The catastrophic earthquake which recently devastated parts of Turkey and Syria was unavoidable, because the area is prone to earthquakes. What was avoidable, writes Transparency International board member Oya Özarslan, was the corruption, poor planning and building standards, lacklustre management, greed, and other factors which made the tragedy worse and resulted in many more people losing their lives.
The Special Investigating Unit has welcomed the conviction and sentencing of two former state employees for fraud and forgery committed during the Covid-19 state of disaster. The sentences, said the SIU, demonstrate that state institutions are acting on its investigation outcomes and implementing consequence management.
The Independent Electoral Commission, through the Office of the Chief Justice, invites nominations for a vacancy of an IEC member. Nominations must be received on or before 6 March 2023.
Civil society organisations and concerned individuals have written an open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa, asking him to institute a commission of inquiry into the operations of the Media Development and Diversity Agency, and to suspend its current board, including the chairperson. “We question how a person implicated in governance irregularities at SARS was appointed to chair the board of this very important entity.”
In this satirical, but somewhat hopeful piece, written in advance of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s speech tonight, activist and academic Dr Brij Maharaj shares his thoughts on the State of the Nations address that South African residents REALLY want to hear. If only.
Stories and articles in various media, featuring the work of Corruption Watch and showcasing our hard-earned role as a valuable anti-corruption resource. This is not an exhaustive list and is […]
In planning his upcoming State of the Nation address, writes Corruption Watch’s Nicki Van ‘t Riet, President Cyril Ramaphosa must not only speak more forcefully on the fulfilment of anti-corruption promises made to the nation – he must place the very topic of corruption front and centre in the list of SONA priorities. Because South Africans, having heard all the smooth talk over and over, now want fast, uncompromising, aggressive, concrete anti-corruption action.
The crisis of dysfunctional institutions commonly arises when universities make compromised decisions on everything from tenders for infrastructure to appointments of key personnel, writes Prof Jonathan Jansen in his new book, published recently by Wits Press. “This is how institutional dysfunction begins and is sustained: through the breaching of institutional integrity.”
Like many other countries in Africa, South Africa is prey to organised crime syndicates who use it as a lucrative conduit for human, drug, arms, and wildlife trafficking. The country has some strong legislation in place but weak implementation, corruption, and a certain lack of political will puts it and its citizens at risk.
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.