Africa: Criminal Law

Gender-based violence persists not just as isolated incidents, but as a systemic crisis enabled by institutional gaps, inadequate policies, and social norms that fail to protect survivors. Njeri Migwi, Founder of Usikimye, shares six years of frontline experience revealing why survivors struggle to leave, why cases rarely reach justice, and what structural changes are needed beyond public outrage.

Nigeria's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the Nigerian Copyright Commission have formed a strategic partnership to tackle the growing intersection between organised crime, drug trafficking, and intellectual property violations. This collaboration marks a significant shift in recognising copyright piracy as part of broader criminal networks threatening Nigeria's creative economy.

Fraud has evolved beyond traditional boundaries, leveraging digital finance and global commerce to enable sophisticated cross-border crimes that can be executed remotely in minutes. Modern fraudsters exploit technological advances and interconnected financial systems to move stolen funds across jurisdictions with unprecedented speed and anonymity.

South African law enforcement authorities conducted a major operation in Johannesburg's CBD, seizing over 1,700 counterfeit sports items worth more than R1.5 million just days before a high-profile Springboks versus New Zealand rugby match. The multi-agency raid uncovered not only fake merchandise bearing well-known sports brands but also manufacturing equipment, suggesting the premises served as both a production facility and distribution center for counterfeit goods.

Consequently, every prudent purchaser must undertake comprehensive legal due diligence before completing any land transaction.

A South African High Court has ruled on the lawfulness of account freezing by banks based on fraud suspicions and affirmed SARS's authority to issue third-party notices under section 179 of the Tax Administration Act. The case arose after a close corporation fraudulently claimed a VAT refund of R3.28 million, transferred R900,000 to an individual's account, prompting the bank to freeze the account and SARS to pursue recovery through a third-party notice.