Well run businesses resist local and global corruption

By Valencia Talane South Africa’s corruption dilemma is a characteristic of the developing world, and it’s not unique to this country. There’s an urgent need, however, for the implementation of anti-corruption strategies which will enforce the abundant anti-corruption legislation already in place. This will spare South Africa the erosion of good business and political practices Read more >

Lwando Mzandisi and the fight for good education

By Janine Erasmus A good education is something nobody can ever take away from you – but what if you never got one in the first place? Lwando Mzandisi of Equal Education comes from Eastern Cape, a province where the quality of the education system has declined, partly because of mismanagement and corruption. Now an Read more >

CW welcomes the SIU’s bold Usaasa move

Corruption Watch welcomes the decision by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to approach the Pretoria High Court to set aside the appointment of Zami Nkosi, CEO of the parastatal Universal Service Access Agency of South Africa (Usaasa). According to the Sunday Independent, the SIU is also asking the court to force the Usaasa board to Read more >

Working with young minds for change

By Janine Erasmus Final year law student Zola Valashiya is a man with a vision – and that is to get South Africans not just talking to, but communicating with each other. He feels that this is one of the tools that will help us to tackle a particularly prevalent scourge in our society – Read more >

To serve the public with dignity and integrity

By Valencia Talane The public service component of any society is really the backbone on which it relies for its survival. South Africans are served by over three-million public officials across the three levels of government and in its various entities and agencies. The high standard of service required from each of these individuals is Read more >

Banks keep watch for ill-gotten gains

Dear Corruption Watch, We read a lot about the families of foreign dictators buying expensive properties in South Africa. No doubt many wealthy South Africans similarly have large personal bank accounts in other countries. How do we know that these inward and outward flows are not the proceeds of corruption? Neighbour Dear Neighbour, You are Read more >

The proverbial new broom?

Our hero this week is the Gauteng Department of Education, which seems to have gained a new lease on life under recently appointed premier David Makhura. In May he announced his 10-member cabinet, including former education spokesperson Panyaza Lesufi, who's now education MEC. Lesufi has wasted no time in coming to the defence of pupils Read more >

Refugees: at the mercy of corruption

By Valencia Talane It’s hard to stand up to a corrupt system that works against you. It is especially challenging when you are in a foreign country and in desperate need of its services. Kazadi Mutombo* (25), from the Democratic Republic of Congo, knows all too well what it feels like to have to fight Read more >

Nowhere to hide – unmasking the corrupt

In South Africa, as in numerous other countries, corruption is a regrettable part of our everyday life, and it comes in various forms. But while anti-corruption laws exist, their implementation is not robust, and perpetrators are seldom punished. Those who engage in corruption are easily able to hide their ill-gotten gains by channelling the proceeds Read more >