The Western Cape continues to be plagued by the drug trade and accompanying development
of organised crime networks. The paper discusses the racial, economic and geographic
variations in the drug trade and drug use, and the trade’s growth during the apartheid,
transitional and post-apartheid periods. It describes the various types of drugs, and, using a
network approach, focuses on those involved in the trade and their effect on the development
of criminal governance in Cape Town. While the growth of criminal governance can partially be
attributed to the failure of state institutions, it also develops from the increasing links between
criminal networks and political and civic institutions, which can protect criminal activities.