President Jacob Zuma has paid back the money, as directed by the Constitutional Court, but while the move has been welcomed, there is considerable doubt and scepticism around the transaction, based on Zuma’s history of ducking and diving responsibility.
Pikitup MD Amanda Nair has been dismissed, after years of fighting off allegations of corruption, poor management and ill treatment towards workers. The relationship of trust with her had broken down irrevocably, said the Pikitup board in a statement.
Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane is one step away from being named as South Africa’s new public protector. Last night the National Assembly gave her the 60% majority yes vote that she needed to make her appointment all but permanent. It remains only for President Jacob Zuma to sign her into office.
The time is right for the establishment of a new Chapter Nine institution, an integrity commission to effectively tackle the widespread and entrenched corruption in all sectors of our country, writes Advocate Paul Hoffman. And if the political will is lacking, there are ways in which to create it.
The latest crime statistics were presented to Parliament today, with acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane and minister Nkosinathi Nhleko putting a positive spin on the information. The two officials neglected to talk about the crime of corruption, as has been the case in the years before.
Although civil society organisations such as Corruption Watch are using technology in their mobilisation strategies and transparency initiatives, writes Indra de Lanerolle, few of them choose the right technological tools to make these initiatives work.
The parliamentary ad hoc committee to select a new public protector showed us how efficiently parliamentary committees could, and should be run – making the members our heroes for the week. They deliberated robustly and sometimes heatedly, but in the end professionalism and reason were the order of the day and South Africans were treated to a showcase of democracy at work.
Public protector hopeful Busisiwe Mkhwebane was selected yesterday in a transparent, publicly accessible process, as the best candidate to take over from current public protector Thuli Madonsela, whose term of office ends in mid-October. In her interview, Mkhwebane showed herself to be competent, educated and experienced. She promised that all her dealings would be transparent, should she make the cut.
Our hero of the week is a quick-thinking car guard who refused a substantial bribe offered by car thieves, and contrived to set the crooks up for arrest by police. For his honesty and indefatigable sense of right and wrong, we make Tshepo Molaoele our hero for this week.