The Department of Human Settlements in the Western Cape says extortion is crippling its ability to deliver housing projects.
The department says there is a pattern of crime particularly targeting project managers who are approached by networks demanding cuts.
In a recent incident, the department says construction was suspended in Guguletu after workers were intimidated.
“We thought they would have started the project by now, but there’s always a shooting, it’s kind of a warning sign that these criminals want something from the designated developer – to keep the project going. So there is a tendency for the same practice to happen in the various projects we are seeing in the Western Cape. Four security officers were shot dead at the construction site,” said Matlhody Maseka’s press secretary.
In September, the Western Cape was urged to be aware of several online housing scams.
The Western Cape Department of Human Settlements has issued a warning after a Cape Town woman paid R2 000 for a “housing approval letter” to the bank account of a Facebook fraudster posing as a department official.
It says scammers are preying on vulnerable residents with empty promises to help match homes, keys and title deeds.
