How organised crime is blighting South Africa’s economy
The withering of the state has led to the blossoming of the underworld—and vice versa
Last year Gold Fields announced it would start building a solar plant to help power South Deep, one of the largest gold mines in the world. Soon afterwards, the South African mining firm got messages from several self-styled “business forums”, a euphemism belying their real interest: extortion. The forums demanded a cut of the contract to construct the plant. They followed up with texts to employees and unauthorised visits to the mine, which lies just outside Johannesburg.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “The murky side of the rainbow nation”
From the October 22nd 2022 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
America under Joe Biden plays the pragmatist in Africa
Donald Trump is likely to follow suit
New cures for Africa’s most gruesome diseases
Sleeping sickness, riverblindess and more could be tackled
Nigeria seeks to restore pride in its artefacts, ancient and modern
A new museum in Benin City will showcase “a cauldron of creativity”
Donald Trump’s new Arab pal
Will a Lebanese-American businessman influence the incoming administration in the region?
Israel and Hizbullah strike a fragile deal to end their war
Joe Biden makes a last push to bring peace to the Middle East
The arrest warrant is a diplomatic disaster for Netanyahu
But may also undermine the International Criminal Court