CW’s Stakeholder Relations and Campaigns Department recently hosted an internal debate at the African Leadership Academy on Johannesburg’s West Rand. The students, who hail from all over Africa, discussed the definition of corruption, the effects of corruption on human rights, mechanisms of accountability, the African Union legislation on corruption, and how to improve anti-corruption in Africa.
On Friday, 22 February, Corruption Watch made a submission to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police on the process involving the renewal of the IPID head’s contract. Our interest is focused on the independence and effective functioning of oversight bodies such as IPID, and other institutions in the criminal justice sector.
Corruption Watch has made submissions on the 2019 white paper on Home Affairs, focusing on the deficiencies and culture of corruption involved in the refugee and asylum seeker system. Our investigation work during 2015 and 2016 into home affairs corruption exposed a systemic form of grand corruption, where vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers are exploited and cheated out of the little money they possess.
The 20th week of hearings at the state capture commission wrapped up with the return of Vytjie Mentor to the stand and a glimpse into what is coming from Ipid boss Robert McBride.
It is important for the Political Party Funding Act to be brought into operation as soon as possible, writes constitutional expert Pierre de Vos. Furthermore, voters can only make informed decisions on who to vote for if they know who donates to political parties.
Corruption Watch requested admittance as amicus curiae in the matter of Robert McBride and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate vs the Minister of Police and the Portfolio Committee on Police in the National Assembly. Our interest stems from ensuring the independence of the portfolio committee that must appoint his replacement, and that the committee does its work properly.
In his second state of the nation address, delivered last night, President Cyril Ramaphosa promised to build on the anti-corruption strategy that is slowly gathering momentum in government. A new investigative directorate within the NPA, mandatory ethics courses, and a unit to ensure consequences for breach of government processes are some of the tactics he announced.
Corruption Watch has recently investigated a few reports of corruption in the City of Tshwane metro municipality. All involved irregular procurement or employment, and the municipality denied us access to some information, and simply ignored other requests, making it highly unlikely that the cases could be resolved.
Corruption Watch has filed an application in the High Court in Pretoria, to have former Eskom board members declared delinquent. The application, which focuses on the violation of fiduciary duties and gross negligence on the part of former board members, was served on Mark Pamensky, Brian Molefe, Anoj Singh, Venete Klein, Wilfred Khoza, Eskom, and the minister of public enterprises.