Minister of Public Works Dean Macpherson has reiterated his determination to rid the country of the so-called “construction mafia” – groups extorting payments from building firms under threat of disrupting projects – and has now introduced a comprehensive plan to guide government’s efforts in this regard.

He was speaking at the launch of the Integrated Social Facilitation Framework (ISFR), approved by the Cabinet last week. This is a policy on engagement with communities to build trust and cooperation to counter the ability of criminal elements to manipulate communities into disrupting construction projects.

Macpherson announced upon assuming office in 2024 that he wanted to turn South Africa into a “giant construction site”. The operations of extortion networks have been a long-standing problem in the construction sector, demanding large payments (often phrased in terms of payments to the “community”) to refrain from disrupting the operations of construction companies and on their sites.

Macpherson claimed that since he took office, the government had “taken the fight directly to these networks”.

Before his assumption of office, Macpherson said that data showed that more than 180 projects worth some R63 billion had been disrupted by construction mafias.

Since November 2024, when a joint plan (the Durban Declaration) was agreed between the government and various industry role-players, Macpherson said that over 770 cases of construction-linked extortion had been reported, 241 arrests have been made, 176 convictions secured, and 52 contractors blacklisted.

Macpherson said this was indicative of what determination and cooperation could achieve: “It shows what can happen when government, law enforcement, public entities, and the private sector act together. It shows what can happen when contractors report cases and the state responds. It shows what can happen when criminals begin to understand that construction sites are no longer spaces where they can act without consequences.”

The ISFR, he said, focused on a different element of the problem, promoting prevention. It would “build community buy-in, create lawful channels for local participation, and close the space for criminals to hijack projects.”

However, Macpherson made it clear that victory had not been achieved. “This fight is far from over.”

He said that this was a form of organised crime attempting to subvert and capture construction projects.

“These networks are still looking for ways to infiltrate projects,” he said. “They are still trying to exploit legitimate participation and local economic-development requirements. They are still trying to position front companies, manipulate community structures, and influence subcontracting opportunities. They are still trying to make public infrastructure serve criminal interests instead of public interests.”