Political gangsterism is a clear and present danger – The Mail & Guardian

Political gangsterism is a clear and present danger – The Mail & Guardian

It’s now a little more than a decade and a half since Abahlali baseMjondolo first started to describe municipal politics in Durban in terms of gangsterism. At the time they were seldom believed in the middle-class world, which was still insulated from the criminality that was beginning to metastasise through our politics. It was only when it became clear that Jacob Zuma and the Gupta brothers were running a wholesale kleptocracy that the middle …

Gangsterism in South African Politics: A Growing Crisis

For over 15 years, Abahlali baseMjondolo has warned about the gangsterism infiltrating municipal politics in Durban. At first, many in the middle class dismissed these claims, shielded from the corruption spreading through the political system. It wasn’t until Jacob Zuma and the Gupta brothers’ kleptocracy became undeniable that people began to see the problem. However, media focus on personalities—rather than deep analysis—obscured the full sca…