Money woes, crime walk together

Economic hardship does not excuse criminality, but it weakens the conditions that help prevent it.

- Elnieke Bronkhorst

Economic stress heightens desperation, creating fertile ground for survival crime and, where institutions are weak, expansion of organised crime.

This is the danger South Africa now faces: mounting economic pressure is likely to drive more opportunistic crime, while weak state capacity gives organised networks room to recruit and operate.