Entries by Corruption Watch

CW pushes for transparency in IEC commissioner appointments

30th June 2025 in , , , /by

Corruption Watch’s track record of pushing for transparent, fair, and merit-based leadership appointments to Chapter 9 and other democracy-supporting institutions goes back to 2016. Last week we asked the Office of the Chief Justice to provide CVs of the currently shortlisted candidates for commissioner of the Independent Electoral Commission, which it had omitted to do. As a direct result of our letter, the OCJ made the CVs available and allowed us to share them, in the interest of transparency, with individuals and other organisations who would be interested in making a submission.

African countries are addressing public procurement weaknesses

27th June 2025 in , , /by

In the second edition of the Global Data Barometer, published in June 2025, 43 African, Latin American, and Caribbean countries are under the spotlight, The report examines their infrastructure, processes, and strategies needed to ensure that data serves the public good, providing a detailed view of governance, data availability, and ecosystem capabilities that underscore data’s role in society. In the Africa region, public procurement has emerged as a “standout area of progress”.

AG opens Johannesburg summit for G20 supreme audit institutions

24th June 2025 in , /by

The SAI20 2025 summit is under way in Johannesburg, bringing together the supreme audit institutions (SAIs) from G20 countries. South Africa’s auditor-general Tsakani Maluleke opened the event on Tuesday morning, 24 June, saying that SAIs have a significant role to play in ensuring that public sector auditors all over the world can do their work unhindered, and that public resources are strategically harnessed for the purpose of improving citizens’ lives.

Wanted: a binding treaty that ends corporate impunity

23rd June 2025 in , /by

The seventh Annual Regional Binding Treaty Indaba recently concluded in Johannesburg, bringing together mining-affected communities, civil society groups, African state representatives, academics, and national human rights institutions. The focus of the event was the need for a binding international treaty that sets human rights standards, provides robust remedial mechanisms, and ends corporate impunity, especially in the extractives sector.

South Africa’s removal from FATF grey list draws nearer

20th June 2025 in , /by

After more than two years of intensive work to improve its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing framework, the weaknesses of which earned it a spot on the FATF grey list, South Africa stands on the brink of being delisted. After its June plenary, the FATF announced that the country had substantially completed its action plan and will shortly undergo an on-site assessment which, if favourable, will see it removed from the grey list in October.

Turning the tide on crime and corruption in pangolin scale and ivory trafficking

12th June 2025 in , /by

Corruption is an enabler of wildlife crime, and can occur at any stage along the illegal trade chain. With the involvement of organised crime syndicates, law enforcement agencies’ task is made that much more difficult. A glimmer of hope was revealed recently by the Wildlife Justice Commission, which reported that in the years since the Covid-19 lockdown lifted, trafficking in elephant ivory and pangolin scales remains at a fraction of the pre-Covid volumes.