Security Analyst Warns of Rise of Organized Crime in Zimbabwe PART 5 of 5 | Voice of America - English
Zimbabwe?s recent power-sharing agreement identifies fighting crime as one of the country?s top priorities in the near future. President Robert Mugabe and the leaders of two factions of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) apparently agree that Zimbabweans are in danger from a growing criminal class. Analysts say crime has increased in the southern African nation as economic degradation has intensified. Zimbabwe has the highest inflation rate in the world, and millions of people are unemployed.
?There?s an increased likelihood of criminals, bethey individuals, syndicates or networks, using the country as a safe haven,probably launching their activities into the region, using Zimbabwe as aplatform,? says Jackson Madzima, organized crime researcher at South Africa?sInstitute for Security Studies (ISS). He?s convinced that Zimbabwe has become ?veryattractive? to criminals in southern Africa - precisely because of the social,political and economic instability that reigns there. ?Criminals exploit chaotic situations,? Madzima,who?s originally from Botswana, states. ?They know that there is a lesser riskof being arrested or being prosecuted so it becomes attractive that they basethemselves in a place like Zimbabwe.? Hedescribes the present situation in Zimbabwe as a ?cocktail of circumstances?that?s likely to fuel a ?surge in organized criminal activity.? Madzima says Zimbabwe?s security forces, whichshould have been safeguarding the country from crime, have in recent years been?sidetracked? into supporting President Mugabe politically. ?Instead of fighting crime, the police especiallyhave been used to crush (ruling party) ZANU-PF?s opponents,? he says. The researcher says ?desperation? is the fertileground from which a new criminal class is growing in Zimbabwe. ?A lot of people in Zimbabwe are desperate. Theydon?t even know how they are going to get out of that desperation, so criminalactivity presents itself as an opportunity for those who are desperate to makea living.? Madzima says the violent conflict that has beenevident in Zimbabwe in recent years has created the ?impetus? for futurecriminal behavior in the country and in the wider region. ?What has happened in Zimbabwe is that resourceshave been diverted towards resolution of political conflict. Resources may alsohave been used to sustain the conflict by those who benefit from it. But thebottom line is that such resources have become scarce for law enforcement. Thisallows criminals to thrive.? He says the ?vacuum? of crime fighting resources inZimbabwe is just one of many factors that could allow for a massive expansionin crime. The ?high circulation? of illegal firearms inZimbabwe, according to Madzima, is also a source of great concern, as is thefact that many young men and women have been trained by government forces touse such weapons for political reasons and have been ?ordered to kill their opponents.? Inrecent years, says Madzima, these young people were ?repeatedly instructed?that they were ?entitled to exterminate those who hold different views asenemies. They have been trained to expect in a way to reap where they did notsow.? In this regard, Madzima warns of rising discontentand disaffection among various pro-Mugabe groups, such as youth militia and warveterans. He draws parallels with the situation inpost-apartheid South Africa, where many people who?d previously been part of variousviolent anti-government resistance groups suddenly found themselves?purposeless? in a rapidly transforming society and were thus encouraged tojoin criminal networks. ?Over a period of time, those people who participatein violent activities, whether they are political or otherwise, will in futurebe inclined to use such skills in criminal activities,? Madzima explains. In a recent report for the ISS, the researcherwrites: ?SouthAfrica?s violent past set the tone for current criminal behavioral patterns.The blurring of political and criminal behavior during apartheid entrenched aculture of invincibility on the one hand and impunity on the other. It is clearthat the disruption of family units through forced removals and politicalviolence during South Africa?s past provides one explanation for the highincidence of violent crime. It is argued that the distrust for authority and alack of respect for the rule of law during apartheid fed into the culture ofviolence.? Madzimasays a ?similar scenario? is emerging in Zimbabwe, where the rule of law isbeing ignored because people essentially don?t respect the police. ?Thepolitical meltdown has resulted in state resources being diverted to ensuringthe survival of the incumbent government. The widespread conditions of povertyand unemployment characterizing Zimbabwe now create a breeding ground forcriminal behavior.? He says ?probably the most daunting challenge? facingthe country at the moment is the ?rehabilitation of an entire generation thathas suffered the impact of economic implosion and political violence (andbrutalization) by security forces.? From a criminological perspective, adds Madzima, ?thechallenge will involve a concerted effort to change the mindsets of a peoplewho have lost all hope and trust in government and in its law enforcement andsecurity institutions.? These days in Zimbabwe, Madzima argues, almosteveryone?s a criminal ?by necessity.? ?It is becoming increasingly impossible for peopleto make a living on their salaries. To that extent, almost everybody isparticipating in dealing in the black market to make a living. People begin totrade more (in) illegal activities, or illegitimate trade.? Madzima says even if there?s sweeping reform in Zimbabwein the near future, it?s going to be ?very difficult? to wean people off the?habit of criminality? and to persuade them to conduct their day-to-daydealings legally. ?Quite a number of Zimbabweans have learned tohustle over the years and such hustling is either criminal or borders oncriminality,? Madzima comments. ?A large number of civil servants and ordinarycitizens have had to learn to survive on resources that are beyond their meagersalaries, by demanding bribes and being active in the cut-throat parallelmarket. This situation inevitably sets the stage for future criminal behavior.? Madzima?sresearch in Zimbabwe has revealed that big business there has developedstrategies that are ?blatantlycriminal? in order to survive the country?s economic crisis. ?I refer to the manufacturing industry, for example,businesses that supply goods in Zimbabwe that are consumed by ordinary people.The economic situation, with the very high inflation rate, does not permitbusinesses to profit by trading legitimately. So they supply a black market.? Many goods in Zimbabwe, says Madzima, are available?underground.? ?Such goods are not being channeled to the formalmarket, because it?s unprofitable. So to that extent, business is participatingin or at least sustaining the black market.? He says smuggling goods in and out of Zimbabwe hasbecome an ?accepted way of life.? ?There is little business sense in trading ethicallyand exclusively in the formal market because as it stands, profit is onlypossible when dealing with contraband. Once the situation reverts to normal, itis unlikely that individuals and businesses that have been hustling for adecade will suddenly begin to do things properly. It is conceivable that thesmuggling networks that are growing now will evolve with the advent of a newdispensation,? Madzima says. He says the security of the entire southern Africanregion could be threatened by the emergence of ?mafia-like figures? as a directresult of the instability in Zimbabwe. ?These sorts of figures like chaotic situations, orconflict, because they are assured that law enforcement is not as vigilant asin other more stable societies. They use corruption to infiltrate markets,?Madzima explains. ?Mafia guys, or at least big criminals, will find friendshipwith people who are highly placed within government so that their activitiesare not targeted, or if they are, then they have a reasonable way out. Theauthorities turn a blind eye to their activities, in return for bribes.? He points outthat there are precedents of this throughout history, including in the UnitedStates, where the mafia rose to notoriety in the wake of theGreat Depression in the 1930s. ?Withthe international isolation of Zimbabwe, the government has had no option butto look at alternative sources of funds in order to ensure its survival.Association with shadowy figures and other rogue governments become the onlyviable option. Mafia figures thrive in these conditions where they can sponsor agovernment so that its eyes are turned away from their activities. Thenotorious Chinese and Russian mafia are known to like using this strategy toestablish new markets or consolidate existing ones. Therefore, it is hardlyalarmist to suggest that the region should expect to contend with a surge inorganized crime centered on Zimbabwe.? Madzima insists though that authorities in southernAfrica can take action to ensure that the situation isn?t as dire as he?sforecasting. ?Regional organizations and civic organizationsshould collaborate to design solutions. What is fundamental is that the quickeconomic recovery of Zimbabwe would be a good base for any other interventions.In terms of law enforcement, resources must be pumped into law enforcement infrastructureso that rule of law is emphasized.? He says it?s ?absolutely essential? that theZimbabwean government halts ?as soon as possible? its use of the police as a?political tool?. The police must be used primarily as an instrument to fightcrime. That?s the only way to fight organized crime networks.? Madzima advises southern African police chiefs tomeet as a matter of urgency to recognize the threat the region?s facing as aresult of the chaos in Zimbabwe and to come up with strategies to prevent therise of a Zimbabwe-based mafia. Otherwise, he warns, it?ll be too late, andorganized crime will have established a grip in Zimbabwe that will be difficultto pry loose, with harmful consequences for the whole region.