Politicised security services may turn SA into a corrupt narco-state

This has critical bearing on national stability, as new and evolving states are recognised as being particularly at risk from corruption. "Are our democratic institutions at risk from infiltration by international criminals and crime networks?" he asks.

International organised crime generates an estimated US$2 trillion per annum - putting criminal enterprise into the top 20 global economies. It is a huge business, Ashton says, South Africa has increasingly become a haven for international criminals, gangsters and corrupt leaderships, as well as an important transit point for international crime. Despite the country's best efforts at statutory reform of the criminal justice system, gaps remain - increasingly savvy and sophisticated criminal networks are extremely adaptable.

According to Ashton "it is political interference in our security services that lies at the heart of our problems" The alternatives are simple, he says, "we either build a better future for all on the foundations of integrity and honesty [...] or enable a descent into anarchy," where communities solve crimes through kangaroo courts and necklacing, "while politicians and securocrats facilitate the plunder of our democracy." We cannot allow political interference in our security apparatus "to precipitate South Africa toward becoming yet another sunny place for shady people, another failed, corrupt narco-state."

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For more information on the South African Civil Society Information Service (SACSIS), go to [[www.sacsis.org.za/s/]].