JGL Forensic Services - Where Integrity and Business Meet

Rising Above The Storm: South Africa's Fight Against Financial Crime

Picture a nation where criminals operate with near impunity, where sophisticated syndicates extort millions through kidnappings, and where the guardians of justice are overwhelmed and underfunded. This isn't the plot of a crime novel; it's the reality facing South Africa today.
Experts paint a stark picture: South Africa has exceptionally low conviction rates for even the most heinous violent crimes.

Does Eskom Need A R280 000 Mop to Clean Up Its Act?

Is it just me or is anyone else more than a little dizzy from the eternal going-round-in-circles mode of doing business that Eskom seems bent on clinging to?
Eskom must be one of the only businesses in the world that wants you to use less of its product and then whinges when you do. 

The Lasting Legacy of Pravin Gordhan

South Africa’s recent history – particularly since 1994 – has been shaped by the vision, hard work and passion of many committed individuals. Our Public Enterprises and former Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan, was one such person. His recent passing, just months after his retirement at the end of May, has left our entire country – and, I would venture to guess, many others throughout the rest of the world - supremely saddened.

Will We Ever See Justice For Babita Deokaran?

August 23, 2024, marked a sinister milestone: Three years since Gauteng Department of Health whistle-blower Babita Deokaran was assassinated, shot multiple times as she arrived home after dropping her daughter at school.
At the time, she had red-flagged “possibly fraudulent transactions” at Tembisa Hospital amounting to around R850 million. 

Holding the Country to Ransom: The Rise and Impact of Extortion in South Africa

Never let a good crisis go to waste, isn’t that what they say? Since 1994, democratic South Africa has been trying to systematically address the countless social and economic consequences of Apartheid. In many communities, success in these areas is evident – there is a growing black middle class, increased employment, and vastly improved provision of services and housing to millions of people.

South Africa’s Construction Mafia – Building a Legacy of Corruption

Italy’s mafia evolved from small private armies, or mafie, hired by absentee landlords to protect their estates from the bandits who thrived in Sicily’s largely lawless conditions. They quickly became so big and so powerful they bit the hand that once fed them, turning on the landowners and extorting more and more money from them.
It's not a dissimilar tale to the mafia-style groups plaguing South Africa right now.

The Cost of Corruption in South Africa

As far back as 2015, an article in respected publication The Daily Maverick estimated that South Africa had lost R700 billion in public money to corruption since the advent of democracy in 1994. 
We’re now almost a decade down the line and I shudder to think what kinds of figures might now be in the frame.

From Boxing Ring to Boardroom – Why the Fight for Fairness Shouldn’t Only be Fought in Sport

From the rain-soaked opening ceremony to the awarding of the very last medal, the 2024 Paris Olympics had its fair share of controversial moments – but perhaps none more so than the women’s boxing match between Italy’s Angela Carini and Algeria’s Imane Khelif.
After only 46 seconds – and two sickening head blows - Carini abandoned her fight, saying she had been hit so hard she “couldn’t breathe anymore” and feared for her life.
 

In The Line of Fire - When Investigators Become The Targets

In the past 10 years, targeted killings in South Africa have increased by 108%. This staggering statistic is quoted in a recent report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC).
Perhaps even more concerning is how brazen these killers are becoming. Assassins appear indiscriminate about the time and location of their hits. Targets are frequently gunned down in broad daylight, in public places, and in some cases, horrifically, in front of children.

Is Cybersecurity the Achilles Heel for South African Law Firms?

In South Africa, poverty, corruption, and racial injustice overshadow the critical need for robust cybersecurity. Despite being Africa's top target for cyber criminals, underfunding and neglect persist. Human error, particularly through email vulnerabilities, plays a significant role in data breaches, making law firms especially vulnerable.