Suspected construction mafia members will appear in the Camperdown Magistrate’s Court. (Google© Streetview, Google Maps, taken 2019)
KwaZulu-Natal police have arrested five alleged construction mafia suspects linked to the blocking of a bridge construction site in uMsunduzi, outside Pietermaritzburg.
The five accused, aged between 28 and 44, were arrested by the provincial Reaction Task Team on Saturday.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said: “Police responded to reports of a group of people who were disturbing activities at a construction site where a bridge is under construction in uMsunduzi.”
Netshiunda said the accused had been charged with intimidation and disturbance of a construction site.
They will appear in the Camperdown Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
READ | ‘They fear nobody’: Construction mafia groups delay building of clinic in Mohlakeng
KwaZulu-Natal has been experiencing ongoing blockages of construction sites. Last week, eight construction projects in Pietermaritzburg were brought to a standstill by alleged construction mafias.
Public Works and Infrastructure MEC Martin Meyer said such threatening conduct, regardless of its agenda, would not be taken lightly.
He said disruptions to construction sites were a national problem, and KwaZulu-Natal was engaging with Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson and Premier Thami Ntuli about finding ways to bring a stop to it.
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