SA taxpayers lost R521bn bailing out corrupt, mismanaged SOEs

South African taxpayers have forked out an estimated R521-billion over the last 15 years to keep state owned enterprises (SOEs) alive, and have received nothing in return. Despite the bailouts, many companies continue to fail due to financial mismanagement and corruption, and the bailouts may be much higher than the National Treasury estimates. During a Read more >

The ParliMeter, a new tool for enhancing public participation in Parliament

Image: Flickr/GovernmentZA The Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG) is well-known as a dependable source of information on our legislature and its doings. Providing information on committee meetings, alerting the public to calls for comment on bills and discussion documents, and publishing the scheduled programme of meetings and debates is all in day’s work for the organisation. Read more >

New drone fleet to further protect SA’s borders

Towards the end of March we reported on the launch of the Border Management and Immigration Anti-Corruption Forum (BMIACF), a Department of Home Affairs and Special Investigating Unit initiative. Corruption Watch not only supports this vital collaborative initiative, which aims to to clamp down on corruption in this sector, but is a member of the Read more >

Addressing gender-based corruption challenges across Africa

Image: Flickr/UN Women The 11th session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD-11) is taking place this week in Kampala, Uganda. The theme is Driving job creation and economic growth through sustainable, inclusive, science-based and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, of the Read more >

How can Parliament be better? Pari researches and advises

Effective parliamentary oversight is essential for a well-functioning democracy. Parliament is the body that exercises oversight over the workings and decisions of government’s executive branch, ensuring that service delivery takes place as promised and where this does not happen, that government is answerable to the people it serves – so that all citizens can live Read more >

Courts are being used to silence journalists and activists

By Anton HarberFirst published on GroundUp When journalist Bongani Hans of Independent Newspapers received a court order last week to stop him publishing allegations against a Durban solar energy company, it was the ninth recent case to enlist such an order to gag journalists, activists and whistleblowers. Companies and state officials are increasingly abusing court Read more >

Whistleblower Protection Bill is on the way

The Whistleblower Protection Bill is due to be introduced to Parliament later this year. The bill follows on the state capture commission’s recommendation, contained in its report released in 2022, that whistle-blower legislation be amended to provide increased protection. Former chief justice Raymond Zondo recommended that government take guidance from the UN Convention Against Corruption Read more >