'We must work together to fight the construction mafia'

DURBAN - KwaZulu-Natal premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has declared a fight against the construction mafia in the province.

Ntuli delivered his first State of the Province Address (SOPA) in the provincial legislature on Wednesday, after being elected premier by an Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Democratic Alliance (DA), African National Congress (ANC) and the National Freedom Party (NFP) coalition in June.

Like King Misuzulu’s speech on Tuesday, Ntuli also had a focus on fighting crime.

READ: Zulu king calls for urgent action against growing gun violence in KZN

This also includes dealing with the issue of the construction mafia, who are known for disrupting government projects.

In what was a brief SOPA, the Premier raised concerns about crime in the province.

He said that this was negatively impacting the province’s economic growth.

He pointed to the construction mafia, a group of armed men known for disrupting government projects and demanding money from contractors.

Ntuli told the House that the provincial government had taken a stance in this regard.

"As this government, we must work together to fight the construction mafia syndrome, there is no place for the construction mafias in the province."

Various government projects in the province such as renovations at government buildings and roads had been previously halted by the groups demanding a share.

However, Ntuli said this would have no place under his watch.

'We must work together to fight the construction mafia' - KZN Premier Ntuli

Delivering his first State of Province Address, Premier Thami Ntuli told the house that the provincial government has taken a stance that construction mafias will have no place under his watch.