ABSTRACT

Instead of being perceived as confined to oppressive spaces in South Africa, detached from mainstream society, in this article I show that gangsters in Cape Town have harnessed liberalisation since the 1990s to become players in the market economy. This is illustrated by means of two criminal practices that support the illicit trade in electronics: residential burgling and transnational smuggling. By tracing the circulation of stolen electronics, gangsters and their migrant collaborators are shown to use flexible procedures to prevent detection and custody. These procedures capitalise on the changes brought by liberalisation, allowing for the efficient flow of electronics consignments to distant African cities and villages. It is argued that thinking through these procedures allows for a nuanced understanding of contemporary gang dynamics beyond confinement.

摘要

在本文中，我展示了开普敦的黑帮自 20 世纪 90 年代以来利用自由化成为市场经济的参与者，而不是被认为局限于南非的压迫性空间、脱离主流社会。这可以通过支持电子产品非法贸易的两种犯罪行为来说明：住宅盗窃和跨国走私。通过追踪被盗电子产品的流向，犯罪分子及其移民合作者被证明可以使用灵活的程序来防止被发现和拘留。这些程序利用了自由化带来的变化，使电子货物能够有效地流向遥远的非洲城市和村庄。