Crime in SA | Police say extortion is underreported

MTHATHA - Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola says they are battling heartless extortionists.

He was visiting Mthatha in the Eastern Cape that is being ravaged by the construction mafia and protection rackets.

The visit follows an attack on a base of the police's special task team.

Officers held them off, killing three of the men who stormed the base.

WATCH: Crime in SA | Discussion | How can extortion be halted?

Two days later, a suspect was arrested after targeting a member of the team.

But residents are also being affected.

Extortion crimes have spread like wildfire in what was once regarded as one of the safest towns in the Eastern Cape. 

Many businesses have been forced to shut down, with schools and even patients and workers at health facilities targeted.

• eNCA's Ronald Masinda reports.