A new report, published by the Parliamentary Monitoring Group, has found that there is much that Parliament can do to improve its oversight functions and capabilities. For a start, it should implement legislative changes recommended in 1999 in a previous report on oversight and accountability mechanisms, which it ignored.
The establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council must be seen as a vehicle to take the country forward in restoring public trust and building viable institutions, says Corruption Watch executive director Karam Singh. “The collective wisdom that this team represents will play an important role in advising the president on the most appropriate anti-corruption efforts to finally turn things around in the country.”
Cabinet has approved an amendment bill that will strengthen the fight against money laundering. The bill, which seeks to amend five laws, is expected to go some distance towards addressing the deficiencies identified by the Financial Action Task Force in its mutual evaluation report of South Africa’s legal framework against financial crimes and corruption.
Corruption Watch (CW) is well represented on the newly appointed National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council. Our founding director David Lewis, head of stakeholder relations and campaigns Kavisha Pillay, and board member Firoz Cachalia sit on the council, with the latter serving as chairperson – a testament to CW’s solid track record in fighting corruption through its various campaigns and initiatives.
Former Transnet executives Brian Molefe and Anoj Singh will appear before the Palm Ridge Specialised Crimes Court on Monday, joining Siyabonga Gama, Garry Pita, and Phetolo Ramosebudi. The two were arrested on charges including fraud, corruption, and money laundering relating to procurement processes at the parastatal.
A new report published in August 2022 by Open Secrets paints a gloomy picture of the Hawks and National Prosecuting Agency’s seeming inability to successfully prosecute state capture cases. Bad Cops, Bad Lawyers focuses on the so-called bottlenecks within the two organisations, laying bare the weaknesses within them, and making recommendations on how to get them back on course.
Released today, the new Corruption Watch report titled Sound the Alarm highlights 3 667 reports of education-related corruption received between 2012 and 2021, representing 10% of the total reports received over that period. These reports point to widespread misappropriation of resources, acts of bribery, sextortion, abuse of authority, and blatant flouting of employment and procurement processes.
An insider account of the operations of an organised rare bird smuggling group has highlighted the ease with which criminals can make money with a few pliable official contacts and very little monetary investment. Corruption plays a huge role in this illegal trade, and in the global trade in wildlife, forests and fisheries in general.
Corruption Watch’s latest sectoral report will be released on Thursday 25 August 2022, this time highlighting corruption in the education sector. The report provides information on the different types and levels of corruption experienced in the sector. Key focus areas are misappropriation of resources, maladministration and abuse of authority, among others.
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.