Organized crime in South Africa threatens the economy, its people and the democratic institutions themselves. Every day we see a number of different and seemingly unconnected criminal incidents taking place - from assassinations to gang rapes in an illegal mining community; and from the violence of the taxi industry to organized cooper theft. But what lies behind all of these actions is a dark web, a criminal ecosystem driven by an increasingly violent South African underworld. In this episode Steph Musho talks to Julian Rademeyer, the Director of the East and Southern African Observatory at t ..read more

The Cape Flats in South Africa is made up of 20 suburbs make up the Cape Flats; populated predominantly by black and coloured communities, a term used to describe those of mixed-heritage. Each suburb is marked by poverty, crime, drug abuse, gangsterism and violence. In this, Lindy Mtongana's final episode, she looks at the Grassy Park where a slew of recent killings has exposed the devastating consequences of territorial battles among the Cape’s most dangerous gangs. Presenter: Lindy Mtongana Guests: Julia Stanyard, Senior Analyst, Observatory for East and Southern Africa, Global Initiative Ag ..read more

Millions of Kenyans have cast their votes in the countries 12th General Election, labelled the most competitive election in the history of Kenya. But as Kenya’s history has shown - the more fierce the political contest, the higher the risk of election-related violence, often carried out by gangs and militias at the behest of politicians, with the aim of influencing the outcome of an election. In this episode Lindy will explore the role organised criminal gangs play in determining political outcomes. Presenter: Lindy Mtongana Guests: Ken Opala, Field Network Coordinator for East and Southern Af ..read more

In this episode Lindy delves into the murky world of political assassinations in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Where, according to the GI-TOC's assassination monitor data, for three of the last six years, political assassinations were higher than all other South African provinces combined. Presenter: Lindy Mtongana Speaker(s): Greg Arde, Journalist and Author of War Party: How the ANC’s political killings are breaking South Africa Chwayita Thobela, Analyst, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime Thapelo Mohale, a shack dweller, and the secretary general of Abahlali baseMjondolo ..read more

In this episode Lindy explores the world of cattle rustling in Mali, an act that has existed for centuries. But cattle rustling has evolved into a highly organized form of criminality involving Islamists and bandits, forcing farmers to arm themselves to protect themselves and their herds. Presenter: Lindy Mtongana Speaker: Deo Gumba, Civil Society Coordinator for the West Africa Observatory, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime Additional Reading: West Africa and the Sahel Observatory - Risk Bulletin West Africa and the Sahel Observatory Global Initiative Against Transnation ..read more

The Drugs and Development Hub is an initiative that brings together researchers, academics, policymakers and people affected by drug economies to discuss new approaches to drug policy. The ultimate goal is to shift mindsets towards more socially conscious and public-health oriented approach. This is the second episode covering the DDH. In this podcast Lindy sits down with a range of regional experts to discuss the issues. Drugs and Development Hub Twitter Presenter: Lindy Mtongana Speakers: Deborah Alimi, Independent Researcher on Drug Policy at Sorbonne University; Chinwike Okerere, the Found ..read more

In this episode, Lindy explores the case of Lual Lawrence Malong Yor, a South Sudanese businessman with a compulsion for flamboyant self promotion. But last year he was jailed in Uganda for masterminding a million-dollar fake gold scam. The Malong case is emblematic of a prolific problem in East Africa's gold Market. At the heart of these scams are criminal networks operating in Nairobi and Kampala, with connections in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Presenter: Lindy Mtongana Speaker: Julius Kaka, Field Network Coordinator for East and Southern Africa, Global Initiative ..read more

The attack on Palma last year made international headlines but for five years, Mozambique has been the site of a violent insurgency. The armed jihadist group, Ansar Al-Sunna, has terrorised communities in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. It’s believed that more than 3000 people have been killed, and over 700,000 displaced. Despite international recognition and a regional military response, the insurgency remains. In this episode of Africa and the Global Illicit Economy we explore the origins and drivers of the insurgency, whether there are links to the various illicit economies in northe ..read more

We would like to introduce the Africa and the Global Illicit Economy audience to a new podcast series that has been launched by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. It's called ‘Too Many Enemies’ – and the series looks at the assassination crisis in South Africa through the lens of a very specific case. In a brilliant bit of storytelling, this podcast is presented by Paul McNally and produced for the GI by Volume. It is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, News24, or wherever you get your podcasts. For six weeks a new episode will be released every Thursday. Enjoy! Rea ..read more

Abalone is a fairly innocuous little creature that fits in the palm of your hand. It's a type of sea snail found off the coast of South Africa, and abalone is also considered a delicacy in Asia. It's been driven to near-extinction by massive levels of poaching, in a transnational criminal network that sees local, regional and international players compete for profits. In this episode, Lindy speaks to Simon Haysom about a new report from the Global Initiative called Disrupting Abalone Harms: Illicit flows of H. midae from South Africa to East Asia. Presenter: Lindy Mtongana Speaker: Simone Hays ..read more