A report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) reveals that South Africa is facing an alarming resurgence in the trafficking of hard drugs, particularly cocaine and heroin, involving highly active local and international criminal networks in the Rainbow Nation.
« South Africa ranks first in Southern Africa for the cocaine trade and fourth for heroin, » emphasized the organization in its report, noting that the country has become one of the largest markets for hard drug consumption in Africa.
« For cocaine, South Africa has a growing domestic market as well as connections with networks operating from Europe, Hong Kong, and Australia, » the report points out.
According to GI-TOC, rampant police corruption, the existence of adequate transportation infrastructure, and a lack of drug control resources are major factors facilitating drug transit through South African ports.
South Africa is considered a hub for international drug trafficking. In October 2023, three separate police interventions led to the discovery of cocaine quantities valued at over $11 million (200 million rand) in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
Hard-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, South Africa experienced a continuous rise in unemployment between July 2020 and December 2021, reaching a record level of 35.3% in the fourth quarter of 2021, during which the Omicron variant widely spread in the country.
The unemployment rate then dropped to 31.9% of the active population in the third quarter of 2023, compared to 32.6% in the previous quarter, according to data released on Tuesday, November 14, by the South African Statistics Agency (Stats SA).