Organised crime in Southern Africa

This report, produced by the Institute for Security Studies in collaboration with the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO), provides a comprehensive review of organised criminal activities in 12 southern African countries. It identifies a strong nexus between organised crime and corruption, noting that the region's porous borders and economic disparities facilitate the transnational movement of drugs, stolen vehicles, counterfeit goods, and endangered species. The report emphasizes that while some crimes are local, the most serious activities are transnational and often underpinned by systemic corruption within law enforcement and government institutions.

• Organised crime in Southern Africa is fundamentally underpinned by corruption, which serves as either a facilitating activity or an organised criminal activity in its own right.
• The region is a major global hub for cannabis production, with Africa responsible for approximately 25% of global production as of 2005. South Africa alone accounted for 42% of African cannabis seizures.
• Cigarette smuggling is a priority crime for SARPCCO, driven by significant price differences. For example, a pack of cigarettes in South Africa costs an average of US$2.45, compared to US$0.41 in Zimbabwe and US$0.45 in Mozambique.
• The region serves as a critical transshipment point for cocaine from South America and Southeast Asia. Mozambique is a primary entry point, with drugs arriving from Brazil and being re-routed to Europe and Southeast Asia.
• Stolen motor vehicle theft is a highly organised transnational enterprise. Zambia acts as a main transit country for South African vehicles destined for Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
• In South Africa, there is a specific 'marriage of convenience' between abalone poaching and the production of crystal methamphetamine ('tik'). Abalone is bartered for tik ingredients brought from Asia, often involving Chinese triads.
• Tanzania faces severe issues with large-scale ivory poaching, which is believed to involve high-ranking government officials and politically exposed persons (PEPs).
• Financial crimes in the region include widespread public sector fraud and procurement scams. In Lesotho, this includes the use of fictitious identities and bribed officials to claim fraudulent life insurance payouts.
• Human trafficking and people smuggling are prevalent, with Tanzania serving as a critical point for irregular migration due to its location and proximity to conflict zones like Burundi, Rwanda, and the DRC.
• Armed robberies in South Africa have evolved, with ATM bombings replacing cash-in-transit heists as a prominent phenomenon, often facilitated by the theft or illegal supply of mining explosives.
• The 'blue-bag mafia' in Mozambique describes a system where customs officials collect bribes from professional smugglers in a 'blue bag', which is then distributed among officers based on rank.
• In Zambia, the mining sector is infiltrated by organised crime, with copper and cobalt ore frequently stolen from trains and trucks, often in collusion with drivers.

APA

Hübschle, A. (n.d.). Organised crime in Southern Africa. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/OrgCrimeReviewDec2010.pdf

Chicago

Hübschle, Annette. Organised crime in Southern Africa. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/OrgCrimeReviewDec2010.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hübschle |first1=Annette |title=Organised crime in Southern Africa |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/OrgCrimeReviewDec2010.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hbschlendorganised, author = {Hübschle, Annette}, title = {{Organised crime in Southern Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/OrgCrimeReviewDec2010.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }