Crime networks and governance in Cape Town

This research paper examines "criminal governance" in Cape Town, where organised crime networks operate as parallel authorities in areas of weak state capacity. It argues that these networks are not merely parasitic but are embedded in a dysfunctional society shaped by apartheid-era spatial planning, high unemployment, and state inefficiency. The paper highlights the diversification of crime into property and cyber fraud and criticizes state responses for over-relying on repression rather than addressing the socioeconomic root causes.

• The state is unable to exercise authority in many areas of Cape Town, leading to the emergence of "criminal governance," defined as parallel sources of authority managed by criminal networks that provide goods, services, and dispute resolution where the state fails.
• Organised crime in Cape Town is viewed as a symptom of a dysfunctional society, driven by root causes such as high levels of drug abuse, broken family units, and low employment.
• Apartheid-era spatial planning and the Group Areas Act of 1950 contributed to the growth of gangs by forcibly removing non-white populations to the outskirts of the city, specifically the Cape Flats, which broke up extended family units.
• Historical symbiotic relationships existed between criminal networks and both the apartheid state and liberation movements, with smuggling routes being used for firearms, drugs, and funds.
• Criminal networks have diversified into legitimate economic sectors to consolidate power and launder money, including property development, the adult entertainment industry, and the construction sector.
• Foreign nationals, particularly Somali spaza shopkeepers, are highly vulnerable to business robberies and often turn to criminal entrepreneurs or gang leaders for protection because they distrust or cannot access state protection.
• The illegal abalone (perlemoen) trade is intricately linked to the drug trade, with abalone often serving as a currency for exchanging drugs, and is sustained by state inability to intervene and high levels of corruption.
• Cyber fraud in Cape Town often targets tourists and utilizes underpaid casual staff, such as waiters, to capture credit card information via skimming devices; the proceeds are sometimes used to buy building materials for poor communities.
• Current state strategies to combat organised crime are criticized for being too focused on policing and repression while ignoring the socioeconomic context and deficiencies in other state capacities.
• The taxi industry in Cape Town has been marked by violent "taxi wars" and a strong link between taxi associations, drugs, and organised crime, with some associations operating like the Mafia to extort money.

APA

Goredema, C., & Goga, K. (2014). Crime networks and governance in Cape Town. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper262.pdf

Chicago

Goredema, Charles, and Khalil Goga. Crime networks and governance in Cape Town. Institute for Security Studies, 2014. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper262.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Goredema |first1=Charles |last2=Goga |first2=Khalil |title=Crime networks and governance in Cape Town |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=August 2014 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper262.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{goredema2014crime, author = {Goredema, Charles and Goga, Khalil}, title = {{Crime networks and governance in Cape Town}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2014}, month = aug, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper262.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }