June Sona light on accountability, anti-corruption

By Valencia Talane The first sign of work done on the ground by the chief procurement officer (CPO) was an announcement by President Jacob Zuma in his State of the Nation Address (Sona) of the centralised procurement by the office of furniture for Eastern Cape schools. “We have begun piloting this new approach with the Read more >

Soweto SGB under scrutiny

Corruption in schools is a focus of Corruption Watch’s operations, and since the launch of our schools campaign in January 2013, to the end of April 2014, we’ve received nearly 950 reports on schools, of which over 80% have been classified as corruption. Results of a survey we conducted in September 2013 revealed that the Read more >

World Cup’s corruption blemish

By Valencia Talane It takes a lot for a country to convince the Federation of International Football Associations (Fifa) of its ability to host a world cup tournament. From the time it starts bidding to the point when the last brick is placed to finish off a world-class stadium, it is a gruelling, costly effort Read more >

Corruption reports increase in 2014

Corruption Watch has undertaken a number of activities in the first part of the year to further encourage the public to join the fight against corruption. The response has been positive leading to an increase in the number of complaints reported to the organisation. In the first five months of the year we investigated several Read more >

Corruption endangers road users

Road safety organisation Arrive Alive, in a recently published online report, discussed crimes that affect road users, as well as the quality of South Africa’s roads. These crimes include corruption. Arrive Alive reported: “We have to admit that we face serious challenges to safety daily at our homes, places of work and on the roads. Read more >

The rot of corruption feeds on impunity of the powerful

by David Lewis The considerable advances since 1994 notwithstanding, South Africa is still confronted with huge challenges. Poverty, inequality and unemployment leap out. Public education and health systems are severely strained. Service delivery protests and crippling strikes manifest these social and economic conditions. Yet the issue that dominated last month’s elections was corruption. That corruption Read more >

Corruption steals from youth’s future prospects

By Valencia Talane Employment prospects of many young people across the country are hampered by corruption and they do not access all the necessary basic services they need because of it. They would take part in a march, if given the chance, to show their unhappiness with the corruption in South Africa. This was revealed Read more >

SA youth, take your place!

Our Youth Month coverage kicks off with a rousing call to arms by Sbusiso Leope – better known as DJ Sbu – as he encourages the young people of South Africa to get actively involved in fighting corruption. After all, it's their future that is at stake, and the power to tackle the scourge is Read more >

Media also needs to clean up its act

By Valencia Talane Mail & Guardian executive chairman and African media entrepreneur Trevor Ncube on Wednesday challenged delegates at the Integrity and Corruption in the Media conference in Johannesburg to leave with solutions for the loss of credibility and respect of journalism as a profession. The event entered its second and last day on Thursday Read more >