Zikalala’s National Forum on the construction mafia excludes critical stakeholders
30 June 2023
The DA takes note of the announcement that was recently made by the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Sihle Zikalala, that a National Forum – comprising of the security cluster, has been established to coordinate efforts aimed at fighting the threat posed by the construction mafia.
Ordinarily, this should have been welcome news but the idea of a national forum will not achieve much as long as essential stakeholders, who are at the receiving end of these mafias, are excluded from participating in the structure.
In addition to the specialised criminal investigation services that already form part of the forum, the DA is calling on Zikalala to expand the framework of stakeholders to include provincial and local government actors.
The Provincial and local government spheres of government are the implementing agents for much of the public infrastructure projects in the country, and together with the private sector, have borne the brunt of the extortion rackets that are operating with impunity at construction sites. For the current financial year, the Western Cape government has already spent over R40 million on private security trying to protect construction sites from these marauding gangs.