CORRUPTION NEWS

Gordhan questions the rules

Valencia Talane The one-size-fits-all approach to the governance standards of local government does not work and needs a rethink, according to Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Pravin Gordhan. Gordhan, who was responding to the latest auditor-general report on municipalities on 30 July, said that the standard requirements for metro municipalities, for example, could not Read more >

RAISING AWARENESS

Government keen to clean up its housing image

In the first part of our three-part housing series we outline some of the corruption-related challenges faced by the national Department of Human Settlements in meeting its mandate. The allocation of RDP houses to people who have registered their names with the government continues to be a challenge for the department of human settlements. This Read more >

DEAR CORRUPTION WATCH

OECD convention not just a nice-to-have

Dear Corruption Watch, I recently came across a report damning our lack of compliance with the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention that South Africa ratified in 2007. It says out of a mere ten foreign bribery allegations that have come to light our government has prosecuted exactly zero. We have until October to write a self-assessment report. What is the OECD convention Read more >

HEROES & ZEROES

Local government, the way it should be

Efficiency by government departments and entities is not only promised as part of the Constitution, but it is also expected by citizens who rely on the state to deliver certain services. Local government is particularly critical to the happiness of its communities. Our hero this week is a small municipality in the Free State district Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Op-ed: How the Seriti Commission is failing

​Source: Kholiswa Tyiki, R2K This opinion piece by Right2Know journalist and researcher Kholiswa Tyiki takes a critical look at the Seriti Commission's seeming reluctance to make crucial documents available to cross-examiners, and calls for more public participation and pressure for the full truth to be revealed. The arms deal, which saw South Africa spending up to Read more >

RAISING AWARENESS

SA mining at high risk for corruption

The spotlight is again on South Africa’s mining sector, this time with corruption in the sector under discussion, in the context of the country’s tardiness in prosecuting foreign corruption cases. This lack of action was pointed out in a March 2014 report released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The document, Phase Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Original arms deal whistleblower testifies

By Lee-Ann Alfreds Almost 15 years after she stood up in Parliament and alleged – to vilification, boos and insults from ANC MPs – large-scale corruption in the arms deal, Patricia de Lille is about to repeat her claims. This time, though, she hopes the outcome will be different. For starters, she will be testifying Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Mbeki: arms deal was above board

By Lee-Ann Alfreds Former president Thabo Mbeki returned to the limelight after almost six years in virtual seclusion to deny there had been anything untoward in the 1999 arms deal. Testifying before the Arms Procurement Commission – which is probing allegations of fraud and corruption in the controversial deal – Mbeki insisted there was no Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Arms deal commission, phase one – a summary

By Lee-Ann Alfreds Almost one year after the start of proceedings, the first phase of public hearings of the Arms Procurement Commission has drawn to a close. But little – if anything – new has been learnt of South Africa’s controversial 1999 arms deal which the commission has been tasked with investigating. “Nothing came to Read more >