Impeachment debates, motions of no confidence, the Zondo Commission, speeches and state capture, committees and sessions, bills and acts, fire and damage – 2022 was a busy year for South Africa’s Parliament. Read the Parliamentary Monitoring Group’s review of the year that was.
Another year, and the fight to eliminate corruption goes on. Opposition political parties have stated their determination to press on with their various anti-corruption initiatives, saying there can be no retreat or capitulation.
Criminals who brazenly threaten officials engaged in anti-corruption work do so because more often than not, they enjoy certain levels of political protection, writes Kwazi Dlamini. And even more shocking – or perhaps not so – is that some of our very own political leaders take pleasure in disparaging those who try to root out corruption.
Accountability means different things to different people, in different contexts and in different countries. In this article, based on the Accountability Research Center’s recent working paper on accountability keywords, we take a closer look at the concept.
While the governing ANC talks a lot about fighting corruption and develops ambitious action plans, writes Corruption Watch’s Moepeng Talane, its lack of a culture of accountability for wrongdoing within its own ranks is one of its greatest weaknesses.
Corruption is paid for not only in hard currency, but also in human potential, trust and solidarity, and the very future of the planet. The only way to meaningfully tackle it, says the UN Development Programme, is to work together – because the price we are paying is too high.
The fact that National Treasury’s tender defaulters database is empty – and likely has been ever since it was set up in 2004 – is less of a Treasury problem and more of a criminal justice system problem, says procurement law expert Prof Geo Quinot. One probable reason, he contends, is that there are not enough prosecutions happening under the very specific procurement-related provisions of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act.
This year’s International Anti-Corruption Day takes place under the theme UNCAC at 20: Uniting the World Against Corruption. It marks the beginning of the lead-up to the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention Against Corruption.
As South Africa anticipates the decision of the Constitutional Court as to whether it will hear President Cyril Ramaphosa’s challenge to the Section 89 report, we unpack the impeachment process that possibly awaits the head of state.
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.