Scopa takes Eskom to task for corruption, mismanagement

By Kwazi Dlamini The parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) has made its presence felt in overseeing the operations of state-owned entities (SOEs) by embarking on a visit to two power stations operated by the embattled electricity supplier Eskom at the end of August. Scopa members visited both Kusile and Medupi power stations amid Read more >

Crippling mining deals threaten health, livelihoods

• Learners from Camagu Primary school cross a river. Image: Bonile Bam/New Frame By Thato Mahlangu Innocent people’s lives are at ‘great risk’ because of government and corporate greed, warns a Ndakeni resident, community activist and whistle-blower (in his 30s) whose identity is known to Corruption Watch (CW). Ndakeni, a village within the Mbizana area Read more >

Is transparency in mining languishing?

By Mashudu MasuthaFirst published in Business Day A lack of beneficial ownership transparency is a key threat to sustainability within the sector, as is an increase in human rights violations that tends to occur with secret owners The latest data from the just-released Worldwide Governance Indicators report confirms that with some exceptions, resource-rich countries face Read more >

CPS takes battle over Sassa millions to ConCourt

Former social grants distributor Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) has taken its battle against Corruption Watch and Sassa to the Constitutional Court in a continued effort to avoid paying back R316-million paid to the company in respect of a variation agreement with the social services agency in 2015. The agreement was ruled invalid by the North Read more >

“We need to know who funds which party”

By Thato Mahlangu Asking political parties to openly say who funds them could be a fruitless exercise, said political analyst Dr. Ralph Mathekga, as political parties don’t want to voluntarily name their funders. Mathekga speaking at a panel discussion held on Wednesday 06 November 2019 at the Constitution Hill mentioned how it was a challenge Read more >

Police corruption an ongoing problem

By Thato Mahlangu Months after the new report by Corruption Watch (CW) was released, highlighting the alarming number of corrupt police officials, little has been done to curb crime within the police, whistle-blowers claim. Since the organisation’s inception in 2012, some 1 400 members of the public have felt concerned enough to share their experiences Read more >

Profiles: shortlisted candidates for deputy public protector

On 23 October 2019, the parliamentary Committee on Justice and Correctional Services shortlisted eight of the 26 applicants who applied or were nominated for the position of deputy public protector. The committee acknowledged Corruption Watch’s contribution to the process in which we highlighted, through our submission, the results of our persona survey, as well as Read more >

TI: time for FATF to review standards, guidance docs

Transparency International (TI) says that public registers of beneficial ownership should be the norm. In a new report titled Who is behind the wheel? Fixing the global standards on company ownership the organisation says that uncovering the identities of the real owners of companies is a crucial step in the fight against corruption. “For instance, Read more >

Shortlisted candidates for the post of DPP announced

First published by The Parliament of South Africa The Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services on Thursday, 24 October 2019, shortlisted eight candidates for the position of the Deputy Public Protector (DPP), which will become vacant in December 2019.Committee Chairperson, Bulelani Magwanishe said, interviews with the candidates will take place over two days, on Read more >