Corporate accountability in South Africa : sharpening the role of criminal law

South Africa’s Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 adopts a derivative model of establishing corporate liability. This article argues that this model has a number of limitations that render it ineffective for corporate accountability for serious human rights violations and crimes. It considers an alternative model of non-derivative criminal liability and discusses how this may apply to the South African context through its inclusion in the Act. This article also draws from legislative schemes in the United Kingdom and Australia that have incorporated non-derivative models for corporate criminal liability.