Narcotics and Crime : a challenge to South African National Security (2006 - 2018)

Abstract

South Africa has a serious organized crime, narcotics trafficking and corruption challenge. South Africa, a nation suffering from high levels of crime, is the Southern African hub for drug trafficking. Many of its security officials are plagued by corruption and linked to criminal syndicates, such as drug traffickers. Therefore, a relevant question needs to be explored: Does South Africa exhibit characteristics of narcostatization? The term narco-state itself is a contentious concept, but levels of narcostatization provided by David Jordan will be used as a model to explore the question. The research explores South Africa’s narcostatization levels from 2006 to 2018, with the corruption of South African security sector as a unit of analysis. Based on reports, books, journals and newspaper articles, it is evident that occupants in high ranked positions in the South African Police Service (SAPS) has been affected by corruption with criminal syndicates. An example being the criminal relationships of former National Police Commissioner, Jackie Selebi. The purpose of this exploration is simply to understand how the challenges of governance, rooted in narcotic trafficking, impact the security sector and citizens of the state. Finally, it is explorative because there is minimal literature that claims South Africa is a type of narco-state, and the assumption is that it is not one. Nonetheless, the effects of narcotics and narco-trafficking have negative consequences for South African national security.