In Ghana, land is an indispensable asset. It’s a source of livelihood and social identity, and men and women should have equal opportunities to benefit from it. But when entrenched patriarchy tips the power scales, and corruption reinforces cultural norms, the impact on women can be devastating.
Cape Town-born Cobus de Swardt is the MD of Transparency International. He started off as a human rights activist and, after a decade or so in an academic career, transferred his energies to the fight against corruption. He speaks here to Biznews.com.
Now that her first 100 days is behind her, Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s outreach programme starts in earnest later this month. Titled Broadening Access: Taking the Public Protector to the grassroots, it will take the form of a roadshow through which she will engage with public service leadership and the public, with the aim of facilitating access to the services of her office in communities across the country that would otherwise struggle to gain such access.
Corruption plays a significant role in the perpetuation of the illegal wildlife trade. The corrupt get away with their dirty deeds because the commitment to tackling them remains largely on paper, says the Environmental Investigation Agency, which published a report on the situation recently.
Corruption Watch is still waiting for the Hawks to respond to our letter of inquiry into the investigation of possible criminal activities by Sars head Tom Moyane and two senior Sars employees. We have written a follow-up letter asking for a response by 3 February, failing which we will pursue other remedies.
When greedy contractors set their sights on a prime piece of land, nobody is safe – not even schoolchildren. Langata Road Primary School in Nairobi recently fell victim to an unscrupulous scheme, and its plight has highlighted the urgent need for a standard process to register land so that schools may finally hold title to the ground they’ve occupied for years.
Corruption Watch has made further submissions in Parliament on the draft Financial Intelligence Centre amendment bill, this time to help clarify the section in the bill that deals with warrantless searches, as well as to express our concern about the delays in signing the amended FIC act into force.
Recent fierce resistance to corruption by the public as well as bigwigs from both the private and public sector, demonstrates the power and importance of publicly expressed outrage at corruption, and it is this that halts our slide downwards in the corruption indices, writes David Lewis. It accounts for the perception that, although we may still have a serious corruption problem, the good guys are in the ascendant.
Transparency International released its 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index today. The good news is that South Africa’s score and ranking has remained more or less stable. The bad news is that, with our score below 50, we are still among those countries deemed to have a serious corruption problem.
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.