The South African Police Service (SAPS) would intensify efforts to tackle illicit trade which continued to erode government’s tax revenue, police minister, Bheki Cele, said during the department’s Budget Vote speech yesterday.
“The illicit economy is draining valuable resources from the state and its citizens.” He said crimes like illicit mining and the various methods of grand scale tax evasion such as the trade in illegal cigarettes would be prioritised during 2018/19.
SAPS ministerial spokesperson, Nonkululeko Phokane, told FTW Online that an action plan had already been drawn up which would include the addition of resources and manpower to current operations.
However, she said that she could not openly reveal operational details of what the “intensification of efforts” would entail as this would enable criminals to work on counterplans.
“I cannot mention how many additional policemen will be discharged or where they will be placed - such as ports of entry into South Africa’s borders - but I can say that operations to address illicit trade are currently under way and we will be intensifying these operations in every sense of the word,” said Phokane.
She noted that police would be going after the “kingpins” in the illicit economy rather than the runners on the ground.
However, she pointed out that the most important factor in these efforts would be collaboration with other relevant agencies in other countries, specifically in the Southern African Development Community, as illicit trade was facilitated by a growing market for the illegal goods and was an international and transnational issue.
According to Phokane, minimising illicit trade is critical as it is a hugely troublesome area that has a large impact on the broader economy and is also a major contributor to other crimes.
