KZN community rallies behind alleged 'construction mafia' in court

Angry community members who gathered outside the Camperdown magistrate's court on Monday in support of the five men arrested for allegedly disrupting the bridge construction project in uMsunduzi say the men are not part of a construction mafia.

The five men — Andile Jiyane, 28, Elias Phetha, 45, Nhlanhla Makhathini, 37, Sbonelo Khanyile, 37, and Thabani Nkomo, 34 — were arrested by the provincial reaction task team set up to curb construction mafia on Saturday. They are being charged with extortion.

Community leader pastor Phasika Vilakazi said: “They are being targeted by certain people. Their only crime is that they objected to the unfair recruitment processes.”

He said they had never witnessed the unfair process in the past. “When former eThekwini councillor Musa Mkhize was in charge, things were not like this.”

Mkhize has now defected to the MK Party.

Vilakazi blasted magistrate Brian Ngcobo for not granting the accused bail.

“Some of the people are employed, and they were only just fighting for the community,” said Vilakazi. He criticised how people are only informed hours before being selected for construction projects. The five suspects said they plan to enlist private legal representation.

The state is alleging that between August 22 and 23, “the suspects induced fear in Cyril Ngcobo and Lungisani Nduli that no work would continue until they were hired by means of said threat”.

State prosecutor Sizwe Meyiwa said the state was opposed to bail being granted to the accused. Meyiwa cited the safety of the witnesses and the profiles of all the suspects still to be obtained.

When the court indicated its intention to postpone the matter, a chorus of dissatisfaction erupted inside the courtroom, and some members in the public gallery vowed to disrupt the construction.

There was a strong security presence comprising members of the SAPS public order unit and a private security company outside the court on Monday as the precinct was teeming with protesters.

The incident came three days after members were disrupted by a group that disrupted a R109m construction project in Pietermaritzburg. The disgruntled group was demanding jobs and subcontracts from the projects. The construction mafias disrupted at least eight other sites on Wednesday.

The projects are located in ward 29 of Msunduzi municipality.

The matter has been adjourned to September 2 for a formal bail application.

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