The 13th Global Investigative Journalism Conference honoured watchdog journalism in developing and transitioning countries to promote courageous and impactful journalism particularly in hostile press environments.
The National State Enterprises Bill is the most far-reaching reform of SOCs since the 1990s, when some were corporatised under the Companies Act, mostly with an eye to future privatisation.
CW has released the Procurement Risk Trends report, focusing on trends in public procurement deviations and contract expansions.
The unprecedented removal of Busisiwe Mkhwebane as public protector highlights the importance of selecting the right person for a job – especially one of such importance – through a rigorous process that disregards party or cadre issues and focuses solely on merit and suitability. Since 2016 Corruption Watch has been campaigning for such processes to become the norm in government leadership appointments.
The newly launched National Inclusive Safer Schools Programme promises to make the schools environment a safer and healthier one, with its focus on building an inclusive culture in and around schools. The programme is a partnership between the Department of Basic Education and, among others, the German development agency GIZ.
On 20 September 2023, Corruption Watch and procurement expert Prof Geo Quinot, of Stellenbosch University, will launch the third in the organisation’s series of Procurement Watch reports. The launch will take place during a webinar where Quinot will will unpack trends observed in public procurement deviations and expansions as well as developments in the lists of tender defaulters and restricted suppliers respectively.
South Africa’s justice and correctional services minster Ronald Lamola and Catherine Colonna, the French foreign affairs minister, recently signed a co-operation protocol agreement which will boost the capacity of the Special Investigating Unit to fight cyber-crime. In addition, under the agreement a regional academy will be set up to train Southern African cyber investigators.
The Procurement Reform Working Group, an association of civil society organisations, has issued a statement highlighting various critical issues that must be addressed urgently. Among these are the group’s concerns that the current regulatory framework is too complex, and that complexity plays a big role in public procurement dysfunctionality.
Leading government comes with responsibilities that politicians do not always appear to grasp, writes Moepeng Valencia Talane for CW Voices – especially the broad principle of accountability when things go wrong. In recent years, politicians – particularly those in the ruling party – have often missed the opportunity to admit failures in governance, instead invoking what many call the ‘apartheid card’. It’s an unfortunate trend for which they are forgiven a lot, and it does not take us forward as a country.