OPINIONS

Empty vessels make the most noise, especially in politics

By Melusi NcalaFirst published on News24 In the past year, South Africans have endured not only the hardships of Covid-19 on top of everything else, but have been subjected to the outlandish and improbable promises of campaigning politicians gearing up for the local government elections. When casting our vote, writes Corruption Watch’s Melusi Ncala, we must Read more >

OPINIONS

Data analysis of Treasury records reveals extent of price gouging on PPE

By Kavisha PillayFirst published on Maverick Citizen In October 2020, the National Treasury launched a public dashboard of all Covid-19 expenditure reported to it by national, provincial and local government departments. This data, though incomplete and inaccurate in some instances, has made it possible to understand how much each department spent, the items procured and the suppliers who Read more >

OPINIONS

This is why local government elections are so important

By Kenneth MokgatlheFirst published on EWN As we approach the local government elections, many people are not really worried about who will collect their garbage or which municipality will achieve unqualified audits. Poorer communities are concerned about their dry taps, skyrocketing levels of unemployment, hungry children, and ever-growing corruption without any consequence management in place. Read more >

OPINIONS

No sustained youth development without transparency and accountability

Corruption is never beneficial – except to a self-serving few – but it adds an extra, unwanted challenge to those already facing South African youth, writes Mzwandile Banjathwa, Corruption Watch’s project coordinator. Unemployment is one of the biggest concerns, but when the very agencies that are tasked with helping young people gain skills and find Read more >

OPINIONS

Send the Guptas back: SA needs the UAE’s help to fight corruption

By David Lewis and Michael F. BreenFirst posted on Foreign Policy    US president Joe Biden launched a new initiative last month to focus the government on the fight against corruption, a struggle he called “essential to the preservation of our democracy and our future.” The stakes are indeed high, and Biden was right to Read more >

OPINIONS

Corruption should be a laughing matter, when humour is a weapon

By Brooke DaviesFirst posted on the Glocal Anticorruption Blog Corruption is a serious matter—it sucks away public finances, undermines good governance, ends livelihoods, and consumes lives. It’s therefore understandable that many anti-corruption activists centre much of their work on getting people to take corruption seriously. But despite the underlying gravity of the problem, sometimes a Read more >

OPINIONS

Why effective local government is important beyond 2021

By Stuart MbanyeleSource: Good Governance Africa Corruption, political instability, unskilled or unqualified appointees, mismanagement – there are some of the factors underscoring the continued poor performance of municipalities across the country. But local government elections place the power to change this lamentable situation in the hands of the people, giving them the chance to elect Read more >