Entries by Corruption Watch

AG: depts improve reporting, but accountability instruments must too

30th November 2023 in , /by

Among the public institutions that either failed to submit financial statements on time or at all to the Auditor-General are SAA, Prasa and the NSFAS. It is failures like these, in handling the basic requirements of the Public Finance Management Act, that prompted AG Tsakani Maluleke to call for not just improved performance from public entities, but also enhanced accountability mechanisms from Parliament and provincial legislatures charged with the oversight of public institutions.

Better laws to protect the electorate, that’s what Parliament needs

29th November 2023 in , /by

Changing our political party system of government may not be possible any time soon, but regulating political parties that occupy Parliament, and ensuring transparency in their campaigning processes, may be a good start, argues academic and political analyst Sithembile Mbete. This is the second of our two-part series highlighting the conversations that happened at the recent state capture conference held in Johannesburg in October.

IEC launches 2024 national and provincial elections programme

27th November 2023 in , /by

The theme for the 2024 National and Provincial Elections programme will be Your Democracy, Own It – the programme was launched in November, under the custodianship of the Independent Electoral Commission. The programme “celebrates the fruits of democracy by showcasing different, real-life experiences of young South Africans from all corners of the country”, says the commission.

State capture: civil society must bridge gap between public and govt

21st November 2023 in , , /by

South Africa’s appetite to fight corruption and state capture should not depend on who is in charge of government’s anti-corruption strategy, but who is on the ground mobilising against the scourge. In this first of two articles, we highlight the call to action made at the recent state capture conference hosted by civil society for South Africans to abandon their class comforts, and fight corruption in the same spirit that they fought against apartheid.

AGSA elected Unesco’s auditors for 2024-2029

20th November 2023 in , /by

Among South Africa’s numerous problematic government departments and entities, there are institutions of governance that shine, preventing total chaos from prevailing. The Auditor-General of South Africa is undoubtedly one of the latter, and it was recently elected as the official auditors for Unesco for the next five-year term.

NSFAS – credibility is achieved through co-operation, not confrontation

17th November 2023 in , /by

The challenges facing NSFAS are many and cannot be merely dismissed as machinations of the ANC’s political rivals, as Higher Education and Technology Minister Blade Nzimande claims, writes Corruption Watch’s Moepeng Talane. Besides alleged poor governance and abuse of power at the top, linked to corruption and maladministration, the entity struggles with poor control and monitoring of systems.

Eskom functioning in a “swamp of organised crime”: retired brigadier

16th November 2023 in , , /by

Retired police brigadier Jap Burger appeared before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts this week to discuss his role in the investigations into allegations of corruption in Eskom. Burger, who had few positive things to say about the way his former employer approached anti-corruption work, had initially been hesitant to meet with the committee, and shared his reasons and concerns.