Gun laws save lives, but poor enforcement and associated corruption kills, writes Corruption Watch’s deputy director Ronald Menoe. And often it’s innocent children who end up in the path of a bullet. This Youth Month, we note with sadness that according to research, the leading cause of death for children in South Africa is gun wounds (49.2%), followed by stab (44.3%) and blunt force (6.6%) wounds.
The Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday 15 June that it cannot immediately make a costs order against social development minister Bathabile Dlamini in the Sassa matter, but has ordered that the extent of her personal liability be investigated. Parties involved must submit feedback within 14 days on the process to be followed – failing that, the court will determine the way forward.
In these times of poor national leadership and rampant unethical behaviour, a business focus on and engagement with ethical conduct should be a prioritised imperative, writes Cynthia Schoeman. In this way, the business sector can meaningfully contribute toward greater ethical behaviour in South Africa and in so doing, reduce the spread of lowest-common-denominator unethical behaviour.
South Africa’s proposed national anti-corruption strategy has the potential to succeed, but success will depend on factors such as the complete autonomy and efficiency of state institutions in the country, and building the independence of crime-fighting bodies, as well as improved coordination between all role-players in the fight against corruption.
Our democracy takes the shape of elected representatives on whom we rely to act in our best interests, writes Sabeehah Motala. When this doesn’t happen we vent our outrage publicly and in our numbers, but this doesn’t always result in the change we seek. Yet we are not helpless, and building integrity in ourselves and our communities is just the first step towards overcoming indifference to corruption.
Corruption Watch has written to finance minister Malusi Gigaba, requesting clarification on the date on which the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) amendment act will commence, as well as timeframes for the finalisation of regulations and schedules required to support the implementation of the act.
The national anti-corruption strategy is now open for public discussion. We look at the main take-home points which will inform forward progress.
The South African Police Service is developing a draft anti-corruption strategy which provides for, among others, the establishment of a dedicated internal capability to conduct criminal investigations against members allegedly involved in corrupt and fraudulent activities. Johan Burger and Stefan Grobler of the Institute for Security Studies argue that this is a good idea, provided it is properly staffed and managed.
The decision by the South African Social Services Agency to oppose legal action by Corruption Watch, over irregular expenditure incurred in 2015 for the re-registration of beneficiaries by Cash Paymaster Service, was deemed irrational by the agency. It has withdrawn from the case and its CEO Thokozani Magwaza assured Parliament that Sassa would abide by whatever decision the court makes.