News

Heroes & Zeroes

Corruption Watch takes a closer look at brave individuals fighting graft and exposes those caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

KZN health department’s clean sweep

A major clean-up operation within the KwaZulu-Natal health department has resulted in the dismissal of 77 corrupt officials who have been abusing state resources for personal gain. The men and women who make up the team that picked out the rotten apples are our heroes for this week.

Brave teachers a take stand against principal

Our heroes this week are the brave teachers at Thubelihle Intermediate school in Soweto who contacted Corruption Watch at the beginning of this year to report appalling financial governance at their school, which was robbing learners of their Constitutional right to a quality education.

Gauteng residents turn up the volume

Our heroes this week are the people of Gauteng who, during our recent public awareness drive, showed us just how angry and fed up they are with corruption. At the Bara taxi rank, the University of Johannesburg (UJ), Zoo Lake and Maponya Mall in Soweto, individuals were eager to speak out about how this scourge is hurting them and also learn how they can become active corruption-fighters. For putting their feet down, taking a stand and showing they will not be passive victims any longer, these individuals get our nod as heroes of the week.

Determined duo take on education department

Two siblings in a small rural village in the Eastern Cape are taking the national and provincial education departments to court amid gross abuse of power and embezzlement of school funds, which is robbing learners of a decent education, teachers, textbooks and vital learning material. Taking a stand and exercising their rights to fight for a school free from abuse and gross mismanagement make this duo our heroes of the week.

Rhodents take up corruption fight

The students of Rhodes University, Rhodents as they are affectionately known, recently demonstrated just how serious they are about fixing South Africa when their SRC president Sakhe Badi publically committed to fighting corruption in the country.

Cops are the heroes

Crime doesn’t pay – and certainly not for police officers and Home Affairs officials manning South Africa’s Caledonspoort border post with Lesotho. The Free State Hawks and the SAPS are our heroes this week for arresting 15 officials for demanding bribes.

Public service’s R1-billion failure

South Africa’s public service is in our bad books again following damning revelations that financial misconduct in state departments could exceed R1-billion for the 2011/2012 financial year. We can only imagine how many lives could have been improved had this R1-billion gone to those who needed it most, instead of lining the pockets of a well-connected few. The public service, for its failure to put the poor first and self-interest last, is our zero of the week.

Secrecy Bill passed by Parliament

The passing of the contentious Protection of State Information Bill – or Secrecy Bill as it has come to be referred to – is an act deserving of Corruption Watch’s (CW) zero-of-the-week status.

Municipal looting in North West’s platinum district

Our zero this week is North West’s wealthiest municipality – the Bojanala Platinum District – where close to 30 employees were found to have awarded tenders among themselves and to other government officials, in deals worth millions of rands.

Local municipality is zero

Dr JS Moroka local municipality in Mpumalanga is our zero this week. A procurement officer employed at the municipality is under investigation for allegedly awarding a contract – at an inflated cost – to her husband. Corruption Watch asks: why was this allowed to happen?