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This report by the Institute for Security Studies evaluates anti-corruption efforts within the South African Department of Social Development (DSD), specifically focusing on the delivery of social grants. It examines the transition from a fragmented apartheid-era system to a centralized model involving the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), while highlighting systemic challenges such as poverty, maladministration, and inter-agency tensions.

This monograph by Irvin Kinnes examines the evolution of street gangs in the Western Cape, South Africa, from local youth groups into sophisticated criminal empires following the 1994 transition to democracy. It analyzes the intersection of political instability, socio-economic deprivation, and the rise of international drug syndicates, while detailing the violent conflict between gangs and vigilante groups like Pagad.

This monograph by Lukas Muntingh of the National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders (NICRO) examines the necessity and implementation of offender reintegration to reduce recidivism, with a primary focus on the South African context. It argues that traditional imprisonment often fails as a crime reduction technique and advocates for a reintegrative approach to punishment and holistic, empowerment-based programming.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies provides a detailed analysis of 787 closed police dockets from Pretoria, Durban, and Cape Town to understand the role of firearms in South African crime. It examines various firearm-related offences, including robbery, murder, and contraventions of the Arms and Ammunition Act, while highlighting significant gaps in police data collection and investigation quality.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the economic reinsertion of demobilised military personnel in South Africa, focusing on the challenges faced by former soldiers from both statutory and non-statutory forces. It analyzes the mismatch between the skills of demobilised personnel—who are predominantly unskilled or semiskilled—and the demands of a South African labour market that increasingly favors skilled workers. The document provides a profile of demobilised soldiers, evaluates the effectiveness of the SANDF's reintegration efforts, and offers recommendations for improving employment outcomes through targeted reskilling and public-private partnerships.

This monograph examines urban terrorism in the greater Cape Town area between 1994 and 2000, focusing on the activities of the vigilante group People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad) and the South African state's operational and legislative responses.

This monograph examines the evolution, legislative framework, and operational challenges of municipal policing in post-apartheid South Africa. It details the transition from apartheid-era township policing and traditional traffic departments to the establishment of modern Municipal Police Services (MPS) under the South African Police Service Amendment Act No 83 of 1998, focusing on the experiences of major cities like Durban, Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Cape Town.

This report analyzes the restructuring of the South African Police Service (SAPS) detective service, which involved redeploying 503 specialized units to station-level operations to improve crime investigation capacity. The author identifies several systemic failures, including unmanageable caseloads, a rigid bureaucratic hierarchy, and poor conviction rates. The report highlights critical overlaps and rivalries between the SAPS and the Directorate of Special Operations (DSO), as well as the precarious financial and operational state of the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD). Recommendations include increasing the number of detectives, reducing bureaucratic controls, and clarifying the mandates of new specialized units to avoid repeating past failures.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) provides an overview of the 2007 National Crime and Victimisation Survey (NCVS) in South Africa. It compares data from 2007 with previous surveys from 1998 and 2003 to track trends in victimisation, reporting rates, public perceptions of safety, and the performance of the criminal justice system.

This policy brief evaluates a multi-year intervention (2012–2019) in Touwsranten, South Africa, which combined four Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH) programmes with a social activation process. While the study observed reductions in parenting stress and improvements in children's mental health, it found that systemic issues—including intimate partner violence, substance misuse, and poor adult mental health—undermined the ability to achieve a community-wide shift toward positive parenting.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies proposes a framework for scaling up evidence-based violence prevention programmes in South Africa. It argues that while the country has extensive research on the causes and nature of violence, there is a significant 'implementation gap' between policy and practice. The authors advocate for the use of implementation research and the establishment of an 'implementation hub' to coordinate government, NGOs, and academics in ensuring that interventions are effective, sustainable, and responsive to real-world community contexts.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the economic development of the Western Cape, focusing on its struggle with the 'middle-income trap.' Using the International Futures (IFs) forecasting model, the document compares a Base Case scenario with three alternative policy paths—Inclusive Economy, Vibrant Economy, and Enterprising Cape—to determine how the province can achieve high-income status and reduce social inequality by 2040.

This policy brief examines the relationship between urban design and organised crime in Cape Town, arguing that apartheid-era spatial planning created dysfunctional environments that facilitate criminal networks. It discusses how inadequate housing, poor infrastructure, and economic marginalisation allow gangs to act as parallel authorities, and recommends integrating crime prevention strategies into urban planning to reduce the influence of organised crime.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes voter participation and the outcomes of South Africa's May 2014 national and provincial elections. It highlights a steady decline in electoral participation since 1994, particularly among youth and rural populations, and examines the shifting political landscape as the African National Congress (ANC) faces reduced majorities in urban centers like Gauteng.

This report evaluates the Community Safety Forum (CSF) project in the Western Cape, South Africa, which was launched in October 1998 to facilitate multi-agency crime prevention initiatives. While the project succeeded in establishing networks for information sharing and improving interaction between government departments and civil society, it struggled to translate these forums into concrete crime reduction activities due to a lack of decision-making authority and overly ambitious, non-actionable safety plans.

This report evaluates a multi-year intervention in Touwsranten, South Africa, combining four evidence-based parenting programmes with a social activation process. The study found that while the intervention significantly reduced children's internalising and externalising behaviours and decreased parenting stress, its overall impact was undermined by systemic issues such as intimate partner violence, poor mental health, and substance abuse among caregivers.

The Western Cape After School Game Changer (ASGC) is a strategic coordination model, rather than a direct service provider, aimed at preventing youth violence in South Africa's Western Cape province. By coordinating government departments and NGOs, the ASGC enhances the quality and reach of afterschool programmes in low- and no-fee schools. It utilizes a social ecological framework to disrupt risky behaviors through improved practitioner training, safe spaces, and positive role modeling. While the initiative has significantly increased learner participation (reaching 134,380 registered learners by 2017/18) and secured substantial funding (approximately R215 million for 2018/19), the report highlights a need for greater budget transparency and a shift toward institutionalization to ensure long-term sustainability.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines how to map murder and violence in South Africa when official police data is unavailable or outdated. Using the Western Cape as a case study, it argues that because violence is clustered in specific areas, data-driven mapping is essential for effective prevention. The author proposes several alternative data sources, including health facility trauma records, community police forums, smartphone applications, and municipal emergency systems, to identify violence hotspots and guide interventions.

This fact sheet by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes South African Police Service (SAPS) violent crime statistics for the period of 1 April 2016 to 30 March 2017. It highlights an increase in murders and aggravated robberies, while noting that decreases in assault and sexual offences may be due to declining reporting rates rather than a reduction in crime. The document argues that police performance has deteriorated due to management crises and political interference, and suggests that long-term reductions in violence require addressing root social causes and improving the quality and frequency of crime data reporting.

This workshop report, produced by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), Save the Children South Africa, and UNICEF SA, assesses the implementation of the INSPIRE framework to prevent violence against children (VAC) in South Africa. It details how government departments, NGOs, and researchers use the framework, identifies systemic gaps in coordination and leadership, and provides recommendations for scaling up evidence-based interventions.