"Protection rackets are not a popular topic among bar owners in Cape Town. "You just adapt," says a man from East Africa who does not want to give his name. "The laws of the street apply here." German bar owner Randolf Jorberg learned what these laws look like in 2015. After he spoke publicly for the first time about extortion practices in the restaurant industry and refused to pay, a Congolese bouncer working for him was stabbed to death."
"Prior to this, well-dressed men with broad shoulders had visited his bar, Beerhouse. "They offer you protection from a danger they can't really describe," Jorberg told DW. He was told that all was official and through a company and that problems would only arise if the protection offer was not accepted. "Had I been in Cape Town, I wouldn't dare" During the coronavirus pandemic, cases of extortion increased rapidly."
"A few months later, Modack was arrested and has been in custody ever since. He was found guilty of corruption in June, but hundreds of other charges are pending, including murder. In November 2024, another alleged leader of the extortion gangs, Mark Lifman, died in a hail of bullets outside a shopping center. There are repeated clashes and fights in the gang milieu."
Protection rackets in Cape Town target bars and restaurants, using intimidation, violence, and claims of official protection to extract payments. Extortion intensified during the coronavirus pandemic as nightclubs closed and restaurants became targets. Bar owner Randolf Jorberg refused to pay and experienced deadly consequences when a Congolese bouncer was stabbed; he later left the country. Individuals suspected of leading the rackets, including Nafiz Modack, faced arrests and corruption convictions while hundreds of charges, including murder, remain pending. Another alleged leader, Mark Lifman, was killed in November 2024. Gang-related clashes continue despite leaders' arrests or deaths.
Read at www.dw.com
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