A video posted online reveals escalating protection fee demands in Eastern Cape’s Matatiele, leading to yet another garage shutting its doors.
This marks the third business closure in the area due to these demands.
The speaker in the video questions political leaders, SAPS, and the Minister of Police on their inaction against this organized crime.
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This issue, however, extends beyond garages. Business owners across the Eastern Cape are living in fear as protection fee syndicates continue to threaten their livelihoods.
Last week, an ophthalmologist was compelled to shut down his practice after receiving threats from these criminal groups.
In a formal notice, the doctor announced the permanent closure of his practice, citing the hostile activities that endangered his life and well-being.
This practice, established in 2019 as the first specialist Ophthalmology service in the town, has now been prematurely closed, leaving patients and staff in a lurch.
The rise in these incidents isn’t isolated. The Eastern Cape is witnessing a surge in various forms of extortion, including water tanker mafias, construction mafias, and other criminal syndicates demanding protection fees from local businesses.
These fees, often ranging from 30% to 50% of contract fees, are crippling businesses and forcing many to close down. The situation is dire, with reports indicating that even vulnerable members of society, including the elderly and people living with disabilities, are being targeted.
These victims are being coerced into paying protection fees or handing over their house keys to avoid violent reprisals.
Prominent figures like UDM leader Bantu Holomisa have expressed deep concern over the growing extortion problem. Holomisa recently briefed Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu about the situation during a Cabinet Lekgotla meeting.
In response, Mchunu visited Mthatha and other Eastern Cape hotspots, engaging with communities and promising to enhance security measures in the OR Tambo district. However, Holomisa remains skeptical, criticizing the state of crime intelligence and calling for a more robust strategy to combat these syndicates.
Social media reactions to the closure of the Mthatha Ophthalmology Medical Practice highlight the broader impact of these crimes, with many lamenting the loss of essential medical services due to the unchecked rise of protection fee syndicates.
