South Africa’s law enforcers brace for an intense criminal cocktail of guns, gangs, fraud and drugs

Guns, gangs and drugs, with politics in between: this is the common criminal combination and, given what has happened in 2024, it will probably intensify in 2025, producing even more volatility in South Africa.

This year there have been pivotal murders, arrests and raids that point to how the country’s criminal landscape is developing. Law enforcers will have to keep pushing back against extortionists, kidnappers and the dodgy aspects of private security. They will also have to figure out how best to deal with illegal mining.

And pressure will undoubtedly increase on the National Prosecuting Authority to see to it that criminals end up in prison cells. The authority is already under fire, with critics saying it is in crisis.

What happens in other countries politically – and criminally – affects South Africa, so police must keep monitoring what is happening abroad to spot the ripple effects here.

Fentanyl and drug cartels

Police commissioner Lieutenant General Fannie Masemola, Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu and Hawks head Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya will have to keep close tabs on drug trafficking and the international networks that run through the country.

Key arrests in South Africa in 2024 point to where things on this front could be headed. Drug mules and massive cocaine shipments are being sent from Brazil, and evidence suggests that Mexican cartels are operating here.

This year, Lebeya confirmed that fentanyl, a synthetic opioid fuelling an overdose crisis in the US, has entered trafficking chains in South Africa.

Daily Maverick reported that although the smuggling of the drug through the country was detected, widespread abuse of it has not been picked up like it has in the US. South African authorities will have to monitor this closely, however.

Lebeya said three suspects from Mexico, arrested in Limpopo in July for allegedly running a large production facility linked to crystal methamphetamine, “appear to be members” of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel. This means one of the world’s most ruthless cartels is probably among the many global gangs operating in the country.

These groupings often use cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin to transact, a method likely to increase as these currencies continue to gain traction.

Drug cartels often use cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin to transact because it gives them a measure of anonymity. (Photo: iStock)

Gangs, syndicates, mafias

There have been several mass shootings in South Africa in 2024, and there is nothing to suggest this will stop.

In the Western Cape – South Africa’s gangster capital – shootings are a constant. This is not expected to ease up in 2025.

Incidents are often associated with organised crime, including extortion. This affects different sectors and areas all over the country and remains a serious problem, although the police have vowed to crack down on it.

Construction mafia crimes, tightly tied to extortion, have also boomed. Gangs and organised criminal syndicates are driving this trend.

Private security and guns

In 2025, there will be a focus on private security. This sector has always courted suspicions that individuals exploit it to get hold of firearms.

The 3 November killing of murder accused Mark Lifman in the Western Cape town of George pushed private security, in which he was involved, back into focus.

Lifman’s killing has also left a void in the circles in which he operated, and 2025 may see others try to fill it. As people jostle for power and position, sources indicate that retaliation shootings can also be expected.

The two suspects arrested in connection with Lifman’s murder, Johannes Jacobs and Gert Bezuidenhout, have links to private security. They provided services to Professional Protection Alternatives, also known as PPA Security.

The police raided PPA and confiscated firearms in December. Attorney Martin Hood, representing the company, made it clear that PPA Security was cooperating with police and remained operational.

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu (left) and Lieutenant General Fannie Masemola at the SAPS Pretoria Academy in December. (Photo: Frennie Shivambu / Gallo Images)

Tax targets

Also in November, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) searched the properties of controversial KwaZulu-Natal businesswoman Shauwn Mkhize.

It was widely reported that among the items seized was a cache of firearms. This may loop back to private security.

City Press reported: “According to sources close to the investigation, the firearms that were found belong to a well-known former presidential protection services police-officer-turned-taxi-boss, who provided security services for the troubled businessperson. The taxi boss, whose taxis operate within the Durban region, also owns a security company.”

At the time of the search and seizure operations in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter said: “No one is above the law. It is therefore critically important that SARS acts emphatically to ensure that all meet their legal obligations.”

Lifman had also been the target of a SARS investigation.

The captured state

While South Africa’s law enforcers try to tackle overlapping crimes in the coming months, there are issues in the state that still need to be dealt with.

South Africans, for example, await State Capture masterminds being convicted.

Then there are more recent issues, including those relating to Thembi Simelane. She was minister of justice and constitutional development from July until early December when President Cyril Ramaphosa moved her to the human settlements portfolio.

This happened after Daily Maverick and News24 co-published several articles about a “loan” she had taken from a criminally charged VBS bank fixer and unexplained cash she used to pay back that loan.

There are also issues in the SAPS itself. Infighting and accusations of corruption have rocked it for years. Suspicions of gangsters infiltrating the police service are still doing the rounds.

Detective Charl Kinnear was assassinated outside his home in Cape Town in 2020. Several of his senior colleagues, Lebeya included, were accused of failing to act against the threats he faced in the run-up to his killing.

Lebeya had countered that there was “ignorance” about how certain investigations were conducted. This is one of several high-profile cases that continue.

Perhaps 2025 will be the year in which some of the many accusations against police officers will be conclusively proven or dismissed. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.