“Chapter 1 of this volume is the only one that is not country specific. It offers a
perspective of the historical development of organised crime in the region. It suggests that the turmoil and dislocation that occurred during some of the postindependence
periods provided new opportunities for smuggling activities between countries in the region.Chapter 2 on Namibia, written by John Grobler, illustrates that while organised criminal groups in Namibia engage in some ‘conventional’ activities, such as the theft and smuggling of motor vehicles and trafficking in narcotics, the key organised crime threat to Namibia stems from the illicit trade in its most valuable
natural resource, namely diamonds. Well-known international dealers with dubious
reputations have become active in the diamond trade in Namibia and the enormous financial rewards that are reaped enable such diamond networks to buy off or penetrate the highest circles in government and business.Chapter 3 on Mozambique, by Peter Gastrow and Marcello Mosse, is based on
a paper that they presented at an ISS regional seminar in Pretoria in April 2002
on governance and organised crime and corruption in the SADC region. The
successful penetration of some state structures by criminal groups in Mozambique
is now common knowledge. Corruption, bribery and coercion are the key methods relied upon by organised criminal groups to do so.”
