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Exposing Procurement Corruption: 10 Questions to Ask

By Richard MessickFirst published on the Global Anticorruption Blog No government activity is more susceptible to corruption than public procurement. The process by which government decides what to buy and from whom is lengthy, technically complex, and riddled with decision points that give procurement officers enormous discretion. Oversight is thus especially difficult.  Moreover, because so much Read more >

New CW report on trends in procurement deviations, expansions, and debarment

Image: UN Environment Programme In October 2021 Corruption Watch (CW), working with procurement law expert Prof Geo Quinot of Stellenbosch University, released its first report that analyses procurement information drawn from National Treasury (NT) data captured between 2016 and 2020. The analysis was made possible by CW’s online tool, Procurement Watch (PW), which was launched at the Read more >

Private sector needed at the state capture solutions table

When the state capture commission began its hearings in August 2018, its first witness was National Treasury’s acting chief procurement officer at the time, Ndleleni Mathebula. His testimony was an overview of the state’s public procurement system, its challenges and positives. He placed government’s average annual spending on procurement at R800-billion, and said the degree Read more >

Wheel of justice is turning, slowly but noticeably

By Karam Singh and Janine ErasmusFirst published on Business Day South Africans can be forgiven for feeling despondent about the state of corruption in South Africa. Every other day, it seems, brings new revelations of alleged malfeasance and misdemeanour, not just from ordinary citizens but from the very top levels of leadership in our country. Read more >

SA politicians once again commit a crime against humanity

Image: Flickr/GovernmentZA First published on Daily Maverick When devastating floods struck KwaZulu-Natal on 11 April, South Africans’ first response was to commiserate with their compatriots. Their next response was to warn against giving a cent to the government and loudly proclaim that their donations were going to organisations like the Gift of the Givers.  It’s Read more >

First Zondo report enables civil society to keep up pressure for meaningful reform

The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture (Zondo commission) has completed its highly anticipated first report. Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, the commission’s chairperson, delivered the 874-page document on Tuesday to President Cyril Ramaphosa, who swiftly made it publicly available for scrutiny. The report provides an opportunity for civil society and the public to Read more >

Fraser bid to cross-examine SSA witnesses fails

By Valencia Talane Former State Security Agency (SSA) director-general (DG) Arthur Fraser will not be cross-examining any of the witnesses who implicated him in state capture earlier this year. The chairperson of the state capture commission, acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo on Wednesday dismissed an application by Fraser to cross-examine a number of witnesses in Read more >

Data analysis of Treasury records reveals extent of price gouging on PPE

By Kavisha PillayFirst published on Maverick Citizen In October 2020, the National Treasury launched a public dashboard of all Covid-19 expenditure reported to it by national, provincial and local government departments. This data, though incomplete and inaccurate in some instances, has made it possible to understand how much each department spent, the items procured and the suppliers who Read more >