CORRUPTION NEWS

Almost 50% of S Africans paid a bribe in last year

Some 47% of South Africans say they have paid a bribe in the last year to secure an essential service – a staggering 20% higher than the global average of 27%, according to the recently released findings of Transparency International’s 2013 Global Corruption Barometer. The report, which draws on the experiences of 114 000 respondents in Read more >

DEAR CORRUPTION WATCH

We need a way out of this impasse

Dear Corruption Watch, I’ve read that an NGO has taken the President to the Constitutional Court to force him to appoint a permanent National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP).  Why would they want him to be the one to make the appointment since President Zuma has a personal interest in the matter? Since the DA Read more >

HEROES & ZEROES

Eastern Cape school transport deal hits the skids

A controversial scholar transport contract will go ahead in the Eastern Cape at the start of the third school term this month despite red flags of mismanagement of public funds raised by the transport oversight committee in the province’s legislature. For the second time this year, the provincial transport department’s contract with One Future Development Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

What’s the real cost of corruption – part one

By Lorraine Louw It’s easy to point to the losers when it comes to government corruption – that would be the residents and citizens. It is much more difficult to quantify the actual cash lost, with various government departments and entities, as well as political parties and NGOs, turning out their own figures. In October Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

How much corporate fraud is costing SA

Corporate fraud could be causing the country losses of about R150-billion, the audit firm BDO reported in May 2012. It was citing figures from the 2012 Report on Occupational Fraud and Abuse, prepared by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. An analysis of more than 1 300 fraud cases probed worldwide showed that the estimated loss Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Parastatals in the grip of graft

Airports, water boards, harbours and power utilities all play a vital role in South Africa’s economy, but what happens when staff at these state-owned enterprises (SOEs) rig multibillion-rand tenders or dish out jobs to their ill-suited friends and family? In this feature, we examine the dozens of tip-offs we’ve received about this kind of corruption Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Decoding the culture of corruption

By Kavisha Pillay South Africa has always been a melting pot of many cultures. Its ethnic diversity has contributed to the colourful rainbow nation, and has led to tolerance of difference. Culture is part of our daily lives; it contributes to our behaviour patterns, the food we eat, the clothes we wear. But one culture Read more >

DEAR CORRUPTION WATCH

Benefit bought or sought is a crime

Dear Corruption Watch All this “name-dropping” for special favours or contracts or landing rights at air force bases really ticks me off. I assume it’s not against any laws, but the results are so clearly corrupt that it should be. Is it possible to criminalise the peddling of influence? — Friendless in high places Corruption Read more >

HEROES & ZEROES

A bad smell at Pikitup

The rot runs deep at Pikitup, where the managing director, Amanda Nair, is our zero of the week. Trips overseas, awarding contracts to dodgy companies, and then trying to clear Pikitup’s name in newspaper advertisements all add to the stench of corruption hanging over the company. This is what The Star reported on 7 June Read more >