PFMA 2020: improvement here and there, but not sustained

The latest national and provincial government audit outcomes, released by the Auditor-General South Africa (AGSA) on 31 March, show “signs of improvement” in some auditees, according to Auditor-General (AG) Tsakani Maluleke. The work was conducted under the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and covered the financial year of 2019-2020. Besides the provincial and national departments, Read more >

CW annual report: average 11 whistle-blower reports a day in 2020

The Corruption Watch (CW) 2020 annual report, titled From Crisis to Action, reflects the extent to which all organisations and individuals in South Africa witnessed and experienced the massive impact of the global coronavirus pandemic.  During this period the public was increasingly outraged by the rampant corruption that emerged in relation to procurement and distribution Read more >

‘Why does no one care about us?’ ask NW mining communities

Image: Centre for Environmental Rights By Matshidiso DibakwaneFirst published in City Press After receiving a number of reports from mining-affected communities in the North West, Corruption Watch undertook to advocate for the release of the Mafereka commission report, which has not seen the light of day, years after its submission to the premier’s office. The Read more >

Citizens can play a role in Covid-19 vaccination transparency

Transparency International (TI) is encouraging citizens to get involved with their government’s Covid-19 vaccination regimes and systems. Any citizen has a right to know how their government’s decisions are made and taxpayer resources are spent. Especially when it comes to health issues, citizens are entitled to transparency regarding decisions and actions that are taken on Read more >

Municipal elections to be a major test on two fronts

Two factors make the upcoming local government elections like no other we’ve experienced – the Covid-19 pandemic, and the imminent enforcement of the Political Party Funding Act, due to commence on 1 April 2021. The elections are scheduled to take place between 4 August and 1 November, and will be the sixth municipal election held Read more >

Covid-19 vaccine procurement in SA entering murky waters

The hot topic of conversation in media, in homes around the country, and on millions of lips is the rollout of South Africa’s Covid-19 vaccination programme. Corruption Watch has been following the developments with interest and concern, and indeed has warned about a repeat of the widespread greed and corruption that emerged during the first Read more >

Zuma corruption trial date finally set down for 17 May

Street art by Faith47 Jacob Zuma, a man who has been dodging corruption charges since the mid-2000s, will finally go on trial for those charges on 17 May. The Pietermaritzburg High Court ruled on 23 February that the corruption case against Zuma and his co-accused, French arms company Thales, will start in just under three Read more >