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.
The Public Audit Act amendment bill was signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa a week ago. The law gives the Auditor-General more power to act against officials and employees who waste taxpayers’ money, as well as those who are aware that money is being siphoned but decline to against the culprits. These functions include issuing a certificate of debt for failing to implement the AG’s recommendations if financial loss was involved, and taking binding remedial action for failing to implement the AG’s recommendations.
A treasury in disarray – this was the main focus of this week’s testimony at the Zondo Commission. Former finance minister Pravin Gordhan and his former director-general Lungisa Fuzile painted a disturbing – and at times, amusing – picture of the goings-on in National Treasury during 2014 and 2015.
Insults and derogatory statements, such as those made yesterday by EFF leader Julius Malema, severely undermines the seriousness of the work being done by the Zondo Commission, and could negatively influence the willingness of witnesses to give vital testimony. CW has called on Deputy Chief Justice Zondo to hold Malema to account for his disrespectful words.
This year’s Public Finance Management Act audit results paint yet another grim picture of more regression than improvement. While the audit results of 43 auditees improved, said Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu, tabling the report in Parliament yesterday, they were overshadowed by the 73 that regressed from the previous year. The education, health and public works departments were the worst offenders, with only two departments across these sectors receiving clean audit opinions.