Ditsobotla is a symptom of SA’s ignored local govt problem

The local municipality of Ditsobotla in the North West’s Ngaka Modiri Molema District has made news headlines over the past few months for the wrong reasons. From being placed under administration in September 2022, to its financial challenges leading to failure in paying contract workers’ salaries – the latter problem led to said workers invading Read more >

Addressing a gap – how to better support civil society

By Kersty McCourtFirst published on Open Government Partnership Robust and vibrant civil societies play a critical role in contributing to development. Civil society helps shape policies, advocate for the needs and demands of citizens, provide essential services, protect human rights, and strengthen public participation in democracy. Yet, over the past decade, there has been insufficient Read more >

CW to release 2022 annual corruption report

Corruption Watch (CW) will release its 11th annual corruption report, titled Accelerating justice, on Tuesday, 4 April 2023. The report comes at a low point in South Africa’s history, as the country as grapples with the consequences of widespread corruption and deterioration of systems and services, with slow or weak accountability mechanisms. More than a Read more >

Beneficial ownership transparency in Africa slowly gaining ground

A report released in mid-March 2023 by the Tax Justice Network (TJN) shows a slow but steady implementation of beneficial ownership transparency (BOT) regulations across the African continent. Titled Beneficial Ownership Transparency in Africa in 2022, the report reveals the state of play of the introduction of laws addressing the lack of BOT, and examines Read more >

Investigation of Cloete Murray killing a top priority  

On Saturday 18 March, Cloete Murray, a South African accountant known for investigating high-profile corruption cases, and his son Thomas Murray, a legal advisor, were killed in Johannesburg. Corruption Watch and Transparency International call on South African authorities to conduct a thorough and expeditious investigation.  Cloete Murray was renowned as the curator of many high-profile Read more >

Transparency of donations to intra-party political campaigns is a must

By Natalie KeetsiFirst published on the Global Anticorruption Blog In South Africa, the Political Party Funding Act (the PPFA) regulates campaign donations and expenditures to political parties. By imposing various limits and transparency requirements, the PPFA – which is overseen by South Africa’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) – is supposed to prevent corruption and other Read more >

State of procurement disaster: a new license to loot

By Caroline JamesFirst published on amaBhungane Key Takeaways The state of disaster regulations confer wide discretion on state institutions to pursue emergency procurement to address the energy crisis There is no detail in the regulations about how emergency procurement processes will be effective or will be subject to sufficient oversight There is a need for Read more >