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State capture update: August’s news and events

The Constitutional Court held a special sitting on Wednesday 21 August in honour of Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, who retires at the end of August after serving 27 years on the bench. The event was attended by several dignitaries, including National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Thembi Simelane, and National Read more >

IDAC now a permanent anti-corruption unit in the NPA

The Independent Directorate (ID), a unit within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), was first established in 2019 to address complex corruption cases that arose out of the Zondo commission’s investigations. With an initial lifespan of two years, it was meant to bolster such cases to give the NPA the necessary advantage in dealing with them. Read more >

AG to Parliament: local govt is ‘going backward’

South Africa’s municipalities are regressing in terms of their financial reporting; fruitless and wasteful expenditure stands at R7.41-billion – up from R4.89-billion in 2021/22 – while unauthorised expenditure is at R24.12-billion. And only 34 of the 257 that were audited for the 2022/23 financial year achieved clean audits. Delivering the 2022/2023 municipal audit outcomes in Read more >

Police get a resounding thumbs down from SA

South Africans have a problem with their police. This is a long-standing and well-documented situation, and Corruption Watch is just one organisation that has done extensive research and analysis in this area. Our police campaign ran for several years, and our online police tool Veza (a colloquial term for ‘reveal’ or ‘expose’) allows users to Read more >

Professionalise local govt urgently, says Maluleke

Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke addressed the Parliamentary Press Gallery Association last week on the ongoing challenge of compliance, material irregularities (MIs), and responsible financial management. “For the PFMA (Public Finance Management Act) report,” she said, “we identified a total loss of R14-billion. As we speak, R1.29-billion had been recovered.” This staggering loss is counted from 2019, Read more >

SIU shuts down another dubious PPE contract

Another victory for the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), handed down by its Special Tribunal. It involves a R257-million contract for personal protective equipment (PPE) entered into by the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) and a company called Nkhane Projects and Supply during the Covid-19 pandemic that rocked the country four years ago. The tribunal has Read more >

Nominations invited for NSFAS board members

Minister of Higher Education and Training Nobuhle Nkabane has called for the nomination of individuals to serve on the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) board. The window for nominations opened on 13 August 2024 and will close on Tuesday, 3 September 2024. Nominations can be emailed to Ms K Matjane at Matjane.k@dhet.gov.za or sent via Read more >

Abahlali victimisation, harassment, and murders again in the spotlight

Image: Abahlali baseMjondolo A report released in August 2024 once again casts light on the disproportionate victimisation, harassment, and killings of members of Abahlali baseMjondolo (Abahlali), South Africa’s largest social movement representing the interests of shack dwellers, the homeless, and the poor. The organisation supports millions who have lost hope for a better life and Read more >