Construction mafia | Prosecutor: Entire country held to ransom by extortionists

A general view of the room before the first sitting of the New South African Parliament in Cape Town on June 14, 2024. 
A man is seen using a mobile phone.
File: Former president Jacob Zuma. AFP/Pool
File: Witness seat at the Commission into State Capture.
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CAMPERDOWN – The entire country is held to ransom by extortionists.
That’s one of the arguments made by the prosecution in the bail application hearing of five men accused of disrupting a bridge construction project in KwaXimba, KwaZulu-Natal.
The five men — Andile Jiyane, Elias Phetha, Nhlanhla Makhathini, Sibonelo Khanyile and Thabani Nkomo — appeared in the Camperdown magistrate’s court and face extortion charges.
READ: Suspected construction mafia members back in court
They deny they are part of the construction mafia, and say they only questioned why the project employed outsiders and not locals.
The bail application hearing continues on Friday.