Journalists are being murdered and intimidated across the African continent, writes Ghanaian investigative journo Anas Aremeyaw Anas for The Guardian – but impunity ensures that those responsible are not held to account. “In 2022, close to 60 journalists in Africa were assaulted, imprisoned, abducted, or forced into exile.”
A new report, The Business of Killing, released by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, sheds light on the proliferation of targeted killings by paid hitmen in South Africa, drawing from the latest Global Organized Crime Index, as part of GI-TOC’s Global Assassination Monitor project. The aim is to construct an “evidence base that can provide a platform for a call to action”.
We cannot take it as a given that state capture has been buried, writes Corruption Watch chairperson Mzukisi Qobo. Therefore, in its second decade the organisation plans to double its efforts to push back against the scourge of corruption. The next phase of its work will focus on pressing for radical change in how public institutions work, how they serve the public, and how public officials relate with an array of social actors, including civil society and business.
The parliamentary portfolio committee on women, youth and persons with disabilities is calling for written comments on the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Bill, which is currently before the National Assembly. The bill seeks to establish an independent, multi-sectoral national council which will co-ordinate and implement a coherent national strategic plan to end gender-based violence and femicide.
The recent shocking double murder of prominent insolvency practitioner Cloete Murray and his son Tom is yet another atrocity in an ever-lengthening list of those who are violently silenced, writes Corruption Watch’s executive director Karam Singh. Professionals working to enforce consequences for financial misconduct must now also be included among those requiring special protections.
Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke and others have welcomed the decision to withdraw the controversial exemption of Eskom from having to disclose information of irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure in its financial statements, for three years. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced the about-face during a joint meeting of several parliamentary standing committees on Wednesday.
Only two parts of Al Jazeera’s explosive four-part investigative series on gold smuggling out of Zimbabwe have been aired, but officials from that country are scurrying to delve deeper into the allegations. The series, titled Gold Mafia, exposes gold smuggling from Zimbabwe involving high-ranking officials. The two remaining parts air on 6 and 13 April, respectively.
Today Corruption Watch releases its 11th annual report, titled Accelerating Justice. The report reflects a diversity of views and accounts of the organisation’s activities and perspectives on corruption during 2022, highlighting Corruption Watch’s relentless push towards justice for all.
Distobotla local municipality is a sad example of the widespread failure of South Africa’s municipalities to provide basic services, use allocated funds efficiently, and prioritise the needs of the people above those of political players.
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.