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No Digital Vibes feedback for Scopa yet, funding crisis looming for NPA

Presidency was a no-show for a hearing of the parliamentary standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) on Tuesday, that was meant to receive feedback on the progress of high-profile corruption reports overseen by the country’s law enforcement agencies. This despite having been furnished with Special Investigating Unit (SIU) reports – among them the recently completed Read more >

Deferred prosecution agreements: a solution to NPA backlog

With corruption only expected to increase, the debate on out-of-court settlements should be revisited. By Petrus Marais, Karam Singh and Kaede WildschutFirst published on Business Day There can be no doubt that South Africa is battling a crisis of fraud and corruption. The Zondo state capture commission has exposed the depths of state corruption and Read more >

SIU on the trail of govt officials abusing Covid-19 procurement

On Friday 5 February the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) released a report on its finalised investigations into ‘the procurement of, or contracting for, goods, works and services, including the construction, refurbishment, leasing, occupation and use of immovable property, during, or in respect of the National State of Disaster …’ The investigation was established in terms Read more >

Anti-corruption agencies bemoan skills shortage, lack of capacity

In mid-November the inter-ministerial Anti-Corruption Task Team (ACTT) briefed Parliament on progress in corruption cases involving a number of government departments and entities. Present were Lieutenant-General Godfrey Lebeya and advocates Shamila Batohi, Andy Mothibi, and Xolisile Khanyile – the heads of the Hawks, National Prosecuting Authority, Special Investigating Unit (SIU), and Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) Read more >

We need a transparent and accountable law enforcement system

By Valencia TalaneFirst published on News24 The events of last week, in particular Wednesday 30 September’s high-profile arrests relating to the irregular Free State asbestos contract of 2014, indicate a step in the right direction in the fight against corruption. The Zondo commission has explored the contract extensively over the past few weeks, and some Read more >

Covid-19: rude awakening to SA’s procurement failures

By Thato Mahlangu South Africans have witnessed in recent months of the Covid-19 pandemic how our procurement policies and laws can create opportunity for corrupt people, including government officials, to steal from the state’s purse. An obvious consequence of this is that the looting hinders the implementation of essential programmes designed to eradicate poverty. In Read more >

Covid-19 corruption pushes govt out of lethargy

By Janine ErasmusFirst published on Transparency International Along with other ordinary South Africans, we at Corruption Watch have followed with increasing dismay the growing number of reports of corruption related to the Covid-19 pandemic. The perpetrators of this corruption have been unashamedly brazen in their hijacking of the emergency measures put into place to deal Read more >

Ramaphosa talks tough on Covid-19 corruption

In his latest address to the nation on Thursday, 23 July, President Cyril Ramaphosa uttered strong words of warning to those complicit in corrupt actions at this time – especially regarding the financial and other assistance given by the government to needy South African residents. This is the sternest – and the longest – speech Read more >

Fighting Covid-19 also requires intensifying anti-corruption efforts

By Caroline James and Karam Jeet SinghFirst published on News24 Corruption Watch, along with the nation, anxiously sees the number of Covid-19 cases rising while the number of available hospital beds fall. The public health system is under extreme strain but significant resources have been put aside to address the crisis. In this national state Read more >