It is illegal for a no-fee school to charge fees of any kind to parents, although parents can be encouraged to make “voluntary contributions” of money or time to the school. But Corruption Watch has had many reports of no-fee schools like Mpumelelo Primary School charging fees to parents, and sometimes even withholding a child’s progress report or barring them entry to the school premises if the parent has not paid.
Corruption Watch has laid criminal charges against South African Revenue Services (Sars) commissioner, Tom Moyane, as well as two senior Sars employees, Jonas Makwakwa and Kelly-Ann Elskie. In the interests of transparency, we publish all the correspondence relating to our investigation.
If corruption in South Africa becomes institutionalised, writes Prof William Gumede of Wits University’s School of Governance, it will be virtually impossible to tackle it. In a policy brief published recently, he outlines a number of steps that can be taken to combat corruption, but although they have all been suggested at one time or another, those in authority have been reluctant to adopt them.
When leadership power is used for self-enrichment and self-interest and to pursue corrupt ends, it amounts to a gross abuse of power, writes Cynthia Schoeman. But now is not a time to succumb to feeling powerless – we must remember the strength and resilience of the many social activists who fought for our freedom, and find that same strength within ourselves. Now is the time to be an ethics activist.
Former National Director of Public Prosecutions, Mxolisi Nxasana, has filed a revealing and potentially damning affidavit in response to an application lodged by Corruption Watch and Freedom Under Law. Nxasana reveals that he did not make a request to the president to leave office in terms of section 12(8) of the NPA Act and that therefore the president’s version of events is false, among other statements.
Online technology has removed much of the human element from various business and compliance transactions, which helps make them efficient and nearly error-free. But can we safely say that e-governance processes work in eliminating the potential of bribery and corruption?
Transparency International and some of its chapters in sub-Saharan Africa have developed a guide explaining how land corruption affects men and women differently. The guide also offers practical advice on how to design anti-corruption programmes that take the needs of both women and men into account.
South Africa is facing an unprecedented political, economic and social crisis, and the common denominator which threatens to tear the country apart is corruption. Across the public and private sectors, there is an environment that is conducive for corruption to flourish. “While the removal of Zuma will not, by any means, solve all of our problems, it has become clear that none can be solved as long as he remains head of state.,” says David Lewis, executive director of Corruption Watch
The Afrikaanse Handelsinstituut is hosting a day-long conference, the first in a series of conversations between business, government and leading experts, designed to explore what we can all do to ensure that SMEs operate in a truly enabling environment. SMEs contribute as much as 30% of South Africa’s GDP and are responsible for creating many new jobs.