Abstract
The concept of a criminal state (also referred to as a mafia state or pakhanate) is well known. Historically it has been associated with states like Russia, Italy and Japan. Currently many states can be described as criminal states, although there may be differences in degrees of criminality. In a world accustomed to a “revolution of crime”, the concept and its meaning are not only applicable to some African states like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria, but specifically also South Africa. GI-TOC’s reliable Global Organized Crime Index (2023) places South Africa seventh in the world in terms of general and organised crime, in the company of Venezuela, Afghanistan and El Salvador. This perspective is further confirmed by the prevalence of numerous scandals, including the arms deal scandal, Oilgate, Travelgate and many more, as supported by the findings of the Zondo Commission of Enquiry. The report indicates extensive forms of endemic and systemic corruption – also known as state capture. As a state South Africa also reflects the characteristics and features associated with criminal states. This has recently been further confirmed by the judgments of lieutenant-general Mkhwanazi, who has implied corruption at the highest level in the South African Police Services (SAPS), and which caused the minister concerned, Senzo Mchunu, to be placed on compulsory leave pending specific investigations.
The aim of this research is not only to determine whether South Africa qualifies to be identified as a criminal state, but it is also an analysis and assessment of this phenomenon in South African politics. The creation of a normative framework regarding the state (features, characteristics, functions and tasks) will be used as a basis to identify the distinguishing nature of criminal states, in other words what makes this category distinctive, and also different according to characteristics earlier associated with states. Unlike my previous research on the classification of South Africa within the category of criminal states (pakhanate), this article is focused on a broader application of the criminal state context. The focus is especially on the functioning (nature and effect) of criminal tendencies within the South African political dispensation and the implications thereof for the democratic political dispensation. The investigation is in the form of a literature study, of a qualitative nature, deductive (functioning from a specific analytical framework), while verification is of a qualitative nature (normative) by means of the use of data, numbers and information that will serve as motivation and evidence. Focal points of the research include:
- a conceptualisation of the state (criteria, characteristics, functions, etc.)
- differential features of criminal states
- the South African political dispensation
- South Africa as a criminal state
- a few internal operations of the South African criminal state
- conclusions and evaluating perspectives.
Keywords: cadre deployment; construction mafia; criminal state; mafia state; nation state; pakhanate; political assassinations; state capture; weak/failed state; Zondo Commission of Enquiry
- This article’s featured image was created by Kindel Media and obtained from Pexels.