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CORRUPTION NEWS

Covid millions lost to greed, carelessness, and mismanagement

At the beginning of September the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) released its first special report on the management of funds set aside for government’s Covid-19 response. The fiscal relief package was funded reprioritising the 2020-21 budgets and by securing loans. Although, regrettably, the nation fully expected gross misuse and irregularities, the sheer scale of Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Covid-19 audit flags weak controls, as expected

The report covers about R69-billion of the R147-billion spending for the period from April – when the R500-billion fund was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa – to the end of July. It has flagged, so far, glaring signs of trouble: Exorbitant spending against suppliers when compared to their pre-Covid-19 spendingSuppliers used for the first time Read more >

LOCKDOWN LIFE

All support to CW for all you’ve done for South Africa

Merle Payne Hi, I am answering the questionnaire about my Covid-19 experience. I live on my brother’s farm in Limpopo. I run a small embroidery workshop from the farm in my house. When the first lockdown was implemented, I told two of the three ladies at the workshop to go home to organise their lives Read more >

LOCKDOWN LIFE

The days of corona – when simply walking is risky

Guest writer Greetings, Below is a short account of my first coronavirus lockdown experience in the early days in late March, and a further short piece from 1918 (no, I’m not a survivor of that flu; it was a bit before my time). Normally I would not do anything as stupidly dangerous as walking home Read more >

PRESS RELEASES

Govt drops ball on Covid-19 relief promises, says BJC

The supplementary budget announced by Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni on 24 June 2020, including a revised fiscal framework and spending plans, reveals that only R36-billion of the much lauded R500-billion economic relief package is new money allocated in the fiscus this financial year. According to Budget Justice Coalition (BJC), this is not even close Read more >

OPINIONS

Police reform in South Africa is long overdue

Image credit: Institute for Security Studies By Sabeehah Motala and Melusi Ncala Images of the United States of America burning have dominated headlines these past weeks. The images are seared into our minds, of protest action taking centre stage across the country, and indeed the world, following the killing of George Floyd. Rightfully so, as Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

CSOs write to SADC urging action against Covid-19 corruption

Corruption Watch is one of nine signatories to an open letter to the secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), in which they commend measures taken so far to address the spread of the Covid-19 virus on the continent, and propose 10 guidelines for addressing potential corruption that might occur during the management of Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Assault, threats, and the butt of a state gun

Image: GCIS By Valencia Talane NOTE: This article has been updated to reflect new criminal charges brought against four Minneapolis policemen implicated in the death of George Floyd. Initially one officer was charged with third-degree murder but his charge has been upgraded to second-degree, while three more accused of playing a role in Floyd’s death Read more >