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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 8:32 pm
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Results for organized crime (south africa)
4 results foundAuthor: Hubschle, Annette, compiler Title: Organised Crime in Southern Africa: First Annual Review Summary: In 2005 representatives of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and the Secretariat of the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO) discussed the lack of reliable information and research on organised crime and how it impacted on law enforcement in southern Africa. The lack of credible homegrown research data ultimately led to the conceptualisation of a joint research project between the Cape Town-based ISS Organised Crime and Money Laundering Programme and SARPCCO. The Enhancing Regional Responses Against Organised Crime (EROC) Project commenced in January 2008 and concludes in December 2010. The objectives of the research are to: Provide in-depth information on contemporary organised criminal activities in the sub-region to policy and decision makers; Analyse the transnational dynamics of organised criminal groups and networks; Determine whether, and to what extent, links exist between organised crime and terrorism; Consider and document the role that corruption plays in organised crime; and Evaluate the capacity and effectiveness of law enforcement agencies in the sub-region to overcome organised crime. This report comprises the research findings of the first year of data collection (2008) for the EROC project. It is the first of three such reports that will be published by the ISS in collaboration with SARPCCO. It looks at selected organised criminal activities and observed levels of prevalence in 12 southern African countries. Research questions, methodologies, limitations and ethical considerations are discussed in detail. Due to the lack of statistical and quantitative data, the report relies mostly on qualitative methodologies. Representatives of law enforcement agencies, government departments and para-statals, civil society, business and professional associations, academics, prisoners, former gang members and members of the broader communities whose lives have been affected by organised crime, were consulted in one-on-one interviews, focus groups, observations and workshops. A team of field researchers led by a research coordinator collected the data presented and analysed in this report. The research was informed by a working definition of organised crime which was jointly developed by the heads of criminal investigation departments in southern Africa and the research team. The report shows that the more serious forms of crime in terms of the monetary value involved or the potential harm they cause have a transnational dimension, both in terms of being committed by people of varying nationalities and in terms of affecting more than one country. It has been established that organised crime in most countries is underpinned by corruption, which is either a facilitating activity or an organised criminal activity in its own right. The geo-political and economic environments of individual countries amplifies the significance of specific criminal activities, the commonest forms of which have been identified as stock theft, theft/hijacking of motor vehicles, cultivation of marijuana and a broad spectrum of economic crimes. Further, the research has shown that although economic crimes may not be as prevalent as other forms of crime, statistically their impact on the society and the economy are far reaching. Furthermore, the effectiveness of law enforcement against organised crime has been put in the spotlight. Details: Pretoria, South Africa: Institute for Security Studies, 2010. 101p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 11, 2011 at: http://www.iss.co.za/uploads/OrgCrimeReviewDec2010.pdf Year: 2010 Country: South Africa URL: http://www.iss.co.za/uploads/OrgCrimeReviewDec2010.pdf Shelf Number: 120675 Keywords: CorruptionCounterfeit GoodsDrug MarketsFinancial CrimesHuman TraffickingMoney LaunderingOffenses Against the EnvironmentOrganized Crime (South Africa)PoachingSmugglingStolen Motor VehiclesWildlife Crime |
Author: Nkosi, Zaba Philip Title: An Evaluation of South Africa's Legislation to Combat Organised Crime Summary: The objective of this research is to evaluate existing South African laws intended to deal with organised crime with relevant international instruments in order to establish whether the laws are adequate and are being implemented effectively to fight the scourge. The hypothesis of this research project is that South Africa has adequate laws (compliance); however, the problem lies in their implementation (enforcement). To obtain the necessary information to achieve the said objectives, the views made by various writers on organised crime were considered. The legislation currently in place to combat organised crime was identified and measured against aforementioned instruments in order to establish whether they do achieve the minimum standards set for the fight against organised crime. The comparison was done following the perspectives contained in these instruments in chapter form. In this regard, over-achievements as well as under-achievements were highlighted. For an example, article 6 of the Palermo convention instructs state parties to include as predicate offences all serious crime, punishable by maximum deprivation of liberty of at least 4 years or more, for money laundering. The Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA), on the other hand, contains no list of specific predicate offences, but makes an open-ended reference to the "proceeds of unlawful activities." It is, therefore, all-encompassing. Another example can be found in the South African definition of corruption. The South African statutory definition penalises corruption in the widest sense and in all its forms, whereas that in the Palermo Convention is limited or restricted, as it does not instruct for the criminalisation of corruption involving foreign public officials or international civil servants. The evaluation of existing South African laws shows that South Africa has adequate laws to fight organised crime. There is, however, a room for improvement in their implementation, particularly in the prosecution of organised crimes. The South African government is urged to make available adequate financial resources to enable prosecutors to carry out their functions effectively in the fight against the scourge. Details: Port Elizabeth, South Africa: Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2011. 90p. Source: Thesis. Internet Resource: Accessed on January 22, 2012 at http://www.nmmu.ac.za/documents/theses/ZABA%20%20PHILIP%20%20NKOSI.pdf Year: 2011 Country: South Africa URL: http://www.nmmu.ac.za/documents/theses/ZABA%20%20PHILIP%20%20NKOSI.pdf Shelf Number: 123727 Keywords: Law and LegislationOrganized Crime (South Africa) |
Author: Shaw, Mark Title: The Evolution of Organised Crime in Africa Summary: This paper is part of an ISS project analysing the linkages between organised crime and statehood in Africa and exploring how policy and operational responses could be better coordinated and strengthened across the continent. Organised crime permeates many of the debates on how to build a prosperous Africa that benefits all its inhabitants, yet research on the topic is limited. This paper examines the key factors that enabled the growth of organised crime in Africa and identifies the actors involved. It highlights the main trends that have made Africa so vulnerable to organised crime, identifies implications for the future and proposes responses. Much of the technical and development assistance dedicated to addressing organised crime in Africa has not worked well. The analysis presented here will hopefully catalyse debate between donors and African countries that will offer more effective and coordinated strategies. Details: Pretoria, South Africa: Institute for Security Studies, 2013. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Paper 244: Accessed April 18, 2013 at: http://www.issafrica.org/uploads/Paper244.pdf Year: 2013 Country: South Africa URL: http://www.issafrica.org/uploads/Paper244.pdf Shelf Number: 128410 Keywords: Organized Crime (South Africa) |
Author: Lambrechts, Derica Title: The Impact of Organised Crime on Social Control by the state: A study of Manenberg in Cape Town, South Summary: This study set out to research the influence of a local non-state actor on the role and authority of the state, in the domestic environment. Accordingly, the research problem focused on the impact of a domestic actor on the association between the state and the society. This study only focused on the state at the level of local government and the impact of one specific actor, organised criminal groups, on social control by the state. Thus, state-society relations were discussed in this context. In order to guide this study, the main and two supportive research questions were stated as follows: What is the impact of organised crime on the social control by the state? What are the power dynamics between local governance, criminal agents and society? Has the state become criminalised at the level of local government, as a result of the activities of organised crime, and if so, to what extent? The state thus functioned as the dependent variable and organised criminal groups as the independent variable. The theoretical foundation of this study was located in state-society relations, and specific reference was given to the work of Migdal (1988) and his analysis of state social control, pyramidal and weblike societies. Furthermore, a neo-pluralist view of the state was followed. A conceptualisation of the criminalisation of the state was provided, as the criminalisation of the state was regarded as one possible impact of organised crime on the state. In order to analyse the criminalisation of the state, a framework was constructed from four main avenues of empirical observation. In order to answer the research questions, a case study research design and a predominantly qualitative methodology was selected. As a case, the City of Cape Town was selected and Manenberg, located on the Cape Flats, as the site for the research. A case study research design created the opportunity to describe the context in detail and to connect the micro level of analysis to the macro level; thus, it provided insight on the research topic that enabled the researcher to expand/build theory. The field research process occurred over a period of three months using a triangulation of methods: Key informant interview, small group discussions and observation with three categories of respondents. These three categories included: Community members of Manenberg, organised criminal groups and agents of local government and local governance. In order to set the stage for the empirical analysis, a contextualisation of the dependent and independent variables were provided. It was stated that there is a lack of a universally agreed upon definition of organised crime, and as a result, a conceptualisation of organised crime was generated for this study. It was further argued that the majority of literature treats organised criminal groups and organised criminal gangs as two separate concepts, despite the fact that there are more similarities than differences. Thus, for the purpose of this study, a conclusion was reached that the difference is inconsequential. The development of organised crime in South Africa and an examination of the historical development of the gangs on the Cape Flats were described. With regards to the dependent variable, the context was provided for an analysis of local government in South Africa. The demographical and operational features of the municipal area of the City of Cape Town were explained, with specific reference to safety and security elements. The primary data collected was analysed according to the indicators of social control (compliance, participation and legitimacy), as identified by Migdal (1988). In addition, the framework to analyse the criminalisation of the state at the level of local government was applied on the case study. Based on the analysis, a different system, to what was described by Migdal (1988) in his narrative of a triangle of accommodation was found to be in operation in Manenberg on the Cape Flats. It was confirmed that there is the presence of a weakened state and accordingly, a weblike society, where social control is fragmented between local government and the criminal community. However, in this weblike society a system of local power dynamics exists between the criminal community, social community and local agents of governance, where dyadic collaboration occurs between all three the actors. However, despite the collaboration, the criminalisation of the state does not occur, but rather the statification of the organised criminal community, as it provides goods and service to the social community. The main findings can be summarised as: If a state lacks extensive social control and a rival authority has claimed a level of social control, this will not necessarily lead to the further weakening of the state, as a result of a system of power dynamics in place, where collaboration between the social community, the criminal community and local agents of governance occurs. This system is kept in place by: On-going efforts by the state to maintain (or regain) compliance, participation and legitimacy; corrupt agents of the state (specifically in the security sector); a level of operational ease that exists for the criminal community (and the interweaving of the criminal community in the social community) and a relatively strong society that acknowledges the benefits of criminal activities for the social community, but also recognises the authority and control of the state. Details: Stellenbosch, South Africa: Stellenbosch University, 2013. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed April 25, 2013 at: http://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/80057 Year: 2013 Country: South Africa URL: http://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/80057 Shelf Number: 128494 Keywords: Economics of CrimeGangsOrganized Crime (South Africa) |