Clash Of The Cartels – Unmasking The Global Drug Kingpins Stalking South Africa by Caryn Dolley (R215 on loot

This is South Africa, home to cutthroat gangs and a lair to some of the world’s most notorious drug lords who seem to view the country as a buffer from prosecution.

It’s easy to see why politics has pummelled policing, first in the form of apartheid and then under Jacob Zuma’s presidency when state corruption exploded, and intelligence structures imploded. Tons of illicit drugs are pumped across the borders annually. This bleeds into other crimes including terrorism, arms dealing, kidnapping and extortion. Add hardened homespawned gangs to this toxic mix, and the combination is lethal.