DEAR CORRUPTION WATCH

Using money to secure privileges is corruption

Dear Corruption Watch Why is everybody in such an uproar over the Guptas? Why does it matter that they landed a private Jet at Waterkloof air base? Unconcerned   Dear Unconcerned Waterkloof air base is reserved for military and diplomatic use. None of the passengers on board the private jet were government officials or VIP’s Read more >

DEAR CORRUPTION WATCH

Who is overpaying all these teachers?

Dear Corruption Watch, The Auditor-General's recent report on the Department of Education surprisingly contains an amount in the millions spent on unauthorised remuneration of employees. Does the government not pay employees according to a grading system? What could be causes of exceeding the remuneration budget? And does the law allow for this? Yours, Child Advocate Read more >

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Bill gives officials wide powers

Dear Corruption Watch With the new Draft Licensing of Businesses Bill to leave more and more administrative discretion up to public servants, it seems to me that opportunities will multiply for them to ask for ‘contributions’ and/or businesses to offer bribes or other favours. How best can we regulate business appropriately without allowing too much Read more >

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Will to root out corruption still a challenge

Dear Corruption Watch, Is there no list somewhere of fraudulent and corrupt employees in government?  Disgraced public officials continue to be 're-deployed'. For instance, a chief director was dismissed for fraud but was still allowed to act as COO in the same department. The same official was then made chief director in local government. How Read more >

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Zuma’s praise for public servants is misplaced

Dear Corruption Watch I see that President Jacob Zuma has recently praised public servants for a job well done. This is at odds with recent press on greedy public servants lining their pockets. Is our president's praise misplaced? — Confused Dear Confused We are aware of the president's congratulatory letter to the public servants, which Read more >

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What about ‘name and shame’?

Dear Corruption Watch Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi recently announced the steps he is taking to root out corruption and collusion in his department. He says he can tell us what is being investigated but cannot tell us who, in business and government are implicated because there are laws which prevent him from disclosing names. Read more >

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Spotlight on Hitachi deal

Dear Corruption Watch,  I see that the performance bonus contract Eskom signed with Alstom for certain work on the Medupi power station has been cancelled, but not with Hitachi in which the ANC's Chancellor House investment arm owns shares. Can Alstom contest this on the basis that it is unfair? What legal options do interested Read more >

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Procurement law must be simplified

Dear Corruption Watch It seems that every other week there is a different scandal in the news involving procurement. Most tenders seem to land up in court, with service providers squabbling over the spoils of government spending. Is our government just really bad at procurement, or is there a deeper problem with the law that Read more >

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What can be learnt from the textbook crisis?

Dear Corruption Watch We are all too painfully aware of the textbook scandal, but I wonder what functions and powers district education departments have? Do they play any role in the allocation of funds to schools? What sort of oversight do they have and should they have blown a whistle on the lack of textbooks? School Blues   Dear School Read more >