The New Frontiers of Crime in South Africa

Abstract

Abstract This chapter describes crime in contemporary South Africa and traces its roots to Apartheid and the struggle against it. The Apartheid state made little attempt to police ordinary crime in black urban communities and townships consequently saw the growth of fearsome criminal gangs. By the late 1970s, both the ANC and the National Party recognised that these gangs could be their allies, and, in some cases, deliberately trained, armed, and encouraged them to foment disorder. When the ANC and National Party finally settled their differences, these groups' violent activities returned to being more overtly criminal, but in enhanced form. In addition, during the years of apartheid, the South African security forces were overwhelmingly focused on countering what they saw as the Soviet-backed threat of the ANC and SACP. This left them ill-prepared to cope with the massive growth in international cross-border criminality that accompanied the end of the Cold War.