Informal settlers homeless as housing dept stalls

More than 300 informal settlers in Sol Plaatje squatter camp near Roodepoort are still waiting for RDP houses they were promised in 1999. Although most of the houses have been built, many have been made uninhabitable by vandalism and illegal occupation. Despite this, officials from the regional housing department have persuaded the “owners” to sign Read more >

The Mdluli connection

Confused about who’s who in the unfolding scandal involving crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli? Our latest infographic gives you an introduction to the cast of characters in the Mdluli saga. (Click on the graphic to go to the hi-res version) Excerpt Confused about who’s who in the unfolding scandal involving crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli? Read more >

Cops who beat hawkers ID’d, but still at work

By Chantelle Benjamin Two weeks after being filmed assaulting an Ivory Park hawker, it appears the four Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officers are still on duty, despite a probe being launched into the attack by the metro police’s internal affairs unit. JMPD spokesperson Wayne Minnaar would not say on Friday whether the officers, accused Read more >

Mdluli’s tangled web

By Chantelle Benjamin Three months after it was announced that National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Pretoria head Glynnis Breytenbach was asked to submit a response to charges against her, she has been suspended, and it seems that far from working to stabilise the law enforcement leadership, the post-shuffling and removal of staff continues unabated, plaguing not Read more >

Bribe hotspots: is anyone getting convicted?

In a survey sent out to readers of The Cape Argus, The Star, Pretoria News and The Daily News, and broadcast to listeners of 567 Cape Talk and KFM, 94.7 Highveld Stereo, and Talk Radio 702 in November 2010, civil advocacy group Lead SA asked how many people had bribed a metro officer over a Read more >

Unofficial ‘road tax’ eats into everyone’s pocket

On top of looming e-tolls and rapidly increasing petrol prices, South Africans are deeply affected by the “unofficial road tax” that is tjo-tjo. This is the now commonly used word, in township slang, describing bribes. The bribe is either demanded by a metro police officer to an errant motorist, or offered by said errant motorist Read more >

Corruption Watch fights Hawks Bill in parliament

Corruption Watch and its partner organisations remained firm in their stance in parliament this week, voicing opposition to the Hawks being located within the South African Police Service (SAPS). The joint presentation by Corruption Watch, the Open Society Foundation and the Legal Resource Centre was delivered during the final round of submissions on the SAPS Read more >

Corruption Watch calls for ‘no more tjo-tjo’

Launching its campaign on 23 April 2012, Corruption Watch revealed that in 2010 one in four Johannesburg drivers was asked for a bribe by the metro’s traffic officers – a total of 150 000 drivers during a single year. The figures come from a Statistics SA 2010 survey. “Bribery is a major problem in South Africa,” Read more >

The cop, the taxi driver and the fight for survival

The sheer volume of minibuses on Johannesburg roads makes taxi drivers regular bribe targets. Comparing their pay with that of metro police prompts the question of whether salaries affect the bribe drive. While there are five metropolitan police departments nationwide belonging to metro councils – Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town – our focus Read more >