The African Editors Forum has called on African governments to re-invest money recovered from corrupt entities into investigative journalism, saying that a weakened media starves democracy and opens the doors to false information, disinformation, and manipulation. Corruption thrives where there is opacity, the organisation says, and when journalists are silenced.
Last week the Department of Public Service and Administration and the National School of Government briefed the parliamentary portfolio committee on Public Service and Administration on progress towards implementing the professionalisation plan for the public sector. Committee members had numerous comments and questions for the representatives of the two entities.
Unless informed by local conditions and complexities, anti-corruption reforms could trigger political instability, writes the Institute for Security Studies’ Colette Ashton. One of the possible reforms is the establishment of a single, fully staffed and capacitated anti-corruption agency – however, recent research published by the organisation found no evidence globally that a single agency model outperforms a multi-agency approach.
September 15 is the International Day of Democracy, providing an opportunity to celebrate democracy and to review the state of democracy in the world. It is a pressing reminder that the need to promote and protect democracy is as urgent now as it ever was. This year’s theme is Navigating AI for Governance and Citizen Engagement, focusing on the importance of AI as a tool for good governance.
On Friday 16 August 2024 at the UN Headquarters in New York, 110 member states voted to adopt the terms of reference for a proposed new UN Tax Convention. This will shift the responsibility for setting out tax rules to the UN and remove it from the OECD, which has long been seen as favouring developed countries. The development marks another step forward in the fight for global tax justice.
Justice minister Thembi Simelane did not impress members of the portfolio committee on justice, when she appeared before them to answer questions relating to a loan she obtained from a company linked to VBS Bank. Simelane, who was Polokwane mayor at the time, also oversaw an unauthorised investment of R349-million of municipal money into the bank – it was withdrawn before the VBS crash on the advice of a new municipal manager.
The electoral reform consultation panel, established under the Electoral Reform Act, invites members of the public, and organisations including political parties or prospective independent candidates, to make written submissions on proposals for an electoral system for the National Assembly and provincial legislatures. The closing date for written submissions is 31 October 2024, having been extended from the original date of 30 September 2024.
A new Afrobarometer report shows that democracy in Africa is under siege, though it still has robust support across the continent and remains resilient. Corruption stands out as one of the biggest hurdles for democracy, and most ordinary Africans think it is getting worse. Data from 39 countries shows that on average, 58% of citizens say corruption levels in their countries increased over the past year, including 82% in South Africa. Only three countries (Benin, Mali, and Zambia) showed a majority view that corruption decreased.
Bogus Prasa engineer Daniel Mtimkulu has been sentenced to 15 years’ jail time for falsifying his qualifications and submitting a fake job offer from a German firm to get his salary increased. The former head of engineering at the state passenger rail agency claimed to have various degrees, including a doctorate, but in reality has only matric. His deception cost the agency billions in rolling stock that did not meet South African standards of infrastructure.