By Simon Nare
President Cyril Ramaphosa has accepted that extortion has reached unacceptable levels in several parts of the country and has to be nipped in the bud.
Ramaphosa, who was answering questions in the National Council of Provinces, admitted that extortion was greatly affecting the economy, disrupting business activity, delaying or halting the construction of infrastructure and generally raising the cost of doing business.
He was responding to numerous concerns by delegates about criminal gangs making life difficult for businesspeople and how this trend was spreading to ordinary citizens.
Ramaphosa said the police were hard at work to combat this growing trend, which was rife in areas such as the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Cape Town.
The president said a special unit had already been established.
“For example, the SAPS has established the Eastern Cape Provincial Extortion Forum specifically to address extortion-related issues in the province. An Organised Crime Task Team has also been established to investigate all extortion cases reported in the province.
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