Posts

New top cop an organised crime specialist

Veteran policeman Dr Seswantsho Godfrey Lebeya has been around the block, several times – and last week he was named as the new head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DCPI), or Hawks. Photo © Godfrey Lebeya. Lebeya is not only a distinguished former police officer with over 30 years of experience, but he Read more >

State capture commission almost up and running

By Kwazi Dlamini UPDATE, 27 July 2018: Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has confirmed that the first hearings into state capture will begin on 20 August this year and implicated individuals will be alerted about the proceedings on Monday. He said the hearings will not last less than three weeks and might even take longer, Read more >

Submissions invited on Political Party Funding Bill

Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee on the Funding of Political Parties has opened the window for submissions and comments from all stakeholders and interested parties, on the draft Political Party Funding Bill. The committee invites parties to send through their written submissions on the bill from now until the closing date and time of 16h00 on Read more >

Information Regulator must start doing its job

South Africa’s Information Regulator (IR) was established in 2016, as a provision of the Protection of Personal Information Act, or Popi. The IR came into being before Popi was in force, but sections pertaining to the entity were put into effect through a presidential proclamation in April 2014. Popi was signed into law in November Read more >

Public participation invited for review of section 25

South Africa’s National Assembly, with the concurrence of the National Council of Provinces, has mandated the joint constitutional review committee to: Review section 25 of the Constitution and other sections where necessary, to make it possible for the state to expropriate land in the public interest without compensation; Propose the necessary constitutional amendments where applicable Read more >

Open Government Week aims to curb distrust in govt

An open, transparent, accountable and ethical government is possible when citizens, civil society and governments come together. This week, 7 – 11 May, is Open Government Week (OGW), an occasion during which countries belonging to the Open Government Partnership (OGP) will focus on developing the culture and practice of transparency, participation and accountability both in Read more >

Print media not empowering citizens on corruption

By Vanessa Malila First published on The Conversation The mainstream media can play an important role in fighting corruption. Investigative journalists in South Africa, for instance, helped to expose how the politically connected Gupta family “captured” elements of the governing African National Congress. As watchdogs of society, the media is well placed to forge social Read more >

G20 dragging feet on beneficial ownership

Source: Transparency International The corrupt don’t like paper trails, they like secrecy. What better way to hide corrupt activity than with a secret company or trust as a front? You can anonymously open bank accounts, make transfers and launder dirty money. If the company is not registered in your name, it can’t always be traced Read more >

Access to information in Africa: highs and lows

In its 2017 State of Access to Information in Africa report, the Open Democracy Advice Centre (Odac) studies 12 African countries in terms of their access to information (ATI) laws and practices. The countries are Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Of the 12 countries under Read more >