""You just adapt," says a man from East Africa who does not want to give his name. "The laws of the street apply here.""
""They offer you protection from a danger they can't really describe," Jorberg told DW. "They ask you for monthly payments. And you will only experience increased levels of intimidation, if you decide not to take up their offer," he said."
""I just had to meet with the manager a moment," Modack tells DW, before disappearing."
""Had I been in Cape Town, I wouldn't have dared""
Bar and restaurant owners in Cape Town face persistent protection rackets and widespread intimidation. Extortion increased during the coronavirus pandemic as nightclubs closed and restaurants became targets. Well-dressed men and armed bodyguards offer vague protection and demand monthly payments, using violence or threats when payments are refused. German bar owner Randolf Jorberg experienced a fatal stabbing of a Congolese bouncer after resisting payments. Alleged racketeers including Nafiz Modack were later arrested on multiple charges, and other alleged leaders such as Mark Lifman were violently killed, reflecting an ongoing underworld conflict.
Read at www.dw.com
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