We are often frustrated in our attempts to uncover the story behind the reports we receive. Refusal to co-operate, silence on the other side, denial of Paia requests – these are all part and parcel of our investigative work and it is the reason that, in many cases, we cannot resolve a complaint to the satisfaction of a reporter. Take, for instance, the case of Joe Morolong local municipality.
Making the decision to blow the whistle on corruption and wrongdoing takes immense courage, when often it would be much easier to just turn a blind eye and say nothing. Whistleblowers often go through harrowing experiences on their way to vindication and the truth. Here are seven excellent films, mostly based on true stories, which document whistleblowers whose actions turned into huge stories.
Six years after he was suspended, Richard Mdluli has finally been ‘relieved of his duties’ as head of police crime intelligence. In the meantime he has earned millions. Mdluli will be pensioned off with all the benefits that are due to him, said police minister Fikile Mbalula at a media briefing.
Corruption Watch has been cooperating in the investigation into McKinsey and Trillian with the US Department of Justice, and will continue to do so. The organisation believes that for a thorough investigation into state capture and looting to take place in South Africa, the current national director of public prosecutions – whose appointment was set aside in court last month – must be replaced.
Corruption is everyone’s problem, writes Oliver Bullough in this opinion piece for Al Jazeera. Just because you live in a wealthy country or are well off yourself doesn’t mean that you can be complacent or uncaring – because corruption affects us all.
The global campaign Integrity Idols, which aims to find and laud honest civil servants who display integrity and commitment in their work and outside of it, arrives in South Africa next week. The local version of the programme launches on 16 January – read more about how you can take part.
The People’s Tribunal on Economic Crimes convenes in February 2018 for the first time. The tribunal is driven by civil society, including Corruption Watch, and seeks to interrogate the continuities in grand corruption in South Africa over the past 40 years, from apartheid to contemporary state capture. It hopes to stimulate informed public debate and engagement in the continuities of corruption in South Africa, and identify actors in the private and public sector who have committed or been complicit in acts of corruption or economic crime.
While Corruption Watch welcomes the appointment of the commission of enquiry into state capture, it urges public vigilance in ensuring that the commission stays true to its mandate and does not divert from its specified purpose. The organisation is also sceptical of the belated timing of the announcement.
It’s not enough to court foreign investment into public infrastructure, writes Chris Heathcote. Rule of law must apply, governance structures must be sound, and development plans must be well thought out – then the finance will follow. Otherwise, as is seen in Africa, the shortfall of infrastructure investment because of poor governance which allows corruption to creep in, will lead to lower growth, fewer jobs and fewer opportunities.
Visit our GivenGain R20 for Change page and help us demand transparency in our systems, accountability in our leaders, and better empowerment and protection of whistle-blowers. By donating R20 a month, you’ll be supporting our work with communities across the country, helping them to know and access their rights and reduce the corruption that robs people of resources intended for their benefit.