Construction mafia shuts down R550-million road project in South Africa’s richest province

A construction project in Gauteng valued at nearly R550 million has been put on hold following violent threats from local ‘construction mafia‘ groups.

The tender, which is worth R548,612,770, was awarded to LoneRock in early 2025 to revamp the Golden Highway bridge, which connects Johannesburg to Vanderbijlpark.

Earlier this month, the company revealed that its employees have been shot and assaulted, forcing them to halt work on the site.

The details of the attacks were disclosed in an affidavit filed in the Pretoria High Court in June 2025 by director Godfrey Mokabane.

The affidavit also noted that local taxi organisations have demanded money from LoneRock following its tender appointment.

Mokabane told the court that he had met with local business members, taxi associations, politicians, and organisations that all wanted a cut of the rehabilitation project’s funds.

Despite this, he stated that LoneRock would not give in to threats, intimidation, and coercion.

In a previous meeting with Gauteng Transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela and taxi associations, the Department of Transport suggested that LoneRock should rely on the taxis for transport for its workers.

However, LoneRock refused to accept this proposal.

The affidavit also noted that ward councillors in the meeting had instructed the attending police officials to leave.

Mokabane further claimed that they became disruptive, voicing their discontent at having the police present at the meeting.

The director stated that this resulted in a chaotic end to the meeting and that nothing about the matter was resolved.

LoneRock then received word from the South African Police Service’s Organised Crime Unit, saying that construction would commence.

However, the foreman of the Ward 125 site, Jan Greef, later reported that he had been approached by the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) and various individuals, who stated that construction could not continue until they had been consulted.

The City of Johannesburg’s chief whip, Sithembiso Zungu, previously accused of extortion during a housing development in Lenasia South, is in charge of the ward, according to the City Press.

A contractor involved in the Lenasia South development project previously obtained a protection order against Zungu.

However, the chief whip defied the order and was jailed for two months.

The situation at the Golden Highway rehabilitation site has since escalated to violent altercations, as a LoneRock mechanic was shot and pistol-whipped on the same day that Sanco approached the site.

The victim managed to escape with minor injuries.

Mokabane stated that taxi operators have also visited the site demanding “the first month’s payment” and that they would get this money “whether their services were being utilized or not.”

Local business owners have made threats of their own, blocking LoneRock workers from entering the construction area and making several demands.

This includes being designated as contractors and having work on the project allocated equally per ward.

The director revealed that eight incidents of harassment and obstructing work duties took place in March when construction began.

Another four incidents were reported in April.

According to the report, the Ministry of police, taxi operators, and business forums are yet to file their opposing papers.

South Africa’s construction mafia problem

South Africa’s so-called construction mafias have made the news several times in the last few years, harassing companies in several provinces for a cut of the tender money set aside for infrastructure projects.

In Cape Town, criminals have attempted to extort funds from tenders for transport initiatives like the MyCiti bus expansion in Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain.

As a result, the municipality no longer discloses the value of the tenders it awards, as this marks the construction crews as a target for intimidation tactics.

In early 2025, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy revealed that at least four major road upgrades across South Africa were disrupted by mafias between 2018 and 2024.

Even smaller efforts like pothole repairs have been harassed by community leaders, who demand to be ‘involved’ in the process.

In response, the government announced that it would devise a strategy to deal these mafia-style tactics.

“The so-called construction mafia – organised extortion gangs that use violence to gain a share of lucrative projects – continue to disrupt projects in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and the Western Cape,” said Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana during his annual Budget Speech today, 12 March 2025.

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson wants to deploy specialised police units and reform local procurement laws to crack down on the crime.

“After just four months in office, the Minister helped sign the Durban Declaration with SAPS and the National Treasury to develop a unified approach to ending the construction mafia once and for all,” said Macpherson’s spokesperson, James de Villiers.

“The Durban Declaration, signed in November, provides a framework to restore the rule of law through coordinated law enforcement efforts, reforms to local procurement regulations, and the deployment of specialised police units to combat this scourge.”