Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has rejected claims that informal settlements, migration and underdevelopment are driving extortion syndicates in Nyanga, Philippi and Samora Machel.

Winde was responding to questions in the provincial legislature on Thursday about what non-policing steps his government is taking to tackle extortion.

He said the rise in organised crime was linked to weakened investigative capacity in the South African Police Service, not the growth of informal settlements.

“I think what we have seen in our country is an exacerbation of organised crime during the pandemic time,” Winde said.

He added that gangsterism had shifted during that period, with extortion becoming part of how criminal networks operated.

“The problem is that it has not been dealt with decisively and quickly enough and now it has almost become like a cancer that runs through the whole country,” he said.

Premier renews call for policing powers

Winde said the spread of organised crime strengthened calls for policing powers to be devolved to provinces.

He argued that the issue was no longer limited to party politics, saying other provinces were also calling for more control over policing.

The premier also defended the work of the Western Cape Police Oversight and Community Safety department.

According to Winde, the department continues to engage with SAPS on extortion affecting government staff, infrastructure projects and service delivery.

“These engagements aim to strengthen coordination, facilitate information sharing and support departments affected,” he said.

Residents urged to report extortion

Winde was pressed by MPL Benson Ngqentsu on whether informal settlements and poverty were contributing to higher extortion levels in parts of Cape Town.

“I wouldn’t say so,” Winde replied.

He said the evidence did not support that claim, as poverty and informal settlements could exist in one area without extortion taking root.

Asked by Thomas Walters what residents should do if they were affected, Winde urged communities to use the City of Cape Town’s anonymous tip-off line.

He said work was also underway, with the Global Initiative, on a facility that could anonymise information so police could use it for intelligence gathering.

Vearey warns against settlement claims

Former Western Cape SAPS anti-gang head Major-General Jeremy Vearey also rejected a link between the growth of informal settlements and extortion.

He warned that such a claim was “dangerous” because it carried racial undertones.

Vearey said extortion had long been rooted in parts of Cape Town, especially on the Cape Flats, where it had become a low-risk income stream for gangs.

He also disputed the idea that the issue was only caused by weak investigative capacity, saying victims often do not open cases because extortion depends on a relationship between those paying and gangs.