THE MTHATHA PROTECTION FEE MAFIA THAT CONTROLS MORE THAN JUST THIS RURAL TOWN!

Let me explain why I believe that what is happening here in #Mthatha is a mafia enterprise… In Mthatha and other regions in the province like Gqeberha, a troubling trend of extortion through “protection fees” is significantly affecting local businesses and vulnerable individuals and its been in the news. The form of extortion — in which businesses, particularly those owned by foreigners but fast spreading to SA owned businesses, are coerced into paying for dubious protection services ( basically pay us to protect your business from us) — these criminal acts have led to some businesses shutting down due to alleged intimidation and threats from criminal syndicates. What started with petty criminals harassing street vendors, then foreign run spaza shops and then foreign owned hardware stores has now upgrades to all types of trade business extortion. BnBs, Petrol Stations, Doctors Offices, Taverns, Street vendors, Apartment blocks konkeeee and its honestly so disheartening. Some fees are rumored to be as high as R100,000 per month for some business and up to 50% for smaller businesses even from oMama selling amagwinya on the side of the road. Other individuals and business owners, including property owners, are said to have been forced to pay R20 000 for small businesses, R50 000 for medium-sized, and more than R200 000 for big businesses. One petrol station was even asked to pay 350k per month. Crazy Even worse, school teachers and other professionals renting properties in Mthatha, have allegedly been forced to pay between R500 and R1 000 a month “for protection” and extra rent from some even gov owned properties. The MTHATHA protection fee racket is but a small cog in a larger mafia style organized crime syndicate that is operating from the south coast of Durban right through Mthatha, East London, Gqeberha into the Western Cape. The syndicate involves petty, criminals, semi organized, criminals, Security companies, CIT kingpins, small business owners, who are victims, big business owners, who many are also victims, but some are collaborators, also don’t forget some unscrupulous traditional leaders who hold a large sway in matters here due to land custodianship to allow businesses to be built in tribal land and then in the mix there are drug networks and foreign cocaine cartels. This is a crazy melting point of criminal potjie Kos. To be simple. Kubi eMthatha and the only law that exists here is the law of the gun. People live in fear and there’s a realization that this network will soon, if it hasn’t already, start to run the district and possibly the province. Let’s have this conversation in its entirety. Share your thoughts, your frustrations, your ideas. B - ROLL CREDITS: B ROLL IS FOR ILLUSTRATIVE AND VISUALIZATION PURPOSES ONLY! Music Credits: ► Music Credit: Artificial.Music Track Name: "oceanic space [short edit]" Music By: Artificial Music @ / artificial-music YT Channel HERE: / smarttoaster Original upload HERE - / oceans License for commercial use: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) License. Full License HERE - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Music promoted by NCM https://goo.gl/fh3rEJ ––– ♪♫ FREE DOWNLOAD ♫♪ ––– ► DOWNLOAD this track HERE -    • [Non-Copyrighted Music] Chill Jazzy Lofi H...   ♪ ♪ Biscuit (Prod. by Lukrembo) Link :    • lukrembo - biscuit   Track: September Rain - Yme Fresh Music provided by Verde Música Studio Watch:    • 🎧 BACKGROUND Music for VLOGS while TALKING...   Track: September - Not the King Music provided by Verde Música Studio Watch:    • 🎧 BACKGROUND Music for VLOGS while TALKING...   New Dawn Royalty Free Music by Benjamin Tissot Music I use: Bensound.com License code: 2471 MABJR3C62MG8 https://open.spotify.com/track/6q5VUr... / new-dawn-single – Apple Music   / new-dawn-single   • Bensound: "New Dawn" https://music.amazon.in/albums/B07RWH... https://deezer.page.link/pahUbCAequ15...