The drug trade and governance in Cape Town

The Western Cape continues to be plagued by the drug trade and accompanying development of organised crime networks. The paper discusses the racial, economic and geographic variations in the drug trade and drug use, and the trade’s growth during the apartheid, transitional and post-apartheid periods. It describes the various types of drugs, and, using a network approach, focuses on those involved in the trade and their effect on the development of criminal governance in Cape Town. While the growth of criminal governance can partially be attributed to the failure of state institutions, it also develops from the increasing links between criminal networks and political and civic institutions, which can protect criminal activities.

About the author

Khalil Goga is a research consultant with the Institute for Security Studies. He has been researching organised crime in Africa since 2009 and has been affiliated with the ISS since 2012. He previously lectured at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and received both his undergraduate and master’s degrees from there.

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