Fight for global tax justice and equality takes positive turn

Image: Civil Society Financing for Development Mechanism The global system of taxation is profoundly unequal, and long overdue for change. Global tax rules tend to favour developed countries, to a large degree because the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is the de facto rule setter, and has been for over 60 years. Those Read more >

Deadline extended for public submissions on electoral reform

The electoral reform consultation panel (ERCP) invites members of the public, and organisations including political parties or prospective independent candidates, to make written submissions for its consideration on proposals for an electoral system for the National Assembly and provincial legislatures. The closing date for written submissions is 31 October 2024 – previously the deadline was Read more >

Afrobarometer: Democracy at risk – the people’s perspective

In July pan-African research institution network Afrobarometer released what it describes as its inaugural flagship report, one focusing on the democratic aspirations and experiences of African citizens. The organisation intends this to be an annual series. Information is drawn from more than a decade’s worth of data, including the latest round of nationally representative surveys Read more >

Former Prasa engineer Mtimkulu gets 15 years for fraud

Image: Wikimedia Commons, used under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International Almost a week after his former boss was sworn in as a member of Parliament, former Prasa executive Daniel Mtimkulu learned his fate in the Johannesburg High Court on Tuesday. He will be going to jail for 15 years, the maximum sentence for fraud. Read more >

The JSC must play its strategic ‘Human Resources’ function

The function of the Judicial Service Commission is to select fit and proper persons for appointment as judges and to investigate complaints about judicial officers. It also advises government on any matters relating to the judiciary or to the administration of justice. The commission has been in the news recently owing to Parliament’s nomination of Read more >

State capture update: August’s news and events

The Constitutional Court held a special sitting on Wednesday 21 August in honour of Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, who retires at the end of August after serving 27 years on the bench. The event was attended by several dignitaries, including National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Thembi Simelane, and National Read more >

IDAC now a permanent anti-corruption unit in the NPA

The Independent Directorate (ID), a unit within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), was first established in 2019 to address complex corruption cases that arose out of the Zondo commission’s investigations. With an initial lifespan of two years, it was meant to bolster such cases to give the NPA the necessary advantage in dealing with them. Read more >