Entries by Corruption Watch

Delving into the shady world of gold laundering

Our new two-part mini-series digs into a corruption topic not discussed as often as many others, but which is becoming more and more urgent – gold laundering. Part one sets the scene and looks at possible measures to address the growing problem, and part two looks back into South Africa’s gold mining history and the role gold laundering played in financing the apartheid government’s attempts to cling to power.

Visualising corruption risks in the illegal rhino horn trade supply chain

The rhino horn trade represents one of the four largest illegal wildlife trade flows by value. A new guide from the WWF’s Tackling Natural Resource Corruption programme maps the areas, in text and infographic form, along the rhino horn supply chain that are most vulnerable to corruption and identifies feasible entry points for different anti-corruption approaches.

Transparency a crucial element of anti-kleptocracy measures

Transparency, particularly in procurement, is key to any reform initiative the South African government might implement as part of its programme to deal with the effects of state capture, said Corruption Watch’s executive director Karam Singh. He was speaking at the 20th International Anti-Corruption Conference, which took place from 6-10 December 2022 in the US.

The Washington Declaration from the 20th IACC

The 20th International Anti-Corruption Conference took place from 6-10 December 2022 in Washington DC. After around 90 sessions, hours of deliberations, and much discussion, participants had come up with a number of anti-corruption focus areas, and resolved to unite in solidarity against corruption. This resolve was published on 12 December as the Washington Declaration. Read it here.

Early 2023 commencement for balance of General Laws amendment act

The remainder of the General Laws (Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Terrorism Financing) Amendment Act will commence on 1 April 2023, except for two sections. The first instalment took force on 31 December 2022. The act was hastily developed in response to South Africa’s potential unwelcome appearance on the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list of countries under increased monitoring, as a result of deficiencies in its anti-money laundering legislation..