Penetrating State and Business. Organised Crime in Southern Africa, Volume One

This monograph examines the development and impact of organised crime in Southern Africa, specifically focusing on Namibia, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Swaziland in Volume One. It details how criminal networks exploit weak governance and porous borders to establish a regional market for illicit goods, often penetrating state structures through corruption and bribery.

• Organised criminal networks have created a common illicit market across the Southern African sub-region, exploiting weak governments, declining economic output, and violent conflicts to expand cross-border activities with low risk.
• In Namibia, the primary organised crime threat is the illicit diamond trade, which generates enough wealth for criminal networks to penetrate high-level government and business circles, including links to the Italian Mafia.
• Organised crime in Mozambique is characterised by the penetration of state structures, particularly the criminal justice system, through the use of bribery, coercion, and corruption.
• In Tanzania, indigenous organised crime focuses on stock theft, armed robbery, and cannabis cultivation—the latter being the most lucrative activity—while international groups coordinate the marketing of cannabis and manage the smuggling of gems, small arms, and narcotics.
• Swaziland primarily functions as a transit route for illicit commodities moving between Mozambique and South Africa, though it is also a major producer of high-quality cannabis that attracts external organised criminal groups.

APA

Gastrow, P. (n.d.). Penetrating State and Business. Organised Crime in Southern Africa, Volume One. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-86-penetrating-state-and-business.-organised-crime-in-southern-africa-volume-one-edited-by-peter-gastrow

Chicago

Gastrow, Peter. Penetrating State and Business. Organised Crime in Southern Africa, Volume One. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-86-penetrating-state-and-business.-organised-crime-in-southern-africa-volume-one-edited-by-peter-gastrow.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gastrow |first1=Peter |title=Penetrating State and Business. Organised Crime in Southern Africa, Volume One |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-86-penetrating-state-and-business.-organised-crime-in-southern-africa-volume-one-edited-by-peter-gastrow |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gastrowndpenetrating, author = {Gastrow, Peter}, title = {{Penetrating State and Business. Organised Crime in Southern Africa, Volume One}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-86-penetrating-state-and-business.-organised-crime-in-southern-africa-volume-one-edited-by-peter-gastrow}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }