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U.S. Department of State
1996 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, March 1997
United States Department of State
Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
Africa and the Middle East
SOUTH AFRICA
I. Summary
South Africa has become a significant cocaine and heroin transshipment point.
Cocaine from South America transits South Africa to Europe, and heroin from
the Far East passes through South Africa for onward distribution in Europe
and, to a lesser extent, the US. We do not currently have evidence suggesting
that the impact of this heroin on the US is significant. South Africa is one
of the world's largest cannabis producers, though South African cannabis is
primarily destined for domestic and regional markets. South Africa also is
the world's largest Mandrax (methaqualone) consumer.
In 1996 South Africa passed long-awaited legislation dealing with asset
forfeiture, extradition, and international cooperation on criminal matters.
The USG and the South African Government (SAG) signed a Declaration on Mutual
Anti-Crime Cooperation, and the SAG signed the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) Protocol on combatting illicit drug trafficking. South
Africa is not yet a party to the 1988 UN Convention, but in late 1996
Parliament passed several pieces of legislation that should enable the SAG to
accede to the Convention in 1997.
II. Status of Country
South Africa emerged as a major transshipment point for narcotics trafficking
after the transition to democracy in the early 1990's ended the country's
international isolation. Contributing factors include its geographic position
on major trafficking routes between the East Asia and the Middle East, the
Americas and Europe; the rapid expansion of international air links; a
well-developed transportation infrastructure; and modern international
telecommunication and banking systems. Long, porous borders and weak border
control, including under-manned ports and numerous secondary airports, give
traffickers easy entry into South Africa. South Africa has 96 official ports
of entry, including 36 designated international airports.
South Africa ranks among the world's largest producers of cannabis (known
locally as dagga). While this cannabis is mostly consumed regionally within
southern Africa, there are also shipments to the Netherlands and the UK,
sometimes in exchange for designer drugs (ecstasy, LSD). New Mandrax
manufacturing laboratories also were discovered in South Africa in 1996.
III. Country Action Against Drugs in 1996
Policy Initiatives. While high-level SAG officials profess a strong
commitment to combatting drug trafficking, in practice the SAG is more focused
on tackling South Africa's serious internal crime problems. The
counternarcotics battle is left largely to the South African Narcotics Bureau
(SANAB), which is under-staffed, under-funded, and under-trained. South
Africa still has no national counternarcotics strategy nor inter-ministerial
body that considers narcotics issues. However, the SAG's new National Crime
Prevention Strategy (NCPS) identifies drug trafficking as a priority crime.
The NCPS, unveiled in May, is a policy initiative bringing several ministries
together to deal with South Africa's massive crime problem.
Accomplishments. The Ministry of Justice and Parliament worked hard to
draft, introduce, and pass a package of crime bills during the year. The new
legislation, approved by Parliament in November, includes laws on asset
forfeiture, extradition, and international cooperation on criminal matters.
Together with a money laundering bill expected to be tabled before Parliament
in early 1997, this legislative package should enable South Africa finally to
accede to the 1988 UN Convention. At the August SADC summit, South Africa
signed the SADC Protocol on combatting illicit cross-border drug trafficking.
Law Enforcement Efforts. SANAB made numerous cocaine seizures at
Johannesburg international airport. In September SANAB also raided two
Mandrax-producing factories, arresting several members of international
Mandrax syndicates. In December, the organized crime unit broke up a
syndicate which specialized in transporting multi-ton shipments of cannabis
from storage points in Lesotho.
South African police counternarcotics efforts focused on major traffickers and
their organizations. Police are concentrating their efforts on approximately
32 drug smuggling syndicates at present, of which the cocaine syndicates are
considered the most important.
The government established a new border control and policing unit to patrol
land, sea, and air points of entry. At many land border entry points an
officer from this new unit will be the only SAG official present. The
commissioner of this new unit, which currently has 800 officers, but will
expand to 1,600 officers, professes a strong narcotics control commitment for
his unit. South African Customs and Excise merged with the Inland Revenue
Service, which will strengthen the revenue-collecting predilection of the
service at the expense of its negligible counternarcotics role.
SANAB underwent another significant restructuring in late 1996, which put all
SANAB officers throughout the country back under the direction of the central
office. After a year-long vacancy of SANAB's top position, Superintendent
Kobus Van Aarde became the new head of SANAB in February. SANAB officers were
selected to fill the seven new international drug liaison officer positions
and are undergoing diplomatic training in advance of their 1997 assignments
abroad.
Corruption. Authorities prosecute officials accused of corruption under the
South Africa "Corruption Act of 1992." There is no evidence of
narcotics-related corruption among senior South Africa law enforcement
officials. Low-level corruption among border control officials, however, may
facilitate the transport of narcotics across South Africa's borders.
Agreements and Treaties. Vice President Gore and Deputy President Mbeki
signed a Declaration on Mutual Anti-Crime Cooperation between the US and South
Africa at the July meeting of the Binational Commission. The declaration
recognizes the threat posed by international crime and drug trafficking and
highlights the desirability of mutual cooperation in combatting these threats.
A 1947 extradition treaty with the US which covers drug trafficking is the
only other narcotics-related agreement South Africa has with the US. South
Africa is currently seeking to update the bilateral extradition treaty to
eliminate gaps in its coverage and to bring it in line with the new
extradition legislation passed in 1996.
The new legislation on international cooperation on criminal matters will
provide a framework for South Africa to negotiate mutual legal assistance
treaties (MLAT's) with other countries. In addition to signing the SADC drug
trafficking Protocol, South Africa signed a bilateral Counternarcotics
Cooperation Agreement with Brazil in late 1996.
Cultivation/Production. Cannabis is a traditional crop in many rural
areas of South Africa, in particular the Eastern Cape and Kwazulu Natal.
South African cannabis is primarily destined for domestic and regional
consumption, although authorities have uncovered shipments to the Netherlands
and the UK, sometimes in exchange for ecstasy and LSD. Revised local
statistics still indicate a relatively large area of land under cultivation
for cannabis. SANAB has an eradication program to destroy cannabis by
spraying herbicides (glyphosate) on targeted areas. SANAB failed to reach its
target of destroying 12,600 hectares of cannabis during the October 1995 -
April 1996 seasonal spraying program because of technical problems with the
helicopter fleet. Only 200 hectares were destroyed during this season.
Drug Flow/Transit. Though seizures and statistics are elusive, there is
growing concern over cocaine smuggled from South America (particularly Brazil)
to South Africa, either directly or through Angola, Namibia, or Zimbabwe.
Large amounts of this cocaine are reexported to Europe. Nigerian trafficking
organizations control an estimated 80 percent of this trade. Heroin from
Southwest and Southeast Asia is also routed to South Africa for onward
shipment to Europe and the US. Nigerian, Chinese, Indian and Pakistani groups
are thought to be active in heroin smuggling. South Africa is the destination
for Mandrax smuggled from India through other Eastern and Southern African
countries. According to SANAB, 80 percent of the Mandrax produced worldwide
is consumed in South Africa. We do not currently have sufficient data to
suggest that the drug trafficking in South Africa has a measurable effect on
the US.
Demand Reduction/Domestic Programs. Problems of Mandrax and cannabis
abuse among South Africans are long-standing. Authorities are particularly
concerned, however, about the increasing availability of cocaine and crack in
urban areas. According to SANAB estimates, ecstasy is the second-fastest
growing drug in South Africa, after crack. Demand reduction programs are the
responsibility of the Department of Welfare and Population Development and the
Department of Health. Non-governmental organizations (NGO's) complained that
the SAG cut its subsidies to rehabilitation agencies this year.
IV. US Policy Initiatives and Programs
Policy Initiatives. DEA Administrator Thomas Constantine visited South
Africa in January and Department of State Assistant Secretary for
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Robert Gelbard visited
South Africa in August to assess the narcotics/crime situation and to further
USG policy goals. In 1996, the US urged that South Africa accede to the 1988
UN Convention as soon as the necessary enabling legislation could be enacted,
and that the SAG pass money laundering legislation at an early date. US
policy initiatives and strategies focused on improving the effectiveness,
coordination, and cooperation of South African and regional counternarcotics
organizations and on border control efforts.
Bilateral Cooperation. Although the US and South Africa do not have a
bilateral counternarcotics agreement, the two governments have excellent
cooperation on narcotics matters. Cooperation between SANAB and the DEA is
particularly close and productive. DEA agents conducted two long-term
Temporary Duty assignments (TDY's) to South Africa in advance of the
establishment of a permanent regional office based in Pretoria, which will
open in March 1997.
In September, US Customs conducted a land-border interdiction course and
follow-on train-the-trainer course for South African and regional
counternarcotics officials. SANAB officers attended the Africa-Middle East
drug enforcement course in Addis Ababa as well as management and forensics
courses in Washington. INL funding also provided grants for the South African
Institute of International Affairs to undertake a study of narcotics
trafficking in Southern Africa and for drug demand reduction activities in
Cape Town.
The Road Ahead. We will assist South Africa in strengthening its narcotics
control institutions and capabilities to limit the use of South Africa as a
major narcotics transshipment point. Significant efforts to develop
strategies for improving South Africa's border control situation are planned
for early 1997.
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