CORRUPTION NEWS

Graft report: we won’t take no for an answer

Corruption Watch has entered into correspondence with the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government and eThekwini mayor to obtain a copy of the controversial 700-page Manase report, which revealed R2.2-billion irregular expenditure by the metro over the past three years. Corruption Watch – prompted by mounting outrage over the widespread abuse of public funds and resources – was Read more >

HEROES & ZEROES

Joburg MMC in hot water for lavish gifts

Matshidiso Mfikoe, currently the City of Johannesburg’s member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for public safety, is under investigation for misusing public money for her own benefit during her tenure as MMC for environment and corporate services prior to the local government elections in May 2011. Her mandate as portfolio head of environment placed City Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Corruption Watch wants eThekwini graft report

By Chantelle Benjamin Corruption Watch has written a letter to the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government and eThekwini mayor requesting a copy of the controversial 700-page Manase report, which revealed R2,2-billion irregular expenditure by the metro over the past three years. The organisation’s executive director David Lewis said on Monday 12 March 2012 that they had filed Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Cele inquiry made public for greater transparency

The decision to hold a public inquiry into allegations of misconduct against suspended police chief Bheki Cele was made in the interests of transparency, a senior government official has said. The inquiry began on 5 March 2012. A board was appointed in October 2011 in terms of sections 8(3)(a) and 9(1) of the Police Act, Read more >

CORRUPTION SNAPSHOTS

Corruption snapshot: 1 – 8 March

Open-chequebook bribe unreported   An alleged attempt to influence one of South Africa’s biggest state tenders with an “open chequebook” bribe was effectively swept under the carpet by the high-level committee deliberating on it in 2008, it was recently reported in Mail & Guardian.   The bid-adjudication committee, chaired by top advocate Norman Arendse, failed Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

State corruption: junior staff, justice dept worst

Corruption is most likely to occur among lower level government employees and those employed within the justice cluster, which includes the police, courts and correctional services, according to a recently released report. The report, released to parliament by the Public Service Commission (PSC) in the first week of March 2012, probed financial misconduct in 39 Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Will Secrecy Bill muzzle poor and marginalised?

The Protection of Information Bill, currently before parliament, has been the focus of intense debate and the source of deepening tension between government and civil society since it was first introduced in 2008. Civil society and legal experts recognise that government has made strides in improving the piece of legislation, also known as the Secrecy Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

UN Convention against corruption, 2003

Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in October 2003, the Convention against Corruption tackles the scourge of corruption globally and affirms core values such as public accountability and transparency, honesty and respect for the rule of law. The Convention calls for the criminalisation of corruption in both the public and private sectors; sets out Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Transparency International: Corruption perceptions index, 2011

Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries according to perceived levels of public-sector corruption. It gives scores to 183 countries with 10 being “clean” and 0 being “highly corrupt”. The 2011 Index ranks New Zealand (9.5), Denmark (9.4) and Finland (9.4) top the list, with North Korea and Somalia at the bottom, both with a Read more >