South African History Online

Address by President Nelson mandela at the United Nations International Drug
Control Programme South Africa legal workshop on sub-regional co-operation against drug trafficking

(Speech delivered by Minister of Justice Dullah Omar on
behalf of The President)

Pretoria, 14 November 1994

Mr. Chairperson;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is a privilege for me to extend a cordial welcome to all delegates,
especially the visitors from outside the Republic's borders. I trust you will
only benefit by your visit to our country.

Allow me also to express my gratitude to the organisers and in particular to
the members of UNDCP for contributing to the arrangements and funding for this
timely and needed workshop. We hope not only to gain more insight into the
problems of corruption and drug trafficking, but also to strengthen ties and
forge closer co-operation in our battle against a scourge of international
magnitude.

Drug trafficking has escalated to such an extent that it can be seen as the
new universal threat to all societies.

For too long too many people considered the drug problm as a remote one
affecting someone else or occurring somewhere else. The reality, as we all know,
is that this problem affects all communities, in particular the youth. If we
really want to do something about the threat we will have to act decisively now.
To do this we need to stand together and face the problem head-on.

We should never underestimate the dangers of the drug problem and the high
price that it exacts from many countries, including our own. It is a serious
threat not only to moral and intellectual integrity of our nation and other
nations. It is a serious threat to the health and well being of our people.

In recent years we have found that the potentially huge profits of drug
trafficking are encouraging an increasing number of criminals involved in more
orthodox crimes, such as robbery and extortion, to extend their activities to
the drug trade on a national and international scale. The extent of the problem
can be seen from the estimate by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development that at least 85 billion dollars in drug profits are annually
laundered through the financial markets world-wide.

It is thus not surprising that the drug cartels and syndicates have a global
influence and have become a threat to the socio-economic and political order of
every country in the world. Not only do their operations lead to heightened
criminality and violence but due to the nature of their trade it leads to
corruption, the very subject of our workshop.

Drug trafficking networks have grown especially due to their unscrupulous
attitude of bribing the we drple and terrorising the honest. These cartels are
traditionally a-political and are motivated primarily by financial greed. But
they also further their cause by enlisting the voluntary and forced co-operation
of key role players in both the public and private sector. The extent of their
activities can lead to a real threat to the ability of a government to assert
its authority and maintain peace and security. It is bad enough that so many
individuals are destroyed by drug-abuse. The real enemy is the drug merchant.

The people involved in the illicit drug trade - from members or organised
crime groups to casual dealers - have little respect for our laws or the lives
of our people. In some countries the drug barons and warlords engage in terrible
deeds - judges are killed, bribed or terrorised and police buildings are bombed.

It is therefore of the utmost importance that we act strongly against
corruption. The public demands that we see to it that the strictest standards of
honesty and integrity are maintained. It not, then as Alexander Pope prophesied
in his moral essays:

"At length corruption like a general flood (so long by watchful ministers
withstood) shall deluge all; and avarice creeping on, spread like a low-born
mist, and blot out the sun."

Drug trafficking and corruption pose serious problems for South Africa and
for most African countries. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that
cultivation and manufacturing of drugs such as cannabis and mandrax are also
being done in our sub-region.

Democratic South Africa has recently been admitted to the international
world. We have moved from being a closed society to being an open society. This
has had both positive and negative results. On the one hand, it has facilitated
increased and open cultural exchange, boosted tourism and generally stimulated
the economy. But there is also a down-side. With our borders more open, our
immigration laws more relaxed and people streaming in from all over the world,
we are becoming a haven for drug traffickers. This must be stopped. We must take
action.

Ladies and gentlemen.

My government and I have committed ourselves to stamp out drug trafficking
and its resultant corruption. We will do everything in our power to bring our
country in line with internationally accepted standards and measures in this
regard.

The South African Police Services recently indicated that during 1993, they
confiscated and/or destroyed approximately a thousand million rands' worth of
drugs, and that this was only about 10-15% of the estimated value of the South
African drug trade.

It is alarming to note the slump in convictions for drug offences in this
country over the past two years. The Department of Justice has already started
to investigate this situation.

Not only has the escalation of drug trafficking numerous implications for
interstate relations in the region, but it also affects the internal stability
of the countries involved. That is why we need a workshop such as this one.
there is no quick or instant solution to this problem. Yet this is a battle we
must and can win if we tackle it together.

We need to act in such a manner that this decade, declared by the UN General
Assembly as the Decade against Drugs, can be viewd in years to come as oe in
which positive results iuid riiwere attained.W lok at the names of the
representatives and the countries you represent, I am positive that we shall be
able to reach consensus in attaining at least two goals:

Firstly, the establishment of an informal sub-regional network of key
ministers working against corruption, drug trafficking and its drug-related
elements; and

Secondly, progress towards an agreement by the ministers to recommend to
their respective governments the adoption and implementation of bold
anti-corruption and anti-drug initiatives.

If we want to turn the tide and really address drug trafficking we will have
to simplify and expedite the co-operation between our countries regarding the
exchange of information, drug law enforcement and related anti-corruption
activities such as extradition, mutual assistance in criminal matters,
forfeiture, and so on.

My government has in the recent past also entered into agreements with
Namibia and zimbabwe relating to the promotion of co-operation in the field of
the administration of justice. We have also launched investigations into ways to
promote legislation, or the basis of reciprocity, regarding drug trafficking as
well as the confiscation and seizure of property and profits relating to this
crime. I hope we can extend this type of co-operation to more countries.

South Africa has in recent years passed legislation with stringent penalties
and other deterrent measures to deal with the problem. But we need to ask
ourselves: are the measures sufficient? Do they need to be reviewed? These are
questions that special government structures, bringing together various
ministries are examining with the aim of ensuring effective programmes to combat
the threat.

This applies as much to the administration of justice as it does to effective
and legitimate policing. It applies even more, with regard to the need to
implement socio-economic programmes to remove the social foundation of this
scourge.

The Government of National Unity is committed and ready to accede to all
international conventions and treaties to bring us in line with the rest of the
world. This includes complying with the requirements for regulating precursor
substances.

Once we have done so, South Africa will be a party to all the existing
multilateral treaties dealing with narcotic drugs and psycho-tropic substances.
Our ability to play a role in the field of international drug control and to
participate in international drug control mchanisms will then be greatly
enhanced.

I wish you all fruitful delberations and success in your endeavours. I trust
that this workshop will result in not only new and unhindered regional
co-operation, but also in practical measures and a forward action plan to deal
with corruption and drug trafficking.

The demands and challenges are great. But so will be the results if we work
together.

I thank you.