Entries by Corruption Watch

CW and ISS urge public to participate in police survey

15 August 2017 in , , , , /by

On the eve of the commemoration of the Marikana massacre, Corruption Watch and the Institute for Security Studies have launched a survey encouraging the public to voice their opinions about the skills and attributes they would like to see in the new national police commissioner and the head of the Hawks. This public opinion will be fed into the selection process for these two appointments still to be made by the president and minister of police respectively, as part of the organisations’ joint awareness campaign focusing on police leadership.

Youth are not powerless to fight corruption

14 August 2017 in , /by

Young people around the globe have the potential and power to help shape a fairer and more just world. Many young people are fighting corruption and making a big difference, but for those who are interested in tackling corruption and just don’t know where to start, here are 15 great ideas from Transparency International’s youth anti-corruption tool kit.

Osisa report: efficacy of SADC’s anti-corruption bodies

10 August 2017 in , /by

Corruption in SADC is a deliberate executive machination, a new report by the Open Society Initiative shows. In South Africa, the ongoing maladministration within state owned entities such as Eskom, Transnet, Prasa and SAA is indicative of corruption and patronage in the public sector. These remain the weakest link when it comes to policy implementation in the country, particularly given that they largely remain host to ‘networks of patronage’.

Turning big data in Africa into an anti-corruption tool

10 August 2017 in , /by

Big data – large, complex sets of data that, when analysed, may produce interesting and unexpected results – has the potential to expose corruption and detect suspicious patterns and transactions, writes Elizabeth Dávid-Barrett. We saw it in the Panama Papers last year and more recently, in the Gupta Leaks which continues to yield revelations almost daily. There is a role for big data to play in Africa, but the required statistical skills and software are not in ready supply on the continent and many other parts of the developing world.

MPs have constitutional duty to hold executive to account

8 August 2017 in , /by

An elected public representative is expected to stay true to their mandate of working in the best interest of the public at all times, or be willing to step down to make way for others who can. This rings true for a ward councillor with a constituency of a few thousand people, or the sitting president of the country. What is in the public interest is top priority and should remain so until the particular office is vacated.

Mbete does the right thing, putting SA’s interests first

8 August 2017 in , /by

Parliamentary speaker Baleka Mbete, in her thinking around the secret ballot of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma – announced yesterday – recognises the primary point made by the Constitutional Court: that once an MP is sworn in, his or her allegiance is not first and foremost to their party but to the Constitution and the oath of office.