By Lesedi Sibiya-Diplomatic Insider
During an eNCA interview North-West University Political Analyst Political Analyst Professor Andre Duvenhage expressed that South Africa has turned into a “Mafia State” amidst the Madlanga Commission hearings.
Since KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi made bold allegations against the suspended Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu, over disbanding the National Political Killings Task Team unlawfully.
According to Mkhwanazi, the reason for the disbandment of the task team is to protect certain politicians from being implicated for being a part of crime syndicates.
The commission has uncovered evidence that suggests that these crime syndicates have been infiltrating South Africa’s criminal justice system.
In regards to investigations into politically motivated crimes, there has been patterns of intentionally suppressing and manipulating information regarding these crimes.
“The classic differentiation between a normal state and a mafia state is where you cannot clearly differentiate between the political and criminal elite,” said Duvenhage in his interview with eNCA.
The links between politicians within the ANC and criminal syndicates have been expressed by both the Madlanga commission and the comments made by Mkhwanazi. The Madlanga Commission is not the only example of this notion as the notable Zondo Commission expressed similar patterns of politicians affiliating with crime syndicates, during the inquiry of the state capture.
Despite these various commissions highlighting the evidence shown of various politicians being involved with these syndicates, there is a concern that like other previous commissions, the Madlanga Commission may also be subject to these politicians not being prosecuted for their crimes.
“There is now clear evidence that South Africa qualifies to be regarded as a mafia state according to traditional and established criteria,” said Duvenhage in the interview.
702 radio conducted an interview with former Goldman Sachs Sub-Saharan Africa CEO, Colin Coleman, over his views on South Africa becoming a mafia state, as he attributed the rise in unemployment as a factor into the emergence of criminal networks and syndicates.
“As unemployment hits 43%, that means effectively 12 million people out of jobs, looking for jobs and 17 million people in work. That unless we create opportunities, that inequality and that joblessness will create fertile ground for the rise of organized crime and for the political channel to be used as a vehicle, a transmission belt for those who seek economic opportunity to do so informally, illegally, untaxed through the merging of political, informal and even criminal networks,” said Coleman in his interview with 702.