BREAKING THE BOMBERS - How the Hunt for Pagad Created a Crack Police Unit

<p>'Mark Shaw is the foremost analyst of organised crime in SA.' - Jonny Steinberg</p><p><br></p><p>At the dawn of the country's brave new democracy Cape Town was at war. Pagad which began as a community protest action against crime had mutated into a sinister vigilante group wreaking death and destruction across the city. Between 1996 and 2001 there were hundreds of bomb blasts - most infamously at the Planet Hollywood restaurant at the V&A Waterfront - and countless targeted hits on druglords and gang bosses.</p><p><br></p><p>The police scrambled desperately to respond. The new ANC government was shaken. Citizens of Cape Town lived in fear. Who could save the city?</p><p><br></p><p>Mark Shaw tells the incredible tale of how former foes - struggle cadres and the apartheid security apparatus - pulled together to break the Pagad death squads. Out of this crisis emerged the elite law enforcement unit the Scorpions.</p><p><br></p><p>It is a story that has never been told in full. Now many involved have broken their silence about this pivotal chapter in South Africa's history which offers far-reaching lessons on how to deal with organised crime today.</p><p><br></p>