"Bayafika abafana" – that's the reply from business owners in the Western Cape when they are asked if they pay protection fees. Bayafika abafana means "the young men do come".
In other words, if you don't pay, the young men, as the extortionists' foot soldiers are known, will pay you a visit.
Extortionists have hit the construction industry particularly hard. They threaten (and deliver) violence if they don't get a slice of the budget.
This has led to delays and increased costs in multibillion-rand developments.
But, as News24's special Extortion Nation project reveals, extortion goes beyond the construction sector.
Facing threats to their safety, our reporters visited a range of communities across the country and found that this criminal enterprise is spreading rapidly, harming every part of the economy and permeating every aspect of society.
Small businesses operating on thin margins are forced to pay regular "protection" fees to avoid becoming victims of violence or having their property destroyed.
Taxi drivers, hair salon owners, and landlords who rent to backyard dwellers told News24 they have to pay up … or else!
The "or else!" is the violence meted out by the "the young men" … and bayafika abafana!
If there was ever a sign of how brazen the extortionists have become, it was thugs storming the Algoa Park police station in Gqeberha, which was being upgraded, to demand their pound of flesh.
The police's response is sluggish at best, with allegations that they either turn a blind eye or participate in extortion schemes.
Despite only a fraction of the more than 6 000 extortion cases reported in the past five years leading to convictions, acting deputy police commissioner Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya says police are winning the fight against these pervasive crimes.
Criminologists warn that there will be catastrophic consequences if the government doesn't take extortion seriously and develop effective strategies to dismantle these syndicates, such as forming specialised task forces and protecting whistleblowers.
However, as our special project shows, it may be too late.
Jonathan Ancer
Prime News Editor
Extortion Nation | Top cop adamant SAPS is winning extortion 'war', but only a fraction of convictions
By Tankiso Makhetha
Acting deputy police commissioner Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya is adamant that police are winning "the war" against extortion rackets.
But with only a fraction of the more than 6 000 extortion cases reported in the past five years leading to convictions, it's difficult to believe.
Of the 6 056 extortion cases reported between April 2019 and March 2024, only 178 resulted in convictions, and experts said many cases were withdrawn due to victims' fear of retaliation.
However, Sibiya said the accused in many of the cases were still undergoing court processes and hadn't been convicted "yet".
Extortionists disrupt construction projects worth R51bn in two years
By Sakhiseni Nxumalo
The South African Forum of Civil Engineering Contractors' survey on construction site disruptions found that between 2018 and 2022, more than 287 projects worth R51.6 billion had been disrupted by extortionists.
The forum’s CEO, Andile Zondi, added that out of the 287 disrupted projects, "most", worth a combined R18.5 billion, were situated in Gauteng. Forty-five of them were in KwaZulu-Natal, where the so-called construction mafia, the extortionists who demand to be paid 30% of the contract value, originated.
Zondi said many of those construction sites had been disrupted multiple times.
Lefty Shivambu | Gallo Images
Lefty Shivambu | Gallo Images
Face-to-face with the most feared man in Mamelodi
By Tankiso Makhetha
Millions of South Africans hustle daily to earn a living and put food on the table for their families. They face enormous odds in South Africa's struggling economy, where jobs and opportunities are scarce.
At the end of the week or month or whenever the extortionists decide to come and claim their pound of flesh, armed men arrive to skim off a significant portion of what they have managed to earn.
News24 has spoken to many victims of these extortionists. It was time to speak to an extortionist.
Chris McGrath | Getty Images
Chris McGrath | Getty Images
Protection fees: The cost of doing business in Alexandra
By Tankiso Makhetha
Alexandra - one of the oldest townships in South Africa - has co-existed with the phenomenon of extortions since its inception.
From the Msomi Gang, which operated from 12th Avenue in the 1950s, to opportunistic copycat gangs, the area does not seem to be able to escape the clutches of extortion rackets that evolve over time.
News24 visited Gomora, which the area was dubbed, and spoke to various businesses owners who see protection fees as a small price to pay to ensure their business can continue operating.
Extorted for protection from another extortion gang
By Tankiso Makhetha
Mamelodi East gang Bafarasai, which is known for its alleged involvement in murder-for-hire cases, is demanding weekly fees of R100 to R250 from informal businesses to protect them from Mamelodi West extortion gang, Boko Haram, locals have told News24.
Papi Morake | Gallo Images
Papi Morake | Gallo Images
Foreign-owned spaza shops are soft targets for Diepsloot extortion syndicates
By Tankiso Makhetha
Foreign nationals who run spaza shops in Diepsloot have become soft targets for extortion syndicates, which force them to pay R300 a month to operate safely in the area.
According to local community leaders, there are about 1 200 foreign-owned spaza shops in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, which means syndicates could be raking in monthly protection fees to the tune of around R360 000, amounting to more than R4 million a year.
Ntwaagae Seleka | News24
Ntwaagae Seleka | News24
Developments not disruptions: Sowetans unite to defend construction sites
By Ntwaagae Seleka
Two minibus taxis pulled up to a construction site in Protea Glen, Soweto, in July. The men who spilled out of the taxis had arrived at the site to offer protection to the construction company building a petrol station.
But the construction company really needed to be protected from the people "offering" them protection. The company and its subcontractors had had enough.
Vuyokazi Mbingeleli | Supplied
Vuyokazi Mbingeleli | Supplied
'Either I pay or I relocate': Mthatha businesses crippled by protection fee demands
By Sithandiwe Velaphi
In late 2023, a group of men entered a retail outlet in Mthatha and asked to speak to the owner.
"They said they had been sent by their boss to tell me that my business needed to be protected so that I can trade freely," the owner said.
"They said I needed to pay the protection fee so that I don't have to worry about being kidnapped. I asked them what if another group comes to demand another protection fee and they said: 'Please call us if you encounter problems.' "
Google Street View
Google Street View
Men storm Eastern Cape police station upgrade site, demand R50 000 share
By Sithandiwe Velaphi
Extortion in the Eastern Cape has led to infrastructure project delays, and some multibillion-rand construction projects have come to a grinding halt.
Construction companies are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea: Buckle to extortionists' demands and pay their fees or refuse to pay and risk the disruption of projects and put workers safety in jeopardy.
In a move so brazen it's almost unbelievable, extortionists stormed the Algoa Park police station in Gqeberha to demand a protection fee from the people who have been contracted to upgrade the premises.
Brenton Geach | Gallo Images
Brenton Geach | Gallo Images
'Bayafika abafana': The young men do come... and no one wants to die
By Velani Ludidi
"Bayafika abafana" (the young men do come) is a common response in Khayelitsha, Gugulethu and Nyanga when business owners are asked if they pay protection fees. Ruthless and often willing to kill, these criminals instil so much fear that many business owners refer to them in whispers as "the young men".
The townships, which are known for their vibrant entrepreneurial culture and bustling weekend nightlife, are threatened by relentless crime and extortion.
As one Nyanga business owner told News24:
"We've gotten used to it. You either pay or risk getting killed - and no one wants to die."
Fani Mahuntsi | Gallo Images
Fani Mahuntsi | Gallo Images
Vumatel halts Khayelitsha fibre services after syndicates target contractors
By Velani Ludidi
Khayelitsha residents face connectivity challenges after Vumatel, the company responsible for rolling out fibre in the area, withdrew its services due to threats of extortion and violence against its contractors.
This will disrupt internet access for many, particularly those working from home, who may be forced to return to offices, and those studying for exams. This is not the first time Vumatel has pulled out of Khayelitsha.
The company had paused its operations for more than nine months due to violence targeting its contractors.
"Khayelitsha will never fully develop," complained resident Ntuthuko Kolweni.
Hoberman Collection | Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Hoberman Collection | Universal Images Group via Getty Images
'If you didn't pay, you were in big trouble ... and I mean big trouble'
By Sakhiseni Nxumalo
R100 is a small sum, but to meter-taxi operators, tuck shop owners, and small businesspeople in Richards Bay, northern KwaZulu-Natal, this was the price of survival that needed to be paid monthly to the late Nkululeko Mkhize, who had a reputation as an extortion kingpin.
For years, every week, the name Mkhize was synonymous with fear.
Whether selling food on the streets, operating a meter taxi, or driving delivery bikes, you had to pay for protection - protection that came at the hands of Mkhize's armed and ruthless men.
Darren Stewart | Gallo Images
Darren Stewart | Gallo Images
Silence, fear grip Umlazi: Terrified residents afraid to speak out against gangs
By Sakhiseni Nxumalo
Extortion has cast a dark shadow over Umlazi, leaving many residents too afraid to speak out.
Landlords, tuck shop owners, hair salon owners, and small business operators in the Durban suburb, which is regarded by many as the country's extortion ground zero, are increasingly caught between a rock and a hard place as criminal gangs demand "protection fees" under the threat of violence or destruction.
Yet, despite the widespread nature of these crimes, most people are hesitant to discuss the issue, creating an atmosphere of silence and fear.
Protection fees:
How much is being paid?
The price of protection differs vastly from place to place.
Here is what local entrepreneurs are paying in four of the country's worst extortion hotspots.
*Not all information could be obtained for each neighbourhood
Read more
Rosetta Msimango | News24
Rosetta Msimango | News24
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Supplied | City of Cape Town
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Video screengrab
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Secunda Mall | Facebook
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Pramote Polyamate | Getty Images
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Tankiso Makhetha | News24
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Fani Mahuntsi | Gallo Images
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City of Cape Town | Supplied
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Journalists: Tankiso Makhetha, Sakhiseni Nxumalo, Sithandiwe Velaphi, Velani Ludidi and Ntwaagae Seleka.
Prime News Editor: Jonathan Ancer
Assistant Editor | Head of News: Nicki Gules
Production Editor: Hanlie Gouws
Design: Sharlene Rood
Image credits:
Luke Daniel | News24; Fani Mahuntsi | Gallo Images; Frédéric Soltan | Corbis via Getty Images; Katsumi Murouchi | Moment Collection | Getty Images; champc | iStock | Getty Images Plus; darul ulum iStock | Getty Images Plus; kontur-vid | iStock | Getty Images Plus.
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