Cape Town - The Western Cape Department of Human Settlements says extortion is crippling its ability to deliver on housing projects.
The department says there is a syndicate of criminal activity that targets project managers, and they are being approached by several criminal-related networks demanding a cut in these projects.
According to the SABC, in a recent incident, the department said construction was suspended in Gugulethu after workers were intimidated.
This follows after the department in September had urged Western Cape communities to be aware and vigilant of several online housing scams.
The Western Cape Human Settlements Departments has further issued a warning after a Cape Town woman paid R2 000 for a “housing approval letter” into the bank account of a fraudster on Facebook who posed as an official of the department.
The department further added fraudsters prey on vulnerable residents with empty promises of facilitating approvals for houses, keys and title deeds.
Meanwhile, DA Western Cape spokesperson on Human Settlements, Matlhodi Maseko, said that there has been a pattern of criminality targeting Human Settlements’ projects with the specific intent of demanding protection money from project managers.
“The contractor for the Luyolo Housing Development in Gugulethu recently suspended construction after instances of extortion and intimidation by unidentified individuals. During the incident, shots were fired at four security workers at the construction site.
“I will engage with the SAPS and request that they present to the committee on the trends and incidents that have been reported in housing developments in the province over the past five years,” she said.
Maseko said they cannot stand by and let criminals prevent housing beneficiaries from timeously gaining access to their long-awaited homes.
“In a recent parliamentary reply, the Department of Infrastructure revealed that R5 billion in housing projects in the Western Cape have been halted within the last five financial years due to land invasions and acts of criminality,” she added.
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