The Outlook Podcast Archive - South Africa's Abalone Underworld

Download South Africa's Abalone Underworld

What have giant sea snails got to do with gang violence and crystal meth in Cape Town?

For over 15 years, Shuhood Abader was a poacher, risking his life in Cape Town’s shark-infested waters to hunt a strange sea creature known as abalone. It's a type of rare shellfish that's so sought after that the illegal trade is now a multi-million dollar industry. It's a dangerous world that Shuhood struggled to leave behind.

Reporter: Gavin Fischer
Producer: Maryam Maruf

Image: a diver swimming over poached abalone shells in Cape Town's Table Mountain National Park
Credit: Thomas P Peschak/Alamy

Published on Sunday, 25th November 2018.

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