The process to appoint a new public protector has thus far been a remarkable one. We may still find ourselves with a public protector that no one outside the ruling party would support but, by conducting hearings, with the full involvement of civil society organisations such as Corruption Watch, the political cost of this kind of appointment is decreased significantly.
In the build-up to the appointment of our new public protector, we have engaged the services of that irreverent puppet Chester Missing for a series titled Puppet vs Protector. In his inimitable style, Chester conducts short interviews with all of the candidates as well as the chairperson of the parliamentary ad hoc committee tasked with selecting Thuli Madonsela’s successor.
The interviews of all 14 short-listed candidates for the post of public protector have been concluded by the Parliamentary ad hoc committee. The public can still have their say via our online voting tool, where people can indicate which is their preferred candidates.
Integrity, leadership and a judge or practising attorney – these are the qualities and characteristics that respondents to our public protector persona survey have rated most highly.
As the process to select and appoint a new public protector approaches its final stages, with interviews of the shortlisted candidates next on the agenda, Corruption Watch continues to monitor events closely.
Now that elections are over and new municipal councils and structures are in formation, do you know the functions of the people who have been elected to represent your interests to the municipality? Read our guide to municipal councillors to understand what is expected of them and how to hold them accountable
Our heroes this week are all the players in the 2016 local government elections, who helped to ensure that democracy is alive and well in South Africa.
The election manifestos of the ANC, the DA and the EFF make some expansive claims and promises, but do they live up to the big talk? Find out here.
My Vote Counts is turning to the Western Cape High Court in a bid to have the shortcomings of the Promotion of Access to Information Act addressed. The organisation says the public can only properly hold their elected representatives accountable if they are sufficiently informed, and PAIA is inadequate in this specific context.