More than 180 infrastructure projects worth nearly R63 billion have been disrupted by construction mafia groups across South Africa.
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson revealed the figures during a media briefing in Cape Town on Tuesday.
He said the groups had become increasingly sophisticated and were no longer relying only on open violence.
“They were incredibly, and they are incredibly, sophisticated, and often they are politically connected,” Macpherson said.
He said syndicates were embedding themselves through subcontracting arrangements, local participation structures, security contracts, front companies and self-appointed community representatives.
Cabinet approves new framework
Macpherson was speaking after Cabinet approved the Integrated Social Facilitation Framework.
The framework is a binding national policy that requires government departments, municipalities and state-owned entities to engage communities before construction projects begin.
Macpherson said the policy is aimed at stopping criminal groups from exploiting community frustration to disrupt construction sites.
“It is an important tool in the value chain of our efforts to fight back against the construction mafia and extortionists,” he said.
The so-called construction mafia refers to organised groups that invade building sites and demand money, jobs or subcontracts under the banner of local participation.
Violence and extortion targeted
Macpherson said the construction mafia was one of the first major threats he faced when he took office in July 2024.
He said the problem had spread from KwaZulu-Natal to most provinces.
“SA cannot turn itself into a construction site if construction sites are controlled by criminals,” he said.
He said projects were stopped, workers intimidated or assaulted, equipment damaged or stolen and companies forced to pay money or surrender work.
Macpherson said a turning point came after an incident linked to the uMkhomazi water project in KwaZulu-Natal, where three people were killed and another person was assaulted.
Arrests and convictions recorded
Macpherson said more than 770 construction-related extortion and intimidation cases had been reported across the country.
Of those, 241 arrests were made and 176 people were convicted.
In KwaZulu-Natal, monthly site disruptions dropped from more than 60 incidents to fewer than 10.
He said 52 contractors had been blacklisted since September 2025, compared with only two in the previous 22 years.
However, Macpherson warned that government was not declaring victory.
Recent disruptions in Gauteng showed that syndicates were still trying to infiltrate projects.
He said the new framework would standardise community engagement and help identify risks earlier.
“There can be no negotiation with extortionists or criminals,” Macpherson said.