Local government in South Africa – part 3, the councillor

By Valencia Talane Twelve years ago Simphiwe Zwane participated in her first service delivery protest in Thembelihle south of Johannesburg. The event was a landmark case of a community revolting against government plans to relocate thousands of families from one area to another. Today the 36-year-old mother of two is a councillor in the City Read more >

List disproves ANC claim of fighting corruption

The ruling party has just released its National Assembly list, and there are some names on the list which Corruption Watch followers will have seen on our pages before. The likes of Dina Pule, Tina Joemat-Pettersson and Humphrey Mmemezi are again up for leadership positions, despite the fact that they, and others, have been found Read more >

Local government in South Africa – part 2, who’s who

Municipalities are complex institutions with a wide range of powers and duties. It is important to know who the officials and role-players in municipalities are, and to understand their duties and responsibilities. They are the people and structures responsible for the efficient running of a municipality, and they are the ones who must answer to Read more >

Local government in South Africa – part 1, overview

Since our launch in January 2013, Corruption Watch has received a high volume of reports uncovering corrupt activities at local government level. As local government is the sphere of government that is the closest to the people and provides services to communities, it is important to understand what this level of government is all about. Read more >

A killer in more ways than one

By Lee-Ann Alfreds It helped bankrupt Greece, wiped out a multi-million rand education aid package to poverty-stricken Tanzania and robbed struggling South Africans of a potential 1.1-million jobs. Yet such is the secrecy that surrounds the global arms industry that very few people are aware of the pernicious impact the international defence sector has on Read more >

Transparency demanded in government contracting

Every year billions of dollars of public money are lost to fraud and corruption, disappearing into the pockets of government officials who take bribes to issue contracts to certain suppliers, and suppliers who fail to deliver on their contracts. Not only that, but if a company offering a sub-standard service or product pays a bribe Read more >

A closer look at the Seriti Commission

The Seriti Commission is in the news at the moment, as it continues to investigate allegations of widespread corruption in the strategic defence procurement package (SDPP), colloquially known as the arms deal. Behind the scenes people have worked for months to establish the structures and rules that inform the way the commission will go about Read more >

And the winner is … anti-corruption!

By Valencia Talane In a week where the world waited anxiously for the very popular Oscars, which centre on the film industry, conscientious citizens of the world were urged to participate in a different set of awards – ones that reward innovation in the all-important fight for transparency in governments and the eradication of corruption. Read more >

Political will must back anti-corruption legislation

Source: Polity.org.za The tendency of South Africans to act as if corruption was normal was a serious cause for concern, former National Prosecuting Authority head Vusi Pikoli said on Friday 28 February. He was addressing delegates at an EE Publishers annual lunch in Johannesburg. ”Corruption exists not only in the public sector, but is also Read more >