May 2021 - Corruption Watch

Zuma pleads not guilty, corruption trial postponed to 19 July

26 May 2021, 14:53

The corruption trial of former president Jacob Zuma and his co-accused, French arms manufacturer Thales, resumed today in the Pietermaritzburg High Court after a week-long break, only to be postponed until 19 July by Judge Piet Koen. This will give the state time to analyse the documents related to the special plea Zuma has entered Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

New report reveals questionable use of public emergency funds for Covid-19

26 May 2021, 12:14

Nobody needs to be reminded of how blindsided the world was by the outbreak of Covid-19. Countries both rich and poor scrambled to respond to the pandemic, setting aside funds for emergency procurement and relief measures, seeking aid inside and outside their borders, imposing lockdowns and curfews, and in some cases building entire new hospitals Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Opacity in Covid vaccine trials, sales contracts could scupper global response

25 May 2021, 6:05

Transparency has always been the keystone in the fight against corruption for without it, the corrupt continue their misdeeds unimpeded. With it, they have nowhere to hide. The Covid-19 global pandemic presented a golden opportunity for looting, and lack of transparency continues to enable it. A new report, published today by Transparency International and the Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

SA more worried about corruption than Covid-19, says new survey

21 May 2021, 10:59

Compiled by Luke DanielFirst published on Business Insider South Africa ranks as one of the most worried nations in the world, according to a new international survey. And unlike many other countries, Covid-19 is not the top concern locally, with citizens more concerned about corruption and unemployment than they are about the pandemic. Some 78% Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Zuma to plead ‘not guilty’ when corruption trial resumes on 26 May

17 May 2021, 11:25

Image: eNCA At the High Court in Pietermaritzburg today, former president Jacob Zuma was there early, supported by his son Duduzane, suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, a small crowd of fans, and ANC politician Tony Yengeni, among others. Zuma, along with French arms manufacturer Thales – known at the time as Thomson-CSF – is on Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Dlamini complies with court order, pays CSO legal costs

14 May 2021, 15:28

In September 2018 the Constitutional Court handed down unanimous judgment on then social development minister Bathabile Dlamini’s personal liability in the matter of costs relating to the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) extending the contract of grants distributor Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) despite a finding in 2013 that the contract was invalid. But Sassa Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Zuma corruption trial to commence on 17 May, postponement not ruled out

13 May 2021, 11:42

Former president Jacob Zuma has been dodging corruption charges for 16 years. Since 2005, when those charges of racketeering, money laundering, corruption and fraud relating to the 1999 arms deal were first brought against him, he has been more slippery than a pig in mud. Mud dries up eventually, though, and so it is with Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Conduct of Seriti commission judges to be investigated

12 May 2021, 10:44

In 2016 Corruption Watch (CW) and Right2Know (R2K) challenged the findings of the Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of Fraud, Corruption and Wrongdoing in the Strategic Defence Procurement Package (the Seriti commission). The two organisations argued that the commission misled the public by exonerating politicians and public servants of any wrongdoing relating to the arms Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

OECD a “rich countries club” helping firms commit tax abuse, TJN shows

10 May 2021, 12:51

In part 3 of our new mini-series on financial secrecy, we focus on the Corporate Tax Haven Index (CTHI), published by the Tax Justice Network (TJN) – the 2021 edition, released in March, is the second since 2019. Part 1 of the series looked at the definition of and gave information on secrecy jurisdictions and Read more >