SA's democracy threatened by mafia links

South Africa's Madlanga Commission into alleged police capture, has laid bare the deep entanglements between organised crime, commercial interests, political violence and governance interference in the country, revealing a threat to the nation’s democratic foundations. Policy analyst Dr Reneva Fourie, writing in The Mercury, argues that the commission’s findings, particularly Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo’s testimony, expose the Big Five cartel’s pervasive influence as a direct challenge to clean governance. Khumalo, head of Crime Intelligence, described organised crime as ‘a growing and serious threat to SA’s national security and economic stability’. He detailed the cartel’s operations, including illicit drug trafficking, contracted killings, vehicle hijackings, kidnappings, tender manipulation and extortion. ‘He explained the nature of organised crime to provide context for the eventual disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team,’ Fourie writes, noting the cartel’s sophisticated ability to intertwine criminal economies with violence to influence public life. Evidence from WhatsApp messages retrieved from Vusimuzi Matlala, a central figure in the alleged cartel, revealed payments for information and influence involving police, business leaders and politicians. ‘This insight reveals not only the methods of the syndicate but also the vulnerability of state institutions when access, protection, and decision-making can be commodified,’ Fourie observes. Such convergence, she warns, ‘undermines the constitutional order, compromises public security and erodes the legitimacy of governance’. Fourie draws parallels with global examples, citing Pablo Escobar’s Medellín Cartel, which leveraged political influence to shield its criminal empire. ‘Escobar’s brief stint in Colombian politics was not an aberration. It was a strategy,’ she writes.

Similarly, Italian mafias, as detailed in the research report, Italian Mafias Today – Territory, Business and Politics, integrate with legal economies and political systems, exploiting regulatory weaknesses. ‘The lessons from Italy are sobering. Once such networks are entrenched, they are extraordinarily difficult to dismantle,’ Fourie notes in The Mercury. Italy's ’Ndrangheta syndicate is even more widely diffused, with a presence across Europe, North America, South America and Australia. ‘Europol concludes that all major mafia groups cultivate a parasitic relationship with the state. They infiltrate political systems and economic sectors with devastating effectiveness. They thrive on weaknesses in regulation, fragmented enforcement and political complicity,’ Fourie explains SA’s history echoes these patterns. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission exposed Delta G, an apartheid-era unit that collaborated with criminal networks to distribute drugs as a political weapon. ‘The collaboration was devastating to communities and their traces remain visible today,’ Fourie writes. The Zondo Commission further highlighted public sector corruption, but the Madlanga Commission reveals deeper links between criminal networks, the state and the economy. Fourie warns that unchecked, these networks risk ‘the normalisation of violence, the erosion of public trust and the hollowing out of democracy’. She advocates for clean governance as ‘the lifeblood of democracy’, ensuring resources benefit the public and police serve communities, not syndicates. ‘Clean governance requires integrity, transparency and accountability,’ she writes, alongside a relentless fight against crime. This includes strengthening investigative capacity, protecting whistle-blowers, reforming procurement and ensuring swift prosecutions. Fourie concludes that SA must act decisively to preserve its democracy. ‘Without clean governance and a resolute offensive against crime and corruption, the promise of democracy risks becoming hostage to those who profit from its betrayal,’ she warns, urging collaboration between state, civil society and international partners to dismantle these networks.

Full analysis in The Mercury