The Prevention of Organised Crime Act’s anti-gang provisions are not meeting their objectives. They were originally meant to fill the gaps in common law and help prosecutors gain convictions for gang-related crimes. But the act is severely underutilised for these specific crimes. For this paper’s recommendations to have a substantial effect on addressing organised crime, the various departments involved in South Africa’s criminal justice process need to be cleaned up and resources improved.
About the author
Kim Thomas is an analyst at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. She holds an MPhil in Public Law from the University of Cape Town and an LLB from Stellenbosch University. She has worked as a researcher on organised crime in South Africa and is also an admitted South African attorney with experience in the legal aid sector, working on issues relating to socio- economic rights.
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