Foreign nationals targeted by explosion of extortion in South Africa
A South African and his two sons, one of whom is a police officer, appeared before a Cape Town magistrate last month, accused of extortion from around fifty convenience stores run by Ethiopians and Somalis.
A Somali man, accused of collecting “protection fees” from traders outside Stellenbosch, the wine capital 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Cape Town, was also at the scene.
That trial exposed the targeting of foreign-owned neighborhood grocery stores in a growing extortion economy that preys on a range of businesses, from construction to nightclubs.
Businesses run by immigrants were also at the center of an outbreak of xenophobic unrest earlier this year, when dozens of them were looted, burned or forced to close during protests demanding that undocumented foreign nationals leave the country.
“Foreigners are easier targets because they are afraid, more afraid than South Africans,” said Fransina Lukas, head of the community policing forum in the Western Cape province, which includes the city of Cape Town.
Extortion gangs usually send letters demanding monthly payments for “protection” services, Lukas told AFP.
“If the person refuses, they send goons to rob the business, they harass the customers, until it gets to the really brutal part where they kill people,” she said.
In July, at least two foreign nationals were among four people killed in a shooting at a spaza shop in Franschhoek, a picturesque town in the Western Cape province.
The same month, a 31-year-old Somali man, who ran a grocery store in the Bonteheuwel area of Cape Town, was shot dead while serving customers.
Police linked the two incidents to extortion, not weeks of xenophobic violence, mainly directed at people from other African countries, which South African police say led to the deaths of at least four foreign nationals.
– Big arms for hire –
Local grocery stores run by Somalis are a favorite target of extortionists in Cape Town’s sprawling Khayelitsha township, although local residents are not spared, said community leader Mawande Jara.
“The fees vary, perhaps depending on income,” he told AFP. “We were told they ask for bank statements to assess how much they can take. »
This crime is underreported because victims fear reprisals and suspect some police officers of acting as informants for criminal gangs.
“If you report them to the police, these individuals will know very quickly that you have filed a complaint against them,” Jara said. “You will therefore be vulnerable and put your life in danger. »
An Islamic school and mosque in Cape Town were visited in June by men demanding a “registration fee” of 3,000 rand (about $180), followed by monthly payments of 500 rand, a representative told AFP.
“No physical threats were made, but I was warned that these people are dangerous,” he said on condition of anonymity.
The center may have been targeted because the imam was a foreign national, he said. “I think one or two members of the community didn’t appreciate our presence. »
After paying the initial fee, the center filed a complaint with the police.
According to Chad Thomas, an investigator specializing in organized crime, the use of “henchmen for hire” is sometimes a tactic to resolve disputes outside the justice system.
“This type of extortion is on the rise – business leaders are increasingly frustrated by the length of civil court proceedings,” he said.
The Western Cape province accounted for almost half of the 112 extortion cases linked to protection rackets recorded nationally between April and June this year, and the highest number of murders in corner shops (30 out of 76), according to police statistics.
The province is also a hotbed of gang-related violence, with 217 murders recorded in the same three months, by far the highest figure in the country.
“Extortion crimes have seen an exponential increase in recent years,” Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia told reporters in June.
“I don’t think we have all the answers yet to combat extortion,” he said. “It’s been going on for a long time on a small scale…(now) it’s exploding.” »
AFP
