On 28 November the Independent Electoral Commission briefed the parliamentary portfolio committees on Home Affairs and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs on preparations and increasing readiness for the 2026 local government elections. The commission addressed challenges such as voter apathy, the spread of disinformation, and technical problems, and shared the measures taken so far and that would be taken to combat these.
The newly green-lighted parliamentary committee on the Presidency will enable the National Assembly to scrutinise the Presidency’s operations and budget. This, says Parliament, will be the first time such scrutiny will be available through a dedicated, rule-based structure, as the Presidency’s budget was heretofore the only national budget not overseen by a committee.
Corruption Watch has successfully lobbied the Department of Justice to publish the CVs of the six candidates for national director of public prosecutions. The department is in search of a successor to Shamila Batohi, who retires in January 2026, and had revealed the shortlisted candidates but had neglected to publish their CVs to enable the public to meaningfully engage with and comment on them.
Bheki Cele is an extortionist, while Brown Mogotsi is a con artist. This is according to businessman and attempted murder accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, who on Thursday finished his second day of giving testimony before the parliamentary ad hoc committee investigating police corruption.
Baseless claims of police leaders and royal personages working in the interest of western countries while taking bribes from alleged criminals, and describing himself as a patriotic undercover operative for crime intelligence – these are the things that controversial North West businessman Brown Mogotsi’s testimony before the Madlanga commission are made of.
The world is at a crossroads when it comes to dealing with illicit economies, says a new GI-TOC research report on the global situation. Many types of organised crime show surges of growth while resilience takes a beating, lagging behind evolving crime threats. And in South Africa, criminality is on the rise while resilience remains stagnant.
Corruption Watch, with Social Change Assistance Trust and Transparency International and co-funded by the European Union, is driving enhanced accountability in South Africa through the Strengthening Action Against Corruption (SAAC) Project. This initiative specifically targets community advice offices/civil society organisations in the Eastern Cape province, equipping them with the knowledge and resources needed to identify and address corruption, and mobilise their communities.
Not much time is left for you to nominate your Anti-Crime and Corruption Hero for 2025! The annual poll, organised by the OCCRP, normally ‘honours’ the world’s most corrupt people so as to shine the spotlight on their evil deeds – but this year it’s corruption fighters around the globe who will be celebrated and profiled. Will we see a South African victor for the first time? Nominations close on 30 November.
It’s like something out of the movies: rogue killer cops, poor governance of labour practices, blatant favouritism from the top, and death threats for those who dare to stop all of it. This is what the Madlanga commission heard has been happening in the City of Ekurhuleni as witnesses spent the week recounting their experience of a rogue deputy police chief who enjoyed unfettered protection from the top municipal office.