As the government of national unity celebrates its first 100 days of existence, talk around transparency and accountability for cabinet members is enveloped in ambiguity. Let’s not forget, however, that we as South Africans are owed performance agreements and public assessments alike, and we should not rest until these are in place.
South Africa’s mining sector has held up the country’s economy for nearly a century and a half, but the industry has also become closely correlated with dispossession, evictions, and impoverishment for rural communities. A new research report by Dr Aninka Claassens examines several pivotal court judgments that guide on the use and interpretation of the major laws governing mining and tenure security, and the way forward in ensuring a more equitable situation for communities and land owners.
State institutions owe the Special Investigating Unit over R1-billion in debt. This could have a serious effect on the organisation’s sustainability and its ability to fight corruption, and so, under its recently launched Project Khokela, the unit is taking firm steps to recover that money – this includes sending invoices of money outstanding and issuing letters of demand.
The Government of National Unity marks 100 days this week, after a fairly rocky and uncertain start. While the rebuilding work that lies ahead is immense and covers many aspects, Good Governance Africa has recommended 10 priority areas for the coalition government to focus on. We share them here.
Corrupt public officials hide their wealth abroad, as this is quite easy to do – but at the same time, bodies verifying asset declarations lack access to data abroad, writes Tilman Hoppe for the Global Anticorruption Blog. The new International Treaty on Exchange of Data for the Verification of Asset Declarations can change all that – and, says Hoppe, states worldwide should embrace and ratify this treaty with haste.
The UK and its overseas territories and dependencies continue to be the world’s greatest facilitators of cross-border tax abuse, comprising six of the top 15 countries on the latest edition of the Corporate Tax Haven Index. Says the Tax Justice Network, which publishes the index: “Countries are estimated to lose $84-billion in corporate tax a year due to multinational corporations using the UK and its British tax havens to underpay tax.”
The judiciary, like other arms of government, is susceptible to corruption – but it must not be, if justice is to be administered fairly and democracy and human rights are to be protected. The highest level of vigilance, therefore, is required from members of the judiciary and all stakeholders to maintain its independence and ensure that its members do not engage in corrupt activities.
Corruption Watch’s newly launched Best Practice Guideline on Community Consultation in the South African Extractives Industry 2024 seeks to give guidance on community consultation requirements which must and should apply to mining projects, with reference to laws, policies, and international best practice. The guide was developed in partnership with Webber Wentzel.
The SIU’s Prasa probe reveals companies and directors who allegedly benefited from R3.5-billion train deal, while the NPA comes under fire for securing former Zondo commission lawyers as consultants, and new twist in “Amigos” case may open up new legal woes for implicated KZN ANC duo.
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.