Yesterday, 9 December, marked the annual International Anti-Corruption Day, set up by the UN to raise awareness of the devastating impact of corruption, and to look back on the year and assess progress in the fight to eradicate the scourge. Every year, trillions of dollars – equivalent to more than 5% of global GDP – are paid in bribes or stolen through corruption, the UN has reported.
The Political Party Funding Bill should be signed into law as quickly as possible, writes Judith February, as a system of public disclosure has become the generally accepted way of limiting political corruption in countries around the world. Scandals in South Africa’s recent past have given significant impetus to the drive for transparency, regulation and clean governance, which are the principles underpinning the party funding bill.
President Cyril Ramaphosa today announced that Advocate Shamila Batohi is the new national director of public prosecutions. This followed a transparent recruitment process in which the public was invited to submit nominations, and was also able to watch the interviews of the shortlisted candidates.
What does ethical business practice mean to you and your company? To us, it means this: Public disclosure of: Anti-corruption programme; Company holdings (organisational transparency); Country-by-country financial reporting; Good governance […]
The G20 has been urged – yet again – by civil society groups to finally implement the commitments it has made over the years to fight corruption. “We are tired of empty promises,” said Transparency International. “Implement your anti-corruption commitments now!” Speeches and documents are not enough, added the organisation – rather, genuine action is what the world needs to fight corruption.
Explosive revelations into the belly of the ANC, captured ministers who relinquished their authority to private citizens, and a dramatic request for a recusal, made for a hectic week at the commission of inquiry into state capture. Witnesses included ANC veteran Cheryl Carolus, former minister of public service administration Ngoako Ramatlhodi, former GCIS head Mzwanele Manyi, and ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe.
Corruption Watch has been named one of the winners in the Google Impact Challenge South Africa, at an event held at Johannesburg, last night. Our project – Bua Mzansi: Know Your Police Station – seeks to hold the police service accountable and improve transparency, by bringing together the two key corruption-fighting ingredients of an active citizenry and effective law enforcement.
Corruption Watch is one of four winners of the Google Impact Challenge South Africa, the first such initiative to take place in this country. The final event took place last night in Johannesburg and with Memeza Shout Crime Prevention, Gradesmatch and RLabs’ Zlto Digital Platform, we were chosen from 12 finalists to receive a prize that will help us build our Bua Mzansi – Know Your Police Station project. This interactive website and app will enhance public participation in policing, and increase transparency in the police service.
Civil society organisations, including Corruption Watch, have issued a statement denouncing the anti-democratic antics of the EFF against the Zondo commission into state capture. If the EFF has the evidence it claims it has against certain people, says the CSO group, it must lay such before the commission and show that is serious about fighting state capture, rather than indulging in vindictive threats with nothing to back them up.