While the new Public Procurement Act is now in law, it has not yet been enforced. There are still issues to be worked out and clarified before the act can be fully implemented, but there are also some aspects that can immediately be worked on to bring them into operation as soon as possible.
Banking giant Nedbank faces more legal woes, while the new procurement law is touted by President Cyril Ramaphosa as the state’s best response to state capture, and South Africa prepares to bid farewell to chief justice Raymond Zondo.
Corruption, inconsistent policies, and weak local government are just a few of the factors hindering South Africa’s response to climate change. These are some of the findings of the first State of Climate Action in South Africa report, released on 26 July by the Presidential Climate Commission.
Nominations are open for the 2024 Whistleblowers Awards, which are presented in partnership with the Whistleblower Support Platform for Reform, a multi-stakeholder partnership comprised of several organisations including Corruption Watch. The closing date for nominations is 1 September 2024.
The mammoth task of professionalising the public service is gathering momentum. The National Assembly recently passed the Public Administration Management Amendment Bill and the Public Service Amendment Bill, while the Department of Public Service and Administration has also published a new directive to guide departments in implementing the professionalisation framework which was launched in October 2022.
Corruption in South Africa’s private healthcare system is about to be exposed, says health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. Investigations will focus on medical aid fraud, inflated prices for procedures and supplies, and the growing problem of fraudulent medico-legal or malpractice claims against the state.
Special Investigating Unit head Andy Mothibi spoke candidly about South Africa’s broken procurement system and the challenges the unit faces on a daily basis in challenging the relentless corruption within and exploitation of the system. In a recent interview with News24, he revealed that he and his team face not only pushback against reforms but also threats to their safety, in an onslaught that continues on a daily basis.
South Africa’s transition to greater use of renewable energies, such as solar, is being hampered by a number of factors, says economics professor Roula Inglesi-Lotz in a recent research paper titled Exploring the impact of institutional quality to South Africa’s transition to renewables. “Chief among them is corruption, which is affecting the quality of institutions.”
The SIU, GIZ, and GIBS have entered into a ground-breaking collaboration in the field of of digital and AI-based anti-corruption interventions in South Africa. A memorandum of understanding signed recently between the three partners aims to prevent and combat corruption through data analytics.
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.