Charity Monareng is the Executive Director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy International and a leading advocate for drug policy reform in South Africa. She holds degrees in Criminology, International Studies, and Social Development, and is pursuing a PhD in Public Law at the University of Cape Town.

The involvement of women in the global drug trade is often overlooked or reduced to narratives of victimhood, particularly in research that focuses on the male-dominated nature of illicit economies. In South Africa, this is especially true, as the prevailing discourse tends to frame female drug sellers as coerced, passive participants rather than active agents with their own strategies, motivations, and agency. This study challenges such limited perceptions by exploring the roles and experiences of female drug sellers in Cape Town, South Africa, through an intersectional feminist lens.

Drawing on qualitative data from interviews with women directly involved in Cape Town's drug market, the research critically examines how gender, power, and social structures shape their participation. It seeks to highlight the complexity of their experiences—balancing survival, economic pressures, and the defiance of traditional gender roles. By positioning women as agents, not merely victims, this study engages with the broader criminological need to understand female criminality beyond stereotypes and oversimplified tropes.
This research also problematises the invisibility of women in studies of organised crime, where empirical and theoretical approaches are overwhelmingly male-focused. Through the lens of feminist criminology, this study underscores the necessity of acknowledging women's agency in illicit markets, bringing to light how female drug sellers navigate and even resist the patriarchal structures that govern both legal and illegal spheres.

The findings of this research will aim to challenge mainstream understandings of the South African drug trade, offering a more nuanced view that recognises the agency, resilience, and complexity of women involved in these economies. It also calls for a rethinking of drug policy and intervention strategies, advocating for approaches that reflect the realities of both male and female participants in the illegal drug market.