New research by the Access to Information Network has revealed a shocking dereliction of duties by public and private bodies to realise South Africans’ constitutional right of access to information. Of 369 Paia requests submitted to government by network members between 1 August 2015 to 31 July 2016, 46% of requests were refused and just 34% of requests were granted in full.
In his budget speech, delivered yesterday, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan toned down the authoritative tone against wasteful government spending that he showed in the previous year, instead highlighting the cost-effective ways in which government has managed the public procurement space, particularly the achievements of the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer.
Sassa’s failure to act means that there is no credible arrangement in place to ensure that social grants will be paid when its court-set deadline expires on 31 March, writes Andries du Toit. Disrupting the payments will cause huge suffering to South Africa’s poorest and most vulnerable people, and the government is missing a valuable opportunity to address the issue of financial inclusion.
The 2017 Edelman Trust barometer showed that South Africans are the most distrustful of their government, out of 28 countries and 33 000 respondents polled. Trust in media and business also fell, while trust in the NGO sector remained stable.
“Good systems are better than bad systems, but they need to be complemented by strong co-operative partnerships,” said Corruption Watch’s executive director David Lewis, commenting on the refurbished Marabastad Refugee Reception Office, launched today in Pretoria by the Department of Home Affairs. The revamp is intended to address queue management and security concerns, among other issues. “We are looking forward to collaborating with the DHA to make meaningful contributions,” Lewis added.
Corruption Watch’s new awareness and fundraising campaign aims to shine the spotlight on those who are affected the most by corruption, which is why we have chosen to focus on corruption in schools. The case in our fundraising video is based upon real experiences reported to Corruption Watch by whistle-blowers.
Corruption Watch is in Parliament today to make further oral submissions to the Select Committee on Security and Justice on the Protected Disclosures Act amendment bill. Our concerns centre on the expanded definition of “occupational detriment”, as well as the section that excludes civil and criminal liability for protected disclosures, and the introduction of offences for making disclosures in bad faith.
The OECD describes the global natural resource sector as the world’s most corrupt industry. Developing countries’ natural wealth is siphoned off by corrupt politicians and the companies they do business with, robbing national treasuries of public funds that could lift countless out of poverty. As one of the main consumer markets for tropical timber, the EU has a key responsibility to promote and pursue fundamental reforms to tackle corruption in source countries.
President Jacob Zuma delivered his State of the Nation Address for 2017 at a joint sitting of Parliament on 9 February. He spoke of accelerated economic transformation, women’s rights, and plans to tackle unemployment – but as in previous years, he did not give corruption the prominence it deserves.