TRANSNATIONAL CRIME: Motlanthe urges cops to target the cartel Big Boys to overhaul Africa’s drug policies
The world’s illicit drug landscape has changed, and to continue the fight requires new policies. One of these, explained former president Kgalema Motlanthe, who chairs the Eastern and Southern Africa Commission on Drugs, is the need for law enforcers to go after top traffickers instead of users, who are often arrested and simply add to overcrowded prisons.
Former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe urged law enforcers to target "the big boys" behind illicit drug trafficking in Africa, at a conference in Cape Town on November 9, 2026. Motlanthe, who chairs the Eastern and Southern Africa Commission on Drugs (ESACD), made the plea during a two-day conference aimed at rethinking current drug policy responses. He emphasized that the illicit drug landscape had transformed, leading to a need for new policies and strategies to combat the criminal threat.
The conference highlighted the shift in drug trafficking patterns in South Africa, where the country has become a transit, consumption, and production hub for illicit drugs, including a growing methamphetamine (tik) trade with alleged links to Mexican cartels. Law enforcement officials expressed concerns over the lack of arrests of top drug traffickers, who may be based in other countries, while their local foot soldiers were being targeted and arrested, often adding to overcrowded prisons.
Motlanthe stressed that punitive measures had prioritized the imprisonment of drug users over rehabilitation and support. He argued that a shift in approach was needed, focusing on helping drug users through rehabilitation and treatment, including access to essential medicines and pain control. He also called for alternatives to imprisonment, as overcrowding in prisons is a significant issue.
The conference's discussion underscored the urgency for a comprehensive approach to tackling drug trafficking, taking into account shifting trafficking patterns, the growing synthetic drug trade, and the need for more effective law enforcement strategies.
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