SOUTH AFRICA

Overview

Home of the world’s most iconic of freedom fighters, Nobel laureate Nelson Mandela, South Africa is known for its picturesque landscape, rich art and poignant history. South Africa occupies an area of 1, 221, 037 km² and is home to nearly 60 million people.

AGA-Africa in South Africa

AGA-Africa’s first event in South Africa kicked off in February of 2017. In 2019, in collaboration with its partners, AGA-Africa hosted two events in South Africa. AGA-Africa also signed in a new partner Financial Intelligence Centre.

There has been growing concern, including from the president of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, about the increase in Gender-Based Violence. South African Police and other stakeholders requested assistance to support in the investigation and prosecution on this grave subject. In response, AGAAfrica organized a training workshop on Gender-Based Violence and Cyber Crime in November 2019.

AGA-Africa Partners

Financial Intelligence Centre (South Africa), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

New Partnerships Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

AGA-Africa was pleased to start a new partnership across Africa with the Financial Intelligence Centre (South Africa), in July 2019. On behalf of AGA-Africa, Board member Markus Green ESQ, and FIC represented by Adv Xolisile Khanyile, Director, FIC signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 25th July 2019 to work jointly in capacity building, with a view to combating transnational crimes in South Africa. The partnership will be marked by training workshops and seminars towards knowledge exchange. The collaboration commenced in high gear with the first workshop on Transnational Crimes taking place from 24th to 26th of July 2019.

Markus Green ESQ,

AGA-Africa Board member and Adv

Xolisile Khanyile,

Director, FIC after the MoU signing.

Workshop Theme: Transnational Crime Date: 24th to 26th of July 2019 Venue: Pretoria, South Africa

AGA-Africa partnered with South Africa’s Financial Intelligence Centre, South Africa’s national centre for the receipt of financial data, analysis and dissemination of financial intelligence to the competent authorities, in a workshop themed ‘Transnational Crimes’. Participants were drawn from Angola, Botswana, the Kingdom of Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Highlights

AGA-Africa brought in subject matter experts including: Scott Blake Assistant Attorney General Office of the Arizona Attorney General, Evan Malady Fraud and Special Prosecution Agent Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Jim Hennelly Special Agent Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Phoenix, Arizona and South Africa’s, Hein van der Merwe Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Organised Crime Unit, Directorate of Public Prosecutions Pretoria all who delivered thought provoking sessions on the scope of transnational crimes across the United States and Africa.

Adv Xolisile Khanyile, Director, Financial Intelligence Centre. Scott Blake, Assistant Attorney General Office of the Arizona Attorney General.

Evan Malady, Fraud and Special Prosecution Agent Arizona Attorney General’s Office. Jim Hennelly, Special Agent Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Phoenix, Arizona.

Workshop Theme: Gender-Based Violence and Cybercrime Date: 19th – 22nd November 2019 Venue: Johannesburg, South Africa

AGA-Africa in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and South African Police Service, held a four-day workshop on Gender-Based Violence & Cybercrime themed “Developing Effective Police Responses to Violence Against Women & Children in Southern Africa”. The four-day Workshop attracted over 42 participants from stakeholder agencies in the fight against Gender-Based Violence and Cybercrime. The workshop was aimed at strengthening the ability of SAPS and NPA to investigate and prosecute gender-based violence that stems from the misuse and abuse of technology.

Workshop participants during the Q & A session.

Major General Bafana Linda and Zhuldyz Akisheva, Regional Representative, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Southern Africa with AGA-Africa representatives with AGA-Africa facilitators.

(L-R) Major General Bafana Linda and Zhuldyz

Akisheva, Regional Representative, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Southern Africa shaking hands with Markus Green, AGA-Africa Board Member in South Africa.

Major General Bafana Linda, the National Head of Family Violence, Child Protection & Sexual Offenses & South African Police Service (SAPS) with UNODC and AGA- Africa representatives and workshop participants.

Highlights

Major General Bafana Linda, the National Head of Family Violence, Child Protection & Sexual Offenses, & South African Police Service (SAPS) officially opened the workshop. He noted that cybercrime is a crime without borders. He cautioned on the dangers of communicating and posting pictures to strangers on social media as well as letting children into cyberspace without parental control.

Major General

Bafana Linda, the National Head of Family Violence, Child Protection & Sexual Offenses & South African Police Service (SAPS).

Zhuldyz Akisheva, Regional Representative, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Southern Africa.

AGA-Africa Facilitator Audace Garnett,

Technology Safety Specialist with Safety Net at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV).

Other keynote speakers included:

Zhuldyz Akisheva, representative for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

(UNODC), Regional Office for Southern Africa. She expressed appreciation to AGA-Africa for their efforts towards stemming transnational crime. She made mention of the fact that UNODC recently published a report on homicide which reveals that more and more women are dying in the hands of their intimate partners.

AGA-Africa brought in subject matter experts including:

Audace Garnett, Technology Safety Specialist with Safety Net at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV). She led a presentation on the Definition of Gender-Based Violence, the abuse of technology and cybercrimes related to GBV. She identified how common technology looks, its major operations and stated several reasons why people use it, noting that it has its own merits and demerits: the main one being the misuse.

AGA-Africa Facilitator Melba Pearson, the Deputy Director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ALCU) of Florida. Adrian Van Nice, Chief Trial Deputy, Boulder County District Attorney’s Office.

Melba Pearson, Deputy Director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ALCU) of Florida engaged participants in a discussion on Legislation and the role it plays in enabling gender based violence procedures and making sure that standardized procedures as to how cases can be handled are followed.

Adrian Van Nice, Chief Trial Deputy, Boulder County District Attorney’s office facilitated a session on ‘Internet Architecture’. She took participants through the different websites where criminals take advantage of weak technological capacity by authorities to trade in drugs, for sex trafficking, child pornography as well as carrying out other illegal online activities.

2020 Projects

Projects

Gender-Based Violence – South Africa Police Service

Date

12th 15th May

Gender-Based Violence – South Africa Police Service

7th – 10th July International Law Conference at U of Pretoria - Secured transactions 23rd – 25th September Tackling Organised Crime through Financial Investigation and Prosecution Workshop – ESAAMLG & FIC South Africa 5th – 9th October Gender Based Violence – South Africa Police Service 10th – 13th November