A new Amnesty International report once again casts light on the disproportionate victimisation, harassment, and killings of members of Abahlali baseMjondolo, South Africa’s largest social movement representing the interests of shack dwellers, the homeless, and the poor. The report also highlights authorities’ lackadaisical attitude towards the ongoing violence, and the failure to make even desultory attempts to address it.
The City of Tshwane’s new e-commence and procurement portal aims to boost the fight against corruption within the procurement system, enable faster and more efficient procurement, and facilitate better value for public money. The system will minimise human intervention in procurement and track the performance and delivery of contracted suppliers, among other features.
Business is the most trusted sector in the world, above NGOs, media, and governments, according to the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer, released by global communications firm Edelman earlier this year. The survey also revealed that developing countries have a much greater overall trust rating in the four institutions than developed countries, and the UK was the worst of the latter, finding itself at the bottom of the table in terms of overall trust levels.
CW’s Kirsten Pearson recently undertook an analysis of the levels of public spending over the past financial year. She found a spike in new contracts, as well as in authorised deviations and expansions, in the few months before financial year-end – and particularly in November and December 2023. This year-end spending surge is likely to result in unwise procurement decisions as departments rush to use unspent funds to avoid having to give them back to Treasury.
While the new Public Procurement Act is now in law, it has not yet been enforced. There are still issues to be worked out and clarified before the act can be fully implemented, but there are also some aspects that can immediately be worked on to bring them into operation as soon as possible.
Banking giant Nedbank faces more legal woes, while the new procurement law is touted by President Cyril Ramaphosa as the state’s best response to state capture, and South Africa prepares to bid farewell to chief justice Raymond Zondo.
Corruption, inconsistent policies, and weak local government are just a few of the factors hindering South Africa’s response to climate change. These are some of the findings of the first State of Climate Action in South Africa report, released on 26 July by the Presidential Climate Commission.
Nominations are open for the 2024 Whistleblowers Awards, which are presented in partnership with the Whistleblower Support Platform for Reform, a multi-stakeholder partnership comprised of several organisations including Corruption Watch. The closing date for nominations is 1 September 2024.
The mammoth task of professionalising the public service is gathering momentum. The National Assembly recently passed the Public Administration Management Amendment Bill and the Public Service Amendment Bill, while the Department of Public Service and Administration has also published a new directive to guide departments in implementing the professionalisation framework which was launched in October 2022.
Visit our GivenGain R20 for Change page and help us demand transparency in our systems, accountability in our leaders, and better empowerment and protection of whistle-blowers. By donating R20 a month, you’ll be supporting our work with communities across the country, helping them to know and access their rights and reduce the corruption that robs people of resources intended for their benefit.