CRIME, CORRUPTION, AND CONSTRUCTION: EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF THE “CONSTRUCTION MAFIA” ON PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

Recent government policies and a state-led focus on “radical economic transformation” have spawned a range of business forums, colloquially known as the “construction mafia,” seeking to capitalize on economic reform. However, competition for construction contracts have led to the widespread use of intimidation, violence, and government corruption within the eThekwini Municipality. This research seeks to understand how the construction mafia in eThekwini impacts the local government’s ability to develop public infrastructure, as well as the extent to which government responses enable or hinder organized criminal networks in the construction industry. Utilizing a qualitative method of semi-structured one-on-one interviews and notes from the National Summit on Crime Free Construction Sites, this research addresses the economic, social, and political impacts of the construction mafia and outlines the various ways that the government both contributes to and prevents the proliferation of the construction mafia. In order to fully understand the historical context of economic and social inequality in eThekwini, the research takes a nuanced approach to the issue, with careful consideration of the legacies of apartheid and colonialism on contemporary systems of public procurement and construction industry standards. Data is supplemented with sociological and criminological literature that explores the underlying theories behind organized crime and political corruption. As a result, this research adds to the distinct lack of academic work surrounding the construction mafia through consideration of the post-colonial sociopolitical environment and a variety of first-hand perspectives.