SA is an outlier for crime in Southern Africa, with the situation worsened by state-embedded actors who work in cahoots with criminal networks, findings from the Global Organised Crime Index 2023 show.
The study, conducted by the Geneva-based Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, an international NGO, found that SA is one of only three African countries in the high crime/high resilience category, along with Nigeria and Senegal.
“Unlike the latter two, however, both criminality and resilience scores have worsened in SA. With a high criminality score of 7.18, the country is an undeniable criminality outlier within Southern Africa, tangibly bringing up the average criminality score for the region.
“Yet against a background of a decade-long increasing criminality, erosion of critical infrastructure and undermining of democratic processes through organised corruption and violence for hire, resilience to the impact of organised crime in the country is also high. SA boasts a number of pervasive criminal markets, heightened by the influence of criminal actors, especially state-embedded actors — responsible for years of state capture — and criminal networks that are highly interconnected,” the study reads.
The study, which examines the effect of crime on the 193 UN member states, said only three African countries are in the low criminality/high resilience quadrant: Cabo Verde, Mauritius and Rwanda.
SA is seventh among 193 UN member countries in terms of high criminality score as calculated by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime and number one among Southern African countries.
The index noted that human trafficking is a major issue and that SA is a breeding ground for corruption, primarily related to the movement of foreign nationals using bribes instead of valid passports.
“Professional criminal networks run this market, making it highly organised and cash based,” the study reads.
Kleptocracy
It flagged the kleptocracy that has allowed corruption to thrive, saying corruption is pervasive across state departments, including at senior levels within prosecution and prison services. “The political system has been accused of being a kleptocracy, damaging the image of the SA police and leading to a significant drop in trust from the public.”
The 2023 index notes that private sector actors have also been involved in illicit activities, including money-laundering, bribery and misappropriation of state funds.
SA was greylisted in February by global crime watchdog the Financial Action Task Force for not fully complying with international standards around the prevention of money-laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing.
The Geneva-based organisation highlighted the police, education and health departments as hotspots for procurement corruption within the government. It called out the ANC for using its parliamentary majority “to block crucial legislative oversight investigations, protecting its representatives from corruption inquiries”.
It applauds SA’s “strong anti-organised crime legislation and legal frameworks” but warns that “implementation is hindered by a lack of political will and state capacities”.
While the judiciary is “free from corruption”, it suffers from a lack of resources.
It flags a lack of skills to prosecute money-laundering in law enforcement agencies. “Illicit money from the rest of Africa finds its way into SA, and the country’s advanced economy and sophisticated financial infrastructure make it a prime spot for foreign proceeds of crime on the continent.”
The private sector has offered to capacitate the National Prosecuting Authority with skills and resources to go after money-launderers, particularly those involved in state capture.
The index praised non-state actors and NGOs for their roles in combating and bringing to light crimes and corruption.
However, NGOs face enormous “government mistrust”. It notes that “activists encounter threats of violence and even physical attacks”.
The index praises SA’s “free and active media” but notes journalists frequently face “harassment, intimidation and surveillance by the State Security Agency”.
The study found that 83% of the world’s population is living in conditions of high criminality, a slight increase from 2021.
Director Mark Shaw said: “Countries around the globe have been forced to reckon with a new reality: a reality where organised crime has shown no sign of slowing down.
“Instead, criminal groups have quickly adapted and seized fresh opportunities.”
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