The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is unable to perform many of its most basic tasks, including allocating fishing rights and enforcing regulations, because of the rot at the top. A factional war between its two most senior officials, and a prevalent culture of corruption, has been exacerbated by an exodus of skilled staff, including top scientists.
The advisory panel appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to identify suitable candidates for the position of national director of public prosecutions has shortlisted 12 candidates, out of 22 applications and 24 nominations originally received. The candidates will be interviewed between 14 and 16 November 2018.
The Zondo Commission into allegations of state capture resumes on Monday, 12 November, after a break of about a month. The commission kicks off again with the evidence of former public enterprises minister Barbara Hogan, who was initially due to testify on 10 October. To catch up on all the explosive revelations to date, visit Corruption Watch’s commission updates page, which covers the testimony of all the witnesses who appeared during the first seven weeks.
Corruption Watch has been selected as one of 12 finalists in the Google Impact Challenge, a competition to find the most innovative not-for-profit African organisations using technology to solve societal problems. Through the launch of its Bua Mzansi – Know Your Police Station project, Corruption Watch will empower communities to hold police officers accountable by allowing residents to rate police stations based on their experiences, and report incidents of corruption.
On Tuesday 6 November the EU’s Economic and Financial Affairs Council removed Namibia from its blacklist of non-co-operative tax havens, after the Southern African country committed itself to changing its tax rules and practices, which were not aligned with EU standards and practices. The move brought the list down to five jurisdictions, from an original 17.
The Bua Mzansi – Know your Police Station allows people to report incidents of police corruption as well as provide information on the over 1000 police stations across South Africa. Corruption Watch launched the initiative to help improve transparency in the policing sector.
Corruption Watch has welcomed President Ramaphosa’s bold and decisive action in firing SARS Commissioner, Tom Moyane. The organisation laid criminal charges against Moyane in 2016 arising out of his conduct during the infamous Makwakwa affair, and is of the opinion that Moyane has done more damage to South Africa than any other individual.
Corruption Watch, Treatment Action Campaign and SECTION27 yesterday welcomed the resignation of Brian Hlongwa as ANC Chief Whip in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature. The organisations call on the ANC’s national executive committee to expel Hlongwa and Qedani Mahlangu, both of whom have recently fallen from grace, and prevent them from holding party or public office.
An environment not conducive to competition, high and rising costs of healthcare and medical scheme cover, disempowered and uninformed consumers, practitioners that are subject to little regulation, and failures of accountability at many levels – these and more scathing findings came out of the Competition Commission’s market inquiry into private healthcare, which released its interim findings recently.