The Customs Man by Zain Aboobaker

“OR Tambo is the busiest airport in Africa, handling around twenty million passengers annually. Beneath the terminals, though, lies the darker side of this colossal hub — where baggage vanishes without a trace, and packages are surreptitiously swapped in and out of luggage,” says Zain Aboobaker.

“To me, the airport always felt like a malevolent force, perhaps because I knew there was no way to regain control over the smuggling operations happening there. In the end, the airport simply dismissed me as irrelevant. The greed that ran through it was entrenched, organised, insatiable… and it had no intention of being stopped.”

This is the world that Aboobaker captures in his gripping debut novel, The Customs Man. Few travelers passing through OR Tambo International Airport — a place many associate with efficiency and order — would ever imagine it as a breeding ground for nefarious activity. Yet Aboobaker, drawing on his years of experience in Customs and Excise, paints the airport as something far more sinister.

Between 1991 and 2008, Aboobaker worked in customs enforcement, and his novel offers a rare glimpse into the shadowy intersection of organised crime, enforcement, and the international smuggling trade. With sharp humour, deep empathy, and professional insight, The Customs Man takes readers on a pulse-pounding journey through a world few ever see. This book is, without question, one of the must-reads of 2025.

Reflecting on OR Tambo, which most people view as a well-run international gateway, Aboobaker is cautious: “My first assignment was at OR Tambo. The Customs building was just across the road, and it was clear that officials were involved in all kinds of shady dealings. Sadly, the airport is still a weak point in security to this day. Human trafficking is still happening there.”

Aboobaker continues: “Smuggling is woven into the fabric of society, happening right under our noses. What’s legal and illegal become increasingly hard to distinguish.”

The timeline of The Customs Man is significant, set between 2008 and 2010 — a period of deep political instability in South Africa. The country’s law enforcement and various government agencies were under considerable strain during this time. The tensions began during the ANC's 2007 Polokwane conference, where then-President Thabo Mbeki was ousted in favour of Jacob Zuma, sparking uncertainty and chaos while paralysing government work. The political turmoil culminated with Mbeki's resignation on September 20, 2008, followed by the sudden departure of thirteen cabinet ministers and a crash in the value of the rand.

But Aboobaker, while acknowledging these turbulent events, emphasizes that he’s not interested in politics: “I don’t pay much attention to politicians. The game is the same, regardless of the team. I prefer to focus on the people behind the scenes—the ones caught up in the fight against smuggling.”

Aboobaker didn’t set out to be a writer. Born in 1970 in Overport, Durban, he grew up in a loving, middle-class family. After matriculating in 1987, he explored various academic pursuits before becoming a boilermaker in Richards Bay. But in 1991, he found his calling when he joined the Customs and Excise department. Over the years, he rose to national manager for the anti-smuggling division.

His journey wasn’t without frustrations. “The system is slow,” he concedes, “and there’s a reason for that. Smugglers believe they’ll never get caught. They’re quick, nimble — always one step ahead. But eventually, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) catches up. It’s like a machine that grinds down everything in its path, thanks to its weight and muscle.”

He also acknowledges the smugglers’ vulnerabilities. “Their egos often get the best of them. They have so much money, they want to show it off. I remember a businessman who got caught for tax evasion because he boasted about his wealth in You Magazine — a tax official happened to read that issue and put two and two together.”

But there’s a flip side to the smuggling world: the risk faced by those working undercover. Aboobaker recalls the constant psychological toll it took. “Going undercover means losing your identity. You start creating a persona, and it’s hard to know where the character ends and you begin. But there’s no psychological support for agents. You’re just expected to push through.”

Yet, despite the pressure, Aboobaker developed an empathy for those involved in smuggling. “These people are human. They have families, loves, and dreams just like anyone else. It was easy for me to judge them at first, but once I got to know them, I saw them as human beings. And that’s what’s fascinating about people — they’re multifaceted.”

The Customs Man delves into the many layers of human nature and what people do to make a living in South Africa, from the small-time fisherman in the Western Cape who becomes entangled in the global abalone trade, to gangsters, human trafficking, drugs and the intricate operations of international tobacco smuggling. Aboobaker’s approach is empathetic yet unflinching, offering readers a deeper understanding of the personal and economic pressures that drive people into illicit activities.

One of Aboobaker’s motivations for writing the novel was to raise awareness about the destruction of the abalone industry, a dire consequence of multinational commercial fishing. “I want people to know about what’s happening with abalone smuggling on our coasts,” he says. “It’s a real problem, and I hope the book inspires people to think about the human cost behind it.”

The illicit tobacco trade is another key focus in The Customs Man, particularly its relentless battle with SARS. In 2023, SARS collected taxes on about 13 billion cigarettes, but an estimated 37 billion cigarettes were smoked. The difference? "The thriving black market,” Aboobaker explains. His novel offers a sharp critique of this ongoing issue, exploring the fine line between right and wrong in a system that’s often broken.

Aboobaker left Customs and Excise in 2008, disillusioned by the wave of change within the South African Revenue Service and the government under new leadership. “You could see the new people coming in, the greedy ones, the ones with agendas,” he says. “There was a brain drain. Many good people left because they saw the direction things were heading.”

After resigning, he launched his own customs consultancy, but it wasn’t long before personal circumstances led him to begin writing. A close friend’s life-threatening illness was the catalyst for his writing. “I started the book because of him and the many amazing people I met during my time in Customs. It was a way to honor them and capture the essence of their stories.”

Writing the novel proved cathartic for Aboobaker, who had unresolved issues lingering from his time in the department. “I was frustrated by the control certain superiors tried to exert over me, the way they decided which cases were worth investigating. I couldn’t just keep following orders blindly.” 

The Customs Man isn’t just a crime fiction thriller; it reflects the grim realities of life in South Africa. Aboobaker remains cautiously optimistic about the country’s future. “There are still good people in government, and I hope the corruption doesn’t go any further,” he says. But he’s also pragmatic, offering a perhaps tongue-in-cheek comment: “Just look at the potholes. That’s all the evidence you need.”

The Customs Man retails for R290 and is available from ikesbooks.com, amazon.co.za (paperback), amazon.com (paperback & ebook) and all good bookshops.

SUNDAY TRIBUNE