By Kotie Geldenhuys
Photos courtesy of Unsplash and the SAPS
When most people imagine the manufacturing of synthetic (man-made) drugs for medicinal use, they imagine a hi-tech, spotless laboratory. A place where technicians wear protective gear including safety glasses, gloves and masks, and where every ingredient is carefully measured, labelled and handled under strict safety protocols. In the case of an accredited pharmaceutical lab, that image is accurate. But there is a darker side to the story: scattered across neighbourhoods and hidden in plain sight on streets throughout South Africa, a far more dangerous kind of lab exists. Known to the authorities as clandestine labs these setups are illegal, toxic and pose serious risks to both the people running them and the communities in their vicinity.
In recent times, news reports and media statements from the SAPS have increasingly mentioned the discovery and dismantling of clandestine drug laboratories. But behind these headlines lies a deeper and more dangerous world.
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[This is only an extract of an article published in Servamus: June 2025. This article is available for purchase.]