A suspected extortion kingpin was fatally wounded during a shootout with police in the Eastern Cape. The 30-year-old man had allegedly demanded R1,000 “protection fees” from each teacher at a local high school in Ngqeleni, threatening repercussions if payments were not made.
According to Eastern Cape police spokesperson Nobuntu Gantana, an investigation was launched following the extortion allegations and officers from the Tactical Response Team(TRT) were acting on intelligence regarding the suspect. When they attempted to stop his vehicle, the suspect opened fire and police returned fire in self-defense.
A 9mm pistol and ammunition were recovered at the scene and the deceased suspect’s passenger was taken in for questioning.
No police officers were injured during the incident. The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) will investigate the shooting.
Criminologist Dr. Simon Howell said that while the killing may have some impact, it’s unlikely to significantly affect the larger extortion network. “Extortion is embedded in the daily governance and operation of the South African bureaucracy, so it’s very difficult to tackle. Removing an individual is not necessarily going to do anything except create a leadership vacuum and perhaps some infighting.” Howell emphasized the need for a multi-nodal, multi-departmental approach to address extortion.