Entries by Corruption Watch

Beneficial ownership disclosure will expose procurement crooks

14th September 2020 in , /by

It appears that money has been siphoned into the pockets of the politically connected in exchange for life-saving protective equipment at inflated prices, writes Cherese Thakur for amaBhungane. But despite the recent surge of corrupt procurement during the Covid-19 pandemic and the allegations of government officials illegally involved in shady deals, there has been no move to compel any degree of transparency in beneficial ownership.

Covid-19 corruption pushes govt out of lethargy

8th September 2020 in , /by

Brazen corruption exposed especially during one of the most difficult times we have ever had to confront as a country – the Covid-19 pandemic – is under the spotlight. Outrageous incidents have increasingly hogged headlines. This piece, written by Corruption Watch’s website editor Janine Erasmus, examines the government response – are we finally seeing signs of real anti-corruption action?

No to the termination of the special Covid-19 grant!

7th September 2020 in , /by

The #PayTheGrants campaign is urging the government to make sure that the Covid-19 R3500 social relief of distress grant continues to be paid to beneficiaries. Over 15-million people had registered for the grant but only 4.4-million people had received the grant, something the campaign says must be fixed. It is also calling for the grant, which is expected to end in October, to carry on past this date.

Covid-19 audit flags weak controls, as expected

2nd September 2020 in , /by

The Auditor-General of South Africa has warned that a continuation of the reckless and irregular use of funds set aside for Covid-19 relief will effectively wipe out all emergency efforts. The first of the AGSA’s Covid-19 audit reports was released on 2 September, and opacity, mismanagement, lack of fraud prevention mechanisms, and questionable transactions were the order of the day.

Now or never: time to create real, lasting procurement reform

1st September 2020 in , , , /by

Corruption Watch and the Public Affairs Research Institute have written an open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa and finance minister Tito Mboweni, urging them to seize current opportunities to put lasting procurement reforms in place. The two organisations are sceptical of the president’s stated shock at the large-scale corruption exposed by Covid-19, saying that South Africans expected exactly this situation.