KwaZulu-Natal Public Works MEC Martin Meyer (fifth from the left) visited the construction project at Menzi High School in uMlazi. | Willem Phungula
Durban — Black Business Federation (BBF), an umbrella body for business forums in KwaZulu-Natal, has called for the regulation of business associations to isolate the construction mafia from legitimate business people.
BBF held a brief engagement with the members of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) who together with provincial Public Works and Infrastructure MEC Martin Meyer visited the construction project at Menzi High School in uMlazi, south of Durban, on Wednesday.
The federation’s general secretary, Wonder Jaca, said the body was calling on the government to create legislation that would regulate the business forums as a solution to end extortion by criminals who masquerade as business forums.
He said once there was regulation in place, those working on site would be able to identify genuine business forums from criminals because they would ask for relevant documentation and see whether people were legitimate business people or criminals.
Jaca denounced the disruption of projects by the construction mafia, calling on law enforcement agencies to deal harshly with criminals disrupting “much-needed” public projects which in the end benefit communities.
“We are calling on the government to regulate business forums so that we are able to isolate construction mafia criminals who are disturbing projects. We have been consistently saying that we are not construction mafia but those invading project sites armed were not business forums but criminals. It’s a pity they were giving us a bad reputation,” said Jaca.
He thanked Meyer for inviting real business people to talk about business, saying his federation was working well with the MEC and his department and supported Meyer’s call for a construction imbizo.
Reacting to the BBF call, Meyer welcomed the proposal, saying it was a good idea that members of the NCOP should take into consideration. Meyer also commended the BBF for coming forward to work with the department to solve problems in the construction industry.
He said his department was willing to conduct workshops on what it takes to be a legitimate business, saying he would speak to South African Revenue Service officials to come and assist the people who wanted to register their businesses. Meyer said there was a difference between business forums and extortionists, saying those who disrupted the Menzi High School project were mainly extortionists who did not want to work but wanted money only.
He said he was happy that the Menzi project was progressing well after his intervention, saying the close to R40 million project was 56% complete. However, Meyer expressed disappointment that it was behind due to the stoppages by the construction mafia who were demanding money from the main contractor.
Meyer also announced that the project was due for completion in December but because of delays, it would now be completed in April next year. He said the project, which started in 2022, had been disrupted six times.
Speaking on behalf of the members of the legislature, Mzamo Billy, as a whip of the NCOP, also welcomed the proposal by BBF, saying it would assist the government a lot to have a database of legitimate business forums.
The project consists of 13 classrooms, a multi-purpose classroom, a media centre, a science lab, an administration block and an amphitheatre, a combi sport court and an assembly area.
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