In this issue, we draw from ongoing studies which our East and Southern Africa research team are working on to investigate four unique trends in organized crime in the region:

• How the recent assassination of South African gangster Ernie ‘Lastig’ Solomon points to a major reconfiguration in the Western Cape underworld.
• How the disruption caused by COVID-19 adds to existing instability in Zimbabwe’s gold sector caused by widespread violence and political patronage.
• What has driven Nelson Mandela Bay to become one of the most violent places in South Africa.
• And how corruption, criminal networks and online platforms come together to facilitate tortoise trafficking in Madagascar.