Africa is making strides in the areas of governance and growth, writes compliance expert Adjoa Adjei-Twum. But to ensure that these glimmers of hope do not fizzle out, training and education are needed to educate citizens on their civic responsibilities, sensitise them to the impact of their actions on others, and demonstrate with practical examples that corruption affects the proper running of governments and hampers transparency.
Tomorrow, 11 July, marks the fourth African Anti-Corruption Day, writes CW’s project co-ordinator Sabeehah Motala, and it’s a good time to reflect on whether or not the AUCPCC, as a mechanism for fighting corruption across the continent, has been properly and effectively implemented.
The competition tribunal has found giant pharmaceutical retailer Dis-Chem guilty of having fixed prices of essential products at the early stage of the Covid-19 lockdown. The retailer was fined more than R1-million for violating the Competition Act and the Consumer Protection Regulations, which prohibits a dominant firm from charging an excessive price to the detriment of consumers or customers.
With the help of lawyers, accountants, white-shoe professionals and complicit Western governments, the wealthy and well-connected have avoided paying trillions of dollars in taxes. The cost to governments is estimated at over $800-billion per year. This article from the ICIJ reminds us what tax havens are, how they operate, and why the Panama Papers is still such an important project, four years after it broke.
Parliament is inviting suitably qualified citizens to apply for the upcoming post of auditor-general. The term of office of the incumbent, Kimi Makwetu, will end on 30 November 2020. Applications must be e-mailed to the secretary of the Ad Hoc Committee on Appointment of the Auditor-General by no later than 16h30 on 17 July 2020.
Corruption Watch has written to the parliamentary ad-hoc committee on the appointment of the auditor-general to express its views, plans, and recommendations around the appointment of Kimi Makwetu’s successor. The organisation called for fairness, transparency, and a good dose of public participation. Makwetu’s term ends on 30 November 2020.
Corruption Watch and other founding members of the Anti-Intimidation and Ethical Practises Forum will host a free webinar on the practices of ethics by professionals who are on the front line on the fight against corruption. The webinar will be hosted on 23 July 2020.
The appointment of leaders to institutions that fight crime and corruption must not be undertaken lightly, writes Sabeehah Motala, and the highest standards must be rigorously upheld. Motala unpacks CW’s recent submission in this regard to the Zondo Commission.
Auditor-general Kimi Makwetu has found that municipalities have regressed further in their use of public money. The 2018/19 Municipal Finance Management Act audit report, released yesterday, shows that billions of rands have been lost to fruitless and wasteful expenditure, including mismanagement of funds by some municipalities.
Visit our GivenGain R20 for Change page and help us demand transparency in our systems, accountability in our leaders, and better empowerment and protection of whistle-blowers. By donating R20 a month, you’ll be supporting our work with communities across the country, helping them to know and access their rights and reduce the corruption that robs people of resources intended for their benefit.