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.

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.

1.1 The decision of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in EMTS Ltd v Afdin Ventures Ltd & Ors.,2 signifies a further consolidation of Nigeria’s pro-arbitration jurisprudence within the global framework of international commercial arbitration. The judgment prioritized the efficacy of achieving finality in arbitration proceedings over technical procedural requirements and addressed issues relating to the enforceability of arbitral awards against non-signatories, allegations of fraud in arbitration, judicial intervention in arbitral awards and the need for expeditious determination of arbitration related litigation.

South Africa's whistleblower protection framework is undergoing significant reform through the proposed Protected Disclosures Bill, 2026, which aims to address critical gaps exposed by high-profile assassinations and the Zondo Commission findings. The new legislation promises expanded protections, criminal sanctions for retaliation, and financial rewards for whistleblowers, but will the reforms be sufficient to encourage individuals to come forward in a climate where speaking up can cost lives?