LITIGATION

Arms deal commission FAQ, and CW and R2K’s challenge

What is a commission of inquiry? A commission of inquiry is one of many bodies available to the government to inquire into various issues. Commissions report findings, give advice and make recommendations. While their findings are not legally binding, they can be highly influential. Commissions must act strictly within their terms of reference and ensure Read more >

LITIGATION

Arms deal and Seriti Commission FAQ

What was the arms deal? In December 1999, the South African government signed contracts with a number of European defence companies to buy a range of sophisticated military equipment. South Africa purchased: Gripen jet fighters and Hawk jet fighter trainers from the UK/Swedish partnership, British Aerospace (now BAE Systems) and Saab. corvette warships from the Read more >

LITIGATION

Media advisory: Court reckoning for Seriti findings

The application of Corruption Watch (CW) and Right2Know (R2K) to review and set aside the findings of the Arms Procurement Commission (the Seriti Commission) finally comes to court on 11 and 12 June, after several years of dogged scrutiny of the flawed processes and ongoing efforts to hold those implicated in the alleged corruption in Read more >

LITIGATION

Will Zuma’s fate on corruption charges finally be decided?

The man who took the meaning of ‘teflon’ to a new level is in court this week in what some are calling his last chance to avoid prosecution. Former president Jacob Zuma has been evading corruption and racketeering charges for 10 years, and so far all attempts to make the charges stick have been unsuccessful. Read more >

INVESTIGATION

Uncooperative education depts stall CW investigations

By Kwazi Dlamini When we investigate a report, it is of paramount importance for us to give a right of reply to anyone implicated. However, this comes with a lot of waiting and non-responses, especially from government departments, and the Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDOE) is no exception. It is not unheard of for Read more >

GOVERNANCE

Will the president finally cut out the rot, asks CW?

President Cyril Ramaphosa campaigned, and his party won the 2019 general election, on his record of tackling corruption in the 15 months following the demise of the corrupt Zuma regime, and on his commitment to intensify the fight against corruption following this election. He has now received a mandate from the electorate and Corruption Watch Read more >

INVESTIGATION

Municipalities avoid explaining irregular procurement

In part two of our local municipality mini-series, we describe investigations relating to some municipalities which were reported to us for irregular procurement processes. Part one dealt with the 2019 Government Performance Index, released recently by Good Governance Africa. Corruption Watch gets most of its reports from people wanting to expose corruption in provincial government Read more >

GOVERNANCE

Local municipalities in the spotlight

“The performance of local municipalities in South Africa is the indicator of the country’s heartbeat. Local municipalities are the closest institution to citizens; they reflect in great measure levels of citizen engagement – as recipients but also as contributors. In addition, local government shows, like no other indicator, the health of public institutions at the Read more >