organized crime follows the pace of state capture

Organized crime, which is taking on alarming proportions in South Africa, could become the next crisis of “state capture”, a phenomenon that has weakened the country’s public institutions in the last decade, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

“As organized crime becomes more sophisticated, it needs better investigative and prosecutorial skills,” NPA president Shamila Batohi told a news conference in Cape Town (1,457 km from Pretoria).

She added that the real challenge for law enforcement is to arrest the leaders of these criminal syndicates, who operate with impunity, and not just their subordinates.

Noting that crime is fueled by corruption that affects all state entities, the official noted that asset forfeiture is at the heart of the agency’s strategy aimed at returning the proceeds of crime.

Furthermore, Ms. Batohi said a lack of skills hampers financial crime investigations by the police, especially in terms of tracking the progress of money transfers to identify the main actors.

In South Africa, “state capture” is a phenomenon that refers to the widespread embezzlement and fraud perpetrated by political leaders and businessmen during the two terms of office of former President Jacob Zuma.

According to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), South Africa is struggling with an “existential crisis” due to the growing scale of organized crime networks plaguing the country.

“The situation in South Africa continues to deteriorate, with higher and higher scores for organized crime,” said Jenni Irish-Qhobosheane, a researcher at the organization, recalling that in 2022 South Africa lost more than $26 billion (R500 billion a). ) to this scourge.