The latest Public Finance Management Act audit outcomes for the 2020/21 financial year, released on Wednesday 23 November 2022, reveal a R12-billion loss across departments due to material irregularities flagged by the office of the Auditor-General. However, there are notable improvements in the recovery of losses, strengthening of internal controls, and meting out consequences for transgressions, among others.
South Africa’s law-making regime is another casualty of the corruption and mismanagement that was prevalent during the state capture years, writes Caroline James, advocacy co-ordinator at amaBhungane. Read her detailed analysis of how a necessarily rushed submission by Corruption Watch and amaBhungane on the money laundering/terrorist financing amendment bill exposes the weakness of our legislative process.
On Tuesday 22 November 2022 Corruption Watch will host a webinar to coincide with the release of two reports advancing a case for greater beneficial ownership transparency in the mining sector, namely Beneficial Ownership Transparency in South Africa’s mining sector and The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and South Africa, respectively.
Over 100 civil society organisations – including Corruption Watch – have written to various government representatives, including National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, justice minister Ronald Lamola, police minister Bheki Cele, and the Presidency, among others, on behalf of human rights organisation Abahlali baseMjondolo. The organisations have condemned the government for doing nothing about the targeting of Abahlali leaders and activists.
International Fraud Awareness Week runs this year from 13-19 November. Locally, the Department of Water and Sanitation, together with the Special Investigating Unit and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners South Africa, are this week educating employees on corruption and fraud, and encouraging the public to continue to stand against these illegal activities.
Three years after Fishrot, Namibia’s biggest corruption scandal, broke, little has been done to implement the legislative and policy changes to which that government has committed. The gaps which enabled Fishrot are still there, says the Namibian Institute for Public Policy and Research, with Transparency International Iceland, and while those gaps still exist, corruption continues and Namibia is at risk of another Fishrot.
A risk assessment is a valuable anti-corruption tool and whether an organisation is small, medium, or large, all can benefit from undertaking the exercise. This is because corruption risks may be found in many areas of operation, such as business or strategic partners, suppliers, contractors and consultants, the sector or country in which an organisation works, the type of work it does, and its very size and structure.
In our roundup of the latest developments in the state capture saga, Parliament responds to the Zondo commission, an era of accountability arrives for former Eskom boss Matshela Koko, and charges are brought against a member of the judiciary tainted with state capture allegations.
Transparency in company ownership is recognised as an essential element in fighting corruption, tax evasion, money laundering, and threats to national security. In this article, Louise Russell-Prywata and Tymon Kiepe of Open Ownership reflect on the global situation as it stands now.
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.