Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime 64d ago

South Africa has deployed its military to combat gang violence and illegal mining under President Cyril Ramaphosa's Operation Prosper, targeting hotspots in the Western Cape and Gauteng. But is armed force a genuine solution or just a short-term fix? Mark Shaw, Executive Director of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GITOC), joins the Index podcast to break down what Operation Prosper means for South Africa, how it compares to past military deployments and global examples like El Salvador and Guatemala, and what success or failure will actually look like. 0:00 Operation Prosper & South Africa's gang crisis 2:25 President Ramaphosa's announcement and what has happened so far? 4:21 Violence in Gauteng and the Western Cape 5:39 The daily reality of life with gang violence 6:27 The Tik-Tok generation of violence 9:13 Previous attempts to curb gang violence in South Africa 12:08 Looking elsewhere: Militarisation and mass detention 14:50 "Corruption in gang areas is extreme" 17:04 How can Operation Prosper be successful? To learn more about organized crime in South Africa, visit the Organized Crime Index: ocindex.net