Former president Kgalema Motlanthe calls for a rethink of regional drug policies, saying existing punitive approaches have not curbed illicit drug trafficking or organised crime. Across the reports, he urges law enforcement to prioritise the highest-level traffickers rather than focusing on drug users.
Motlanthe, who chairs the Eastern and Southern Africa Commission on Drugs, argues that arresting users often worsens prison overcrowding without addressing the wider criminal networks that drive the trade. The reporting frames his message as part of adapting to a changed illicit drug landscape, with an emphasis on shifting policing strategies toward dismantling trafficking and cartel structures.
While the outlets generally agree on the central points—policy failure, the need for enforcement focus, and the role of organised crime—the main differences lie in how strongly they emphasise particular targets (cartel “big boys” versus “crime networks”) and the wording used to describe the policy shift.
