When we investigated allegations of financial mismanagement at Walter Sisulu Primary School in Centurion, our whistle-blower specified numerous irregularities that had been brought to the attention of the Gauteng Department of Education The department, however, told us that it found no evidence of such when it investigated. In fact, it was the whistle-blower who had to take the fall, rather than the alleged culprit.
The corruption case against former president Jacob Zuma was postponed today in the Durban High Court until 27 July. Zuma – who is facing 16 charges, two of which are for corruption – said to cheering crowds of supporters outside the court that the case against him should be dropped, as there is no basis for it.
You have until 15 July 2018 to nominate your corruption fighting heroes for this year’s Transparency International Anti-Corruption Award – formerly known as the Integrity Award. Read our article to find out about the criteria for eligibility, and don’t miss this chance to honour those who work tirelessly for the common good.
The proposed amendments to the Public Audit Act will see the Auditor-General receiving binding powers of remedial action similar to those of the Public Protector, which means that people who contravene legislation on public financial management will face real penalties. The bill is correctly with the National Council of Provinces and once done there, it will go to President Ramaphosa to be signed into law.
When Corruption Watch undertakes an investigation, we often reach a stumbling block where we are unable to proceed – for instance, when access to important information is withheld. In the case of alleged financial irregularities at Cyrildene Primary, which we investigated, the whistle-blower claims one thing, the Gauteng Department of Education claims another, and we are not given access to documentation which will answer our questions.
The far-reaching lack of accountability for criminal conduct amongst our elected representatives, writes David Lewis, means that the only effective institutions of accountability, such as courts, regulators and civil society organisations, are those staffed by unelected individuals. We need to avoid this situation if we are to avoid a repeat of the decade-long state capture disaster.
The 2016-2017 municipal audit results, released by auditor-general Kimi Makwetu, paint a picture of an overall deterioration in compliance with the Municipal Finance Management Act. Some municipalities put pressure on AG staff to suppress poor results – but if audit outcomes are not as desired, Makwetu says, energy should be directed to addressing the problem and not to threatening the auditors.
The problem of underperforming and chaotic state-owned enterprises and public institutions is just one area of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s governance that has seen changes in the first 100 days of his office. His term so far has been symbolised by several decisive moves aimed at reforming the public office and the law enforcement agencies that govern them.
Veteran policeman and doctor of criminal law Seswantsho Godfrey Lebeya has been appointed as the head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, or Hawks. Lebeya has been in the running for top positions several times previously and lost out to others, but there is general agreement that he deserves his new appointment and is the right man for the job.
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