By Kyle Cowan
Behind the façade of South Africa lies a brutal shadow world. Mafias, cartels and crime syndicates rule it, locked in a ruthless war over the country’s riches.
The tobacco mafia dominates its trade. The water tanker mafia exploits scarcity. The taxi mafia thrives, alongside the hospital mafia and the construction mafia. The kidnapping mafia expands its reach. Even the police mafia operates in plain sight.
Each one feeds off a vast web of patronage and extraction. This web stretches from street level to the highest echelons of government. Their bloodsucking tentacles burrow deep into municipalities, state-owned enterprises and political parties. They also infiltrate the police and the National Prosecuting Authority. These syndicates silence those who resist them in cold blood.
Disturbing truths exposed
This is not a criminal underworld hiding in the shadows. It functions as part of the system itself. Where does organised crime end and the state begin? Do the two intertwine so tightly that they cannot be separated? Has South Africa become a mafia state?
Multi-award-winning investigative journalist Kyle Cowan tackles these questions head-on. He reveals the dark underbelly of a country where the thin blue line has almost disappeared. Mafia Land exposes these disturbing truths and pushes readers to confront the full extent of criminal capture.
Mafia Land tells the hair-raising tale of twelve of the country’s most dangerous cartels. It shows how they will stop at nothing in their deadly and devastating plunder of South Africa.
About the author
Kyle Cowan stands among South Africa’s leading investigative journalists. He twice won the prestigious Taco Kuiper Award for investigative journalism. He now works at News24 as part of their in-depth investigative team. Through Mafia Land, he continues his mission to uncover the hidden forces that shape South Africa’s future.
- PUBLISHER | Penguin Random House SA |
- ISBN | 9781776380633 |
- Recommended Retail Price | R350.00 |
- Classification | Organised Crime |
