Corruption Watch recently returned to KwaZulu-Natal to continue with its research project on tackling corruption in the land sector. The organisation is ramping up its work in enhancing whistle-blower tools and directly engaging communities to end land theft, and will also turn its attention to the Western Cape.
The insults hurled by home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi at the Helen Suzman Foundation amount to nothing more than an abuse of power. Civil society organisations including Freedom Under Law, Section27, Defend Our Democracy Campaign, Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, SERI and Corruption Watch, have demanded that Motsoaledi retract his unjustified statements and apologise to the foundation.
Amid the uproar around the Phala Phala scandal, writes Corruption Watch’s Melusi Ncala, are we not losing sight of the more substantive issues at play? A head of state is accused of money laundering, bribery and kidnapping – damning allegations, and frightening. We must not be sidetracked by the noise and the show, but keep our focus on the important systemic weaknesses that must be addressed.
The International Day of Parliamentarism is celebrated every year on 30 June. On this day parliaments around the world review the progress they have made in becoming more representative and moving with the times, including carrying out self-assessments, working to include more women and young MPs, and adapting to new technologies.
Members of the Infrastructure Built Anti-Corruption Forum, including Corruption Watch, today signed an anti-corruption pledge which sealed their commitment towards eradicating corruption in the construction sector. Also present were Public Works and Infrastructure minister Patricia De Lille, Special Investigating Unit head Advocate Andy Mothibe, Hawks head General Godfrey Lebeya, and industry representatives.
Although the Zondo commission’s findings were heavily tilted towards government players, there is no doubt that private companies were also willingly complicit, and they must contribute to fixing the damage they caused. No reform of the public procurement space will be successful without their participation.
Organised retail crime is a growing international threat which involves theft, criminal gangs and syndicates, shell companies, money laundering, and real threats to public safety. Like other transnational illicit industries, a multi-faceted strategy will be most effective in fighting the problem, and must include law enforcement, retailers, financial institutions, and other relevant players.
Corruption Watch is one of the co-chairs of the newly-launched Transparency, Integrity and Accountability programme, or TIP, in South Africa. The initiative falls under the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, with support from the German and Swiss governments, and implemented locally by GIZ. It adopts a multi-sectoral approach to preventing corruption, with a focus on public procurement.
Today, 23 June, is World Whistle-blower Day, and our latest two-part mini-series highlights a new report titled Whistle-blower protection in South Africa: Where to from here?. This is part 2, which looks broadly at various recommendations to strengthen protection for reporters. Part 1 provided an overview of the protection framework in South Africa, and highlighted some of the flaws.