Entries by Corruption Watch

Ibrahim index: African govts lacking in accountability

The 2016 Ibrahim Index of African Governance shows that in terms of overall governance, South Africa was the only country to have slipped from the “high” ranking band to “medium-high”. While South Africa did feature in the top 10 for overall governance for this year’s index, it was also the 10th most deteriorated country in this respect over the decade of the index’s existence.

What’s happening in the Prasa case?

In the current narrative of how South Africa’s state-owned entities can be better run to avoid multi-million rand losses due to poor management, Prasa is one of the talking points of the nation right now. The passenger rail agency is grappling with numerous issues, including non-payment of suppliers, investigations into its operations, and the reversal of a tender worth billions.

Why does corruption in Africa continue to thrive?

Acknowledging the negative human rights impact of corruption makes it imperative for African states to provide better protection to their citizens, writes Anton du Plessis of the ISS. But an absence of enforcement creates space for corrupt officials and businesspeople to hide without fear of pursuit or prosecution. And there is little political will to change things.