Posts

Don’t let corruption in SA become normalised

It is not true that corruption has no victims, writes William Gumede, associate professor at Wits University’s School of Governance. Rather, it causes “disastrously inefficient economic, social and political outcomes” – among others, it diverts public resources from critical development projects to less productive, less job creation and less growth spurring ones, discourages long-term investment, Read more >

Why SA’s courts cannot rein in a delinquent government

By Cathleen Powell First published on The Conversation Africa South Africans sighed with relief when the Constitutional Court recently handed down a judgment in the country’s social grant saga, averting a catastrophic constitutional crisis. About 17-million social grant beneficiaries would not be left without support. Unfortunately, while the court saved the country from one constitutional Read more >

CW calls for dismissal of Min. Dlamini over Sassa debacle

CW calls for dismissal of Min. Dlamini over Sassa debacle Corruption Watch, following the failure of the South Africa Social Security Agency (Sassa) to find an alternative service provider to deliver social grants, calls for the minister of social development, Bathabile Dlamini to be sacked for her handling of the matter. The organisation views the Read more >

SA falling short on OGP commitments

The Open Government Partnership’s (OGP) second end-of-term report for South Africa shows that, while the country made a start on its stated commitments, it did not complete any of them. The progress report covers the period from 2013 to 2015, and was prepared by the independent reporting mechanism (IRM), an independent body which is overseen Read more >

SA must work to make govt more accountable

By Fola Adeleke First published on The Conversation The South African government completed its term as lead-chair of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in December 2016. The partnership is an international initiative formed by eight countries in 2011 that has grown to 75 members. Its aim is to improve public sector governance and encourage civil Read more >

Jonas Makwakwa still under a cloud at SA’s tax agency

South African Revenue Service (Sars) second-in-command Jonas Makwakwa remained under suspension as the investigation into the “suspicious and unusual” cash payments made into his bank accounts had not yet been completed, the tax authority said on Monday. The investigation is being undertaken by law firm Hogan Lovells. Sars commissioner Tom Moyane has indicated that Sars Read more >

Track your municipality’s financial performance

An informed citizenry is an empowered citizenry. Whether you’re someone who wants to exercise your civic responsibilities and get involved in how your municipality is run, or whether you just wish you could understand the complexities of the system a little better, we have put together a list of useful tools that will help you. Read more >

Ibrahim index: African govts lacking in accountability

If corruption in Africa is to be fought successfully, the latest data from the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) – released recently by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation – should be taken very seriously by governments that wish to end the scourge. The foundation developed the index 10 years ago, and through it, evaluates the Read more >

OGP marks 5 years, but faces coordination challenges

South Africa, with the other seven founding members of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), this week celebrated the initiative’s fifth anniversary. The OGP was launched in 2011 to provide an international platform that enables domestic reformers to make their governments more open, accountable, responsive to citizens, and corruption-free. Since then, the OGP has grown from Read more >