Paper Title
The Impact of Social Media on Combating Organised Crime In South Africa

Abstract
Social media in South Africa is regarded as a threat to the South African Police Service (SAPS), based on the fact that the 21st century is becoming known as the Information Age and one of the most important and complex types of new technology are social media such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, etc. The study revealed that social media use by SAPS members’ impacts negatively on the relationship with the community. The impact of mass media on crime and justice is recognised as substantial, and the interest in the article can be traced to a number of historical trials and crimes. This article presents selected findings from studies and publications on the impact of social media in combating organised crime that could contribute to crime prevention strategies: Media exposure to crime and crime-related events can be an effective crime prevention strategy and a useful tool for sensitising and educating the public on underestimated or overlooked social problems;Social media can help to improve the state of violence and crime in society, especially for women and children; andSocial media can play a democratic role when it comes to the question of crime prevention.The research question was demarcated to the findings of this article to establish the extent of the impact of social media on organised crime. This was done to determine the impact when social media is used to combat organised crime in the Limpopo province. The findings of this study enabled the researchers to recommend that if the SAPS, as the national police agency in South Africa, can devise a strategy of regulating social media and train members in technology, the SAPS can have an impact on solving organised crime where social media-related crimes are linked, such as online fraud and Internet scams. Keywords - Impact, Social Media, Combating, Organised Crime, South Africa