Spotlight on causes of gangsterism

systems but extending far beyond the borders of SA. Backed by many community and NGO allies, Pinnock dismantles some of the holy cows of the less thoughtful anti-crime campaigns. Vigilante action is shown to be as much about swift justice and political symbolism as impatience with the police.

The very idea of gangs belies the fact that gangs recruit and operate along very different lines. Some are inherently violent and based on young male warrior identities and others largely corporatist or “merchant” in their nature.

Crime and organised crime are intertwined with the breakdown in governance and statehood. In the immediate aftermath of apartheid 112 692 weapons were lost from state armouries and between April 2004 and March 2011, one Mthatha police station lost 638 handguns. Shocking statistics … unless you’re a regular Daily Dispatch reader. — Glenn Hollands