The Democratic Alliance has commended the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson – a minister drawn from the DA – for his tough line on the so-called Construction Mafia.
Macpherson has indicated that he would convene a national summit on combating criminal syndicates.
The party welcomed this, as well as the minister’s decision to investigate failures and fraud in the department’s projects, including the theft of R300 million in relation to IT systems.
Said the DA in a statement: “The public and private construction sectors can no longer afford to ignore or tolerate systemic extortion. Collaboration is essential to develop sustainable solutions that protect their collective interests as well as those of the public. We believe that this summit will be a step in the right direction.”
It went on to say that it hoped the minister’s initiatives would be a template for others in dealing with organised crime.