By Odwa Bafana Mkentane
South Africa’s airports, including OR Tambo International Airport, Cape Town and King Shaka International Airport, are increasingly coming under the spotlight as potential gateways for organised crime and international drug trafficking. This follows the seizure of more than 330 kilograms of cocaine at OR Tambo International Airport last week, while authorities recently uncovered a crystal methamphetamine laboratory worth an estimated 600 million rand in Musina. With criminal syndicates allegedly exploiting vulnerabilities within the country’s transport and security networks.
Security strategist and strategic analyst Andy Mashaile says that the concerns are growing in that the people of this country were expecting the incidents to decrease after a number of incidents where these drug traffickers and suspects were arrested.
“You and I would expect that the number increases if we were to play simple mathematics. If, out of 10 traffickers or trafficking incidents, seven mules or drug deals were intercepted and disrupted, we expect the number to decrease further. But unfortunately, those arrests count for nothing in that our airports have now been targeted because of corrupt people, weak systems and what is perceived to be an easy trafficking route. Remember, South Africa is a point of transit of drugs. If you remember the 2022 and 2023 global initiative against transnational organised crime reports titled ‘The Desert Storm’ or ‘The Powder Storm’, they indicated that South Africa is a transit point. When they drop 22 tonnes of cocaine in KZN, 2 tonnes are being used for consumption in South Africa. The 20 tonnes are then distributed to Australia and East Africa. So, we will be a consistent target that will be bombarded until we do something about it,” said Mashaile.
Mashaile added that it’s part of the tactics or part of the weapons strategy or strategic weapons in the arsenals of drug dealers and drug lords that they sacrifice an individual for the better part of the deal to go through.
“Obviously remember that some police officers at the port of entry would be incorruptible, and some of them would be very corruptible. While the good cops nab the person, the mule, some of those who are in on the take will allow that stuff to go through. So, it is part of their strategy that capitalises on corruption and the weakness and the greed of some of the police officers at the port of entry.
“The only way to deal with this is to ensure that those at the top of the power structures, meaning SAPS and specialised units, actually ensure that the people who are there are properly vetted,” he said.
Mashaile further added that there is a lifestyle audit and the security clearance, particularly in the space of drug crime combating and drug crime detection.
“When you don’t have a lifestyle audit, you will end up with what we had yesterday, some specialised unit member earning 26,000 rands and having a payment of 2.6 million into their bond accounts and them claiming that it’s money that came from their friends. We know we can tell from the pattern when we analyse that this is not on. Where do these people get the 2.7 million from? And why are they paying 2.7 million into your house bond or your bond account?” Mashaile said.
Photo: Pixabay
