wellbeing, the practice's management said.
Speaking to TimesLIVE, Holomisa pinned the extortion problem on crime intelligence.
The problem of protection fees has been around in Mthatha and other areas of the Eastern Cape and in South Africa in general. The new police minister [Senzo] Mchunu, when we were at the lekgotla cabinet meeting, I briefed him about the situation in Port Elizabeth and Mthatha. He went to the Eastern Cape and was accompanied by the premier [Oscar] Mabuyane visiting hotspots, he said.
