Advocate Paul Pretorius urges government to take a leaf out of Zondo’s book when it comes to independence and fairness, while Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka decries the absence of ethical leadership in the fight against corruption. Both addressed the recent state capture commission conference hosted by civil society.
Ahead of the 2024 G20 Rio de Janeiro summit, where leaders will meet to discuss matters of critical import for countries around the world, Transparency International’s chapters in G20 countries have written an open letter to the delegates, urging them to walk the talk on corruption and take action against threats such as illicit financial flows, inadequate beneficial ownership transparency, and financial secrecy. Read the letter here.
The Good Governance Academy, founded by former Supreme Court judge Mervyn King, focuses in its work mainly on the corporate sector. In November, however, it held its 12th colloquium under the theme of Enhancing governance and accountability in the public sector. The focus was on the role of the auditor-general in promoting good governance, and the guest panellists were South Africa’s Tsakani Maluleke and the UK’s Gareth Davies.
The newly launched Zondo Recommendations Tracker, unveiled on 5 November 2024 by civil society organisaton Open Secrets, will be a great help to anyone wanting to follow progress on the implementation of recommendations made by former chief justice Raymond Zondo in the final reports of the commission of inquiry he chaired for four years.
ISS researcher Collette Ashton recently published a study titled Rethinking anti-corruption in South Africa: pathways to reform, which suggests that for anti-corruption efforts to be more successful, we should revise some of our current thinking. The study aims to help bridge some of the gaps in policy reform and provide a purposeful way forward.
The Daily Maverick questions why the Hawks and NPA have not adequately probed the gold and tobacco mafia. This despite Sars having initiated a series of search and seizure operations that unravelled Simon Rudland’s alleged gold and tobacco smuggling network.
Adequate public participation is of paramount interest in the appointment process of the two vacancies of the Deputy Public Protector and South African Human Rights Commission. CW acknowledges the work of the committee in this process.
The Special Investigating Unit recently reported to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts on the outcomes of investigations it conducted into the OR Tambo district municipality (Eastern Cape), the eThekwini metro (KwaZulu-Natal), and the Ngaka Modiri Molema municipality (North West). The main investigative focus was on procurement.
As the government of national unity celebrates its first 100 days of existence, talk around transparency and accountability for cabinet members is enveloped in ambiguity. Let’s not forget, however, that we as South Africans are owed performance agreements and public assessments alike, and we should not rest until these are in place.