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CORRUPTION NEWS

LHR and clients pull out of Seriti Commission

Source: Lawyers for Human Rights Media statement: Withdrawal from the Arms Procurement Commission The arms deal was a uniquely damaging moment in our young democratic history. It was concluded after decades of uncontrolled spending on foreign and internal wars by the apartheid regime. From the signing of the contracts in 1999 up to R70-billion of Read more >

HEROES & ZEROES

Papadi Makhetha: housing’s anti-fraud champion

By Janine Erasmus To date Corruption Watch has received around 170 reports of alleged corruption in the housing sector – the majority from Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape. Gauteng’s metropolitan municipality of Ekurhuleni has the most complaints, followed by the cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town. Gauteng has the greatest demand for government housing Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Gauteng human settlements dept to improve

By Valencia Talane In the first part of our housing series we outlined some of the corruption-related challenges faced by the national Department of Human Settlements in meeting its mandate – in part two we look at the proposed measures that will help to overcome these challenges. Gauteng's department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs and Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Staff turnover at the Seriti Commission

By Lee-Ann Alfreds The Arms Procurement Commission is ending as it started – dogged by resignations. One year almost to the day after it was forced to delay the start of public hearings because of the resignation of one of its commissioners, the Seriti Commission – which is probing allegations of graft and corruption in Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Arms deal lessons of more value than cancellations

By Lee-Ann Alfreds Raenette Taljaard is one of democracy's champions – a World Economic Forum young global leader, a Yale World Fellow, holder of two master's degrees, published author, distinguished academic, one of the youngest women ever to be elected to South Africa’s Parliament, political studies lecturer at Cape Town University, and a knowledgeable critic Read more >

OPINIONS

Pursuit of corruption has its inspiring moments

By David Lewis We at Corruption Watch are often asked whether we don’t find our job depressing. The question assumes that spending each day dealing with the seamier side of human conduct and confronting an insoluble problem must be a depressing experience. It’s not at all depressing. On the contrary, it is quite uplifting. First, while we Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Gabriella Razzano: evangelist for openness

By Valencia Talane A transparent system of government that encourages access to information for its citizens as well as freedom of expression, while protecting those who question its decisions and motives, may be an unrealistic concept for many. For the team of activists at the Open Democracy Advice Centre (ODAC), however, it is the proverbial Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Good and bad of audit reports

  By Valencia Talane Depending on which way you look at it, the municipal audit report for the 2012/13 financial year offers either a positive or a miserable outlook for South Africa's local government landscape. The report was published last week by the auditor-general, Kimi Makwetu. As Pravin Gordhan, the minister in charge of local Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Arms deal: seven facts that aren’t going away

Source: Anine Kriegler, Right2Know A recurring line from those trying to dismiss allegations of corruption in the arms deal is: “Show us the evidence.” During his testimony at the Seriti Commission two weeks ago, former president Mbeki took an opportunity to lash out at critics, saying: “For all of these years we have been saying, let Read more >