CORRUPTION SNAPSHOTS

Corruption snapshot: 1 – 8 March

Open-chequebook bribe unreported   An alleged attempt to influence one of South Africa’s biggest state tenders with an “open chequebook” bribe was effectively swept under the carpet by the high-level committee deliberating on it in 2008, it was recently reported in Mail & Guardian.   The bid-adjudication committee, chaired by top advocate Norman Arendse, failed Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

State corruption: junior staff, justice dept worst

Corruption is most likely to occur among lower level government employees and those employed within the justice cluster, which includes the police, courts and correctional services, according to a recently released report. The report, released to parliament by the Public Service Commission (PSC) in the first week of March 2012, probed financial misconduct in 39 Read more >

CW IN THE MEDIA

Our Speaker’s mouth-watering shopping list

The Speaker of the Gauteng legislature requested that her office buy groceries amounting to thousands of rand. The request was granted and was signed for by the head of finance. The shopping order for Lindiwe Maseko took place in March last year and was sent to the City Spar in Meyersdal, where groceries consisting mainly Read more >

CW IN THE MEDIA

Arms deal report must be made public, insists DA

If the arms deal inquiry is to have credibility the final report must be made public. "The fact is that we will never reach closure on the arms deal if President Jacob Zuma does not make the final report or parts of the final report of the arms deal commission of inquiry public," said DA Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Will Secrecy Bill muzzle poor and marginalised?

The Protection of Information Bill, currently before parliament, has been the focus of intense debate and the source of deepening tension between government and civil society since it was first introduced in 2008. Civil society and legal experts recognise that government has made strides in improving the piece of legislation, also known as the Secrecy Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

UN Convention against corruption, 2003

Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in October 2003, the Convention against Corruption tackles the scourge of corruption globally and affirms core values such as public accountability and transparency, honesty and respect for the rule of law. The Convention calls for the criminalisation of corruption in both the public and private sectors; sets out Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Transparency International: Corruption perceptions index, 2011

Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries according to perceived levels of public-sector corruption. It gives scores to 183 countries with 10 being “clean” and 0 being “highly corrupt”. The 2011 Index ranks New Zealand (9.5), Denmark (9.4) and Finland (9.4) top the list, with North Korea and Somalia at the bottom, both with a Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Institute for Security Studies: Protector or predator, 2011

Corruption remains a serious challenge to the effectiveness and legitimacy of the South African Police Service (SAPS). This monograph explores corruption in the SAPS prior to and after democratisation in 1994, contextualising the discussion with reference to international and domestic literature on the subject. It explores the causes of police corruption in the South African Read more >

DEAR CORRUPTION WATCH

Rival tender far more expensive than mine

Are you witnessing corruption but don’t know what to do about it? Ask the team of Corruption Watch experts what to do by writing to: letters@businesstimes.co.za and mark your letter ‘Dear Corruption Watch’. I run a small service business that has, from time to time, tendered for government contracts. I am a black woman with a professional Read more >