LETTER: The business of organised crime

Capitec CEO Gerrie Fourie has sparked much debate about the true employment rate in SA, especially his assertion that if it was as high as official figures indicate, there would be more social instability in the country (“Capitec CEO argues SA’s jobless rate as low as 10%”, June 10).

Perhaps part of the apparent “stability” perceived by Fourie lies in a sector we do not acknowledge in employment figures — organised crime. From protection-fee mafias and drug dealing to illicit goods trading, car theft and cash-in-transit heists, organised crime functions as a shadow industry that, like it or not, employs many people in SA.

From the foot soldiers to the kingpins, many South Africans earn their living through the proceeds of crime. This group would be hard to include in any official government survey. Criminals do not admit to being criminals when asked by a government employee. They have a clear incentive to lie and say they are unemployed when interviewed by Stats SA officials.

Organised crime needs “stability” to thrive, which is what Fourie is alleging. It’s an uncomfortable idea, but it’s one worth considering. It’s also the reality in SA. 

Ncamiso Khanyile
Cape Town 

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