ACDP leader Reverend Kenneth Meshoe has called on South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to confront drug trafficking at home following the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the United States.
Meshoe was speaking to The Citizen on Wednesday after former US president Donald Trump authorised the operation that led to Maduro appearing before a US court where he pleaded not guilty to charges linked to narco terrorism. The arrest has triggered debate across Africa including in the Kingdom of Eswatini where drug abuse continues to affect communities and strain law enforcement.
Meshoe said the international community missed earlier opportunities to act when the United States first raised concerns about drug trafficking in Venezuela. He said South Africa should reflect on its own vulnerabilities rather than focusing solely on condemning Washington.
He said South Africa’s borders were so porous that drug cartels could easily move narcotics into the country. While he raised concerns about the arrest of a sitting head of state Meshoe said such action could be justified if evidence showed Maduro and his wife were involved in organised drug crimes.
Meshoe said drug abuse was devastating communities with users becoming severely affected both physically and mentally. He said the impact was visible across townships and informal settlements and described the situation as heartbreaking.
He criticised Ramaphosa for being quick to condemn the United States while South Africa faced serious internal challenges. He said the country’s leadership should prioritise restoring order at home before taking strong positions on international matters.
Meshoe also referred to allegations raised by Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi about senior politicians and state officials colluding with criminals and drug cartel leaders. He said ignoring such claims placed the country at risk and said many of the allegations had already been supported by evidence.
He said drug trafficking was widely known within government and parliament but continued to be ignored despite extensive reporting on the issue. Meshoe said the scale of the problem could be seen in areas such as Hillbrow informal settlements and neighbourhoods with high levels of illegal activity.
He questioned the role of parliament and said some politicians condemning Trump might be protecting associates involved in drug trafficking. He said attention was being diverted away from domestic problems to avoid scrutiny of what was happening within South Africa’s borders.
Meshoe said the fight against drugs would fail unless border security was strengthened. He said allowing unchecked movement into the country undermined the rights of local citizens and made communities vulnerable to criminal networks.
He also said Trump may have acted against Maduro after years of complaints by the United States dating back to 1999 long before Trump became president. He said such a drastic move raised questions about whether global institutions such as the United Nations had failed to intervene earlier.
Concerns about porous borders have also been raised by South African National Defence Force leadership. Late last year Chief of the Navy Vice Admiral Monde Lobese warned that weak maritime patrols allowed drugs and other illegal goods to enter the country. He said the absence of naval presence at sea endangered national security and contributed to rising drug abuse and illegal immigration.
Lobese said the underfunding of the SANDF had left the country exposed and questioned whether decision makers could be influenced by criminal syndicates. He said the continued weakening of the navy and defence force threatened sovereignty and the future of young people.
In February SANDF General Ntshavheni Maphaha also criticised the government for failing to invest in land border protection. He urged politicians and parliamentarians to consider national security during budget debates saying social programmes would not succeed without adequate protection.
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