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.
Monday 28 January is marked around the world as Data Privacy Day. It was established by the EU in 2006 to raise awareness about the importance of personal data protection. South Africa is still awaiting the full enforcement of its own legislation relating to the protection of personal data. The Protection of Personal Information Act was signed into law five years ago, but is still only partially in force.
Recently appointed national director of public prosecutions Shamila Batohi starts her 10-year tenure today. Batohi, who completed a stint as senior advisor at the International Criminal Court, is the first woman to be appointed permanently as NDPP. Experts say she is likely to prioritise the matter of stability in the organisation.