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

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 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

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

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.