South Africa is a global hotspot for these types of crimes
South Africa is a global hotspot for these types of crimes
Business Tech
October 9, 2021
See link
https://businesstech.co.za/news/trending/525268/south-africa-is-a-global-hotspot-for-these-types-of-crimes/
for graphics.
While South Africa’s national crime statistics make it evident why the
country is seen as one of the worst places in the world for violent crime,
the latest Global Organized Crime Index shows that country also carries the
dishonour of being a hotspot for things like drug and arms trafficking and
environmental crimes.
The index, compiled by the Global Initiative against Transactional
Organized Crime (GI-TOC), looks at the influence of criminal actors and
criminal markets in a country, using reported data from authorities and
engaging with hundreds of experts with insights into these fields.
Criminal actors include Mafia-style groups and gangs, criminal networks,
state-embedded criminals and foreign actors who perpetrate crimes through
local networks. The illicit markets the index looks at are broadly split
into people, trade, environmental and drug offences.
Counter to criminality, the index also tracks resilience structures in each
country, looking at the political, regulatory and social systems to combat
criminal activity. This ranges from governance and law enforcement to
international cooperation and regional integrity.
The types of criminal markets assessed in the index are activities of
global concern, such as human trafficking and smuggling, the illegal arms
trade, cross-border drug trade, and environmental crimes such as poaching
and illicit trade of natural resources.
Globally, the Democratic Republic of Congo has the highest rate of
criminality, with low resilience structures present to prevent such
activity. This is followed by Colombia, Myanmar, Mexico and Nigeria.
The countries with the lowest criminality have low population figures and
include Monaco, Luxembourg, Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Vanuatu.
The red pyramid represents criminality – the pyramid’s base is the scale of
criminal actors, and the pyramid’s height shows the extent of criminal
activity. The blue wall represents resilience, with the wall’s height
showing how effective it is.
Finland has the highest resilience to criminal activity, followed by
Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Denmark, and Iceland. Countries with the lowest
resilience to criminal activity are Libya, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and
Venezuela.
South Africa ranks 19th out of 193 countries in the index for criminality,
making it one of the worst in the world for these types of crimes.
While acts of human trafficking are less prevalent overall, environmental
crimes and the trade of synthetic drugs is flagged as some of the worst.
Despite the relatively low scoring in people crimes, the index authors
stressed that human trafficking is still prevalent.
South Africa’s resilience score is ranked 42nd globally, with GI-TOC noting
that the strongest actors in crime prevention come from non-state
organisations – particularly in community support for drug abuse.
The government’s interventions, while good on paper – with strong laws and
regulations against criminal activity – are undercut by corruption within
state structures often facilitating the illegal activities or the various
projects aimed at crime prevention being underfunded or lacking skill and
capacity to execute them.
People Crimes
“South Africa is a destination country for human trafficking, and the
prevalence of trafficking internally is just as pervasive, if not more,
than transnational trafficking,” they said.
“Traffickers are known to recruit people from the poorer, rural areas to
urban centres, where they are then forced into domestic servitude, sex
trafficking and other forms of forced labour. There is also evidence of
Mozambican, Zimbabwean, Basotho and Malawian migrants in forced labour
arrangements.”
Labour exploitation is becoming recognised as a more significant threat
than sex trafficking, they said. However, this is not criminally organised
and mostly linked to the farming sector.
The index also highlighted corruption associated with the movement of
foreign nationals – predominantly related to paperwork and the process of
crossing borders with a bribe instead of a valid passport – as a huge
problem.
“Highly organised professional criminal networks and transactional
cash-based networks run the human smuggling industry in South Africa.
However, these groups are not violent, and the criminal market still has
significantly less reach than in other countries on the continent,” they
said.
“The smuggling of undocumented foreign nationals into South Africa often
takes place on buses or trucks crossing the border, a practice in which
South African police and immigration authorities are often complicit.”
Arms Trade
A significant flow of arms exists within South Africa – which the authors
said are overwhelmingly used by criminals to kill, injure, and intimidate.
“There are a variety of sources that have fuelled the pool of illegal
firearms, including the flow of arms from outside South Africa and within
the country. Additionally, the long history of the apartheid regime led to
the heavy arming of civilians.
“Weapons have also historically been smuggled across the borders from
neighbouring countries. While recent figures suggest there has been a
decrease in this cross-border trade, it’s still taking place, albeit to a
lesser degree.”
Environmental Crimes
While things like illegal logging aren’t as pervasive in South Africa as in
its neighbouring countries – although South Africa still imports these
illegal goods – environmental crimes like poaching are a considerable
problem, the report shows.
There is a growing range of wildlife trafficking markets, including lion
bones, ivory, abalone, and pangolins. Abalone poaching, meanwhile, provokes
violence via the gang activity surrounding the trade and has precipitated
turf wars.
“Moreover, there is a close trafficking relationship between South Africa
and Asia, predominantly pertaining to the illicit trade of lion, hippo and
rhino products,” the report’s authors said.
Non-renewable resource crimes in South Africa are mostly perpetrated
through the illicit trade of gold and, to some extent, diamonds.
“The illegal gold mining industry has expanded significantly, with a clear
differentiation emerging between gangs of miners who work in dangerous
conditions and are subject to exploitation, and criminal networks
purchasing and trafficking the products.”
Drug Trade
South Africa has become a hotspot for drugs – it is both a destination and
transhipment point for Afghan heroin arriving directly via sea and air
routes, and indirectly via overland routes originating in East Africa,
GI-TOC said.
“South Africa stands out as a major transit country because it is easier
for traffickers to move containers to Europe from South Africa than from
other countries in the region. There is strong evidence that the heroin
market is growing and becoming increasingly fatal for users.”
Domestic cannabis production and cultivation are high. It is the most
commonly consumed drug in the country; however, the low value to weight
ratio makes cannabis unattractive for illicit traders next to commodities
like cocaine, amphetamine, or Mandrax.
Historically, Mandrax was the dominant synthetic drug in South Africa.
Since the 2000s, other drugs have undercut its dominance, yet it is still
prevalent in many poorer communities across the country.
Since 2003, the consumption of crystal methamphetamine, commonly referred
to as ‘tik’, began in Cape Town and quickly took hold of drug markets in
many poor communities.