There are critical shortcomings in the police's surveillance capabilities. Daily Maverick spoke to a number of intelligence insiders about the dire condition of spy equipment, and the outlook is bleak. Be it intercepting communications, pinpointing hate speech originators on social media or intercepting calls and phone location data in the field -- police are working with the bare bones. Observers say the problem is political.

Read more in Daily Maverick: "Tracked, Part One: With its hamstrung surveillance capabilities, SAPS is no match for criminals"

South Africa has earned a spot as a top destination for organised criminals. In the world of trafficking guns, drugs, minerals, poached wildlife and human beings, SA ranked 19th out of 193 United Nations member states. That's according to a recently published two-year study from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

Part of the reason for criminals' free rein, intelligence insiders who spoke to Daily Maverick and were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, is that the South African Police Service (SAPS) and its Crime Intelligence Division (CI) are largely deprived of a crucial tool when tackling complex, well-organised syndicates: electronic communications surveillance. WhatsApp calls and texts, emails, Skype, and even just tracking suspects' movements...