The Special Investigating Unit is making steady – albeit slow – progress in its probes into alleged corruption and maladministration at the Department of Water and Sanitation and various entities attached to it. The amounts of money involved are mind-boggling. Towards the end of June the SIU briefed the parliamentary standing committee on public accounts on its work in this regard.
The parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee on the Appointment of the Auditor-General has met to discuss Corruption Watch’s submission regarding this crucial position. The committee had sought a legal opinion on the document, which concluded that our recommendations are constitutional and in line with MPs’ duties and obligations. It was advised to accept and implement all of our recommendations – with a few modifications.
Civil society organisations have expressed anger over allegations of corruption in the awarding of PPE tenders were reported by the media. The organisations, including CW, have called for consequences for those found guilty, and the return of all funds stolen.
One of civil society’s crucial functions is to monitor government performance and make recommendations where necessary. But instead of rectifying issues to ensure better governance, the messenger is shot, writes Wayne Duvenage, CEO of Outa. Or the real and substantive issues are deflected with a deft display of ostrich mentality… if we ignore the problems for long enough, they must surely disappear.
The one major challenge that stands in the way of inclusive growth and sustainable development in Africa, is the nature, scale and complexity of corruption, write Stellenbosch Uni academics Prof Pregala Pillay (Economic and Management Sciences) and Dr Chris Jones (Unit for Moral Leadership).
Two clear opportunities emerge from the early days of the Covid-19 reality, says Transparency International in a new report. Firstly, the growing use by citizens and activists of online tools to participate and organise. Secondly, the opportunity to re-think basic concepts, such as the common good. Handled well, if both these potential opportunities became reality they would provide great momentum to anti-corruption efforts in the short and long term.
Walking home one night, a resident of Braamfontein wonders whether Covid-19 or muggers is the greater risk.
The South African Bureau of Standards said this week it was receiving high volumes of complaints from the public about essential products, like hand sanitisers, disinfectants, and surgical face masks, sold by some unscrupulous manufacturers under the SABS-approved mark although they haven’t been certified or approved for consumption by the organisation.
In his speech to the nation on Thursday, 23 July, President Cyril Ramaphosa gave encouraging signs of a renewed clamp-down on corruption, with actual consequences for those found guilty. Ramaphosa spoke of the establishment of a coordinating centre, comprising nine state institutions, that would “strengthen the collective efforts among law enforcement agencies so as to prevent, detect, investigate and prosecute Covid-related corruption”.