Secrecy enablers are pushing back against the hard-won gains in enhanced corporate transparency. A new report from the Tax Justice Network shows that they are weaponising the rights to privacy and data protection to prevent access to information by the public and by competent authorities – but also shows that their arguments are easily debunked.
On Wednesday 15 May 2024, Corruption Watch releases a new report titled The Impact of Corruption: Insights from a Perceptions and Experiences Survey. The research team worked with a select group of respondents to gauge the overall perceptions of corruption in South Africa, and to touch on direct experiences of corruption and interaction with officials and leaders from various levels of government and business.
A new report by GI-TOC reveals how the growing extortion economy in the Western Cape fuels violence and fear, damages the formal and informal economy, disrupts critical development projects, interferes with basic service delivery, undermines the rule of law, and further erodes trust in the government. If not dealt with speedily and effectively, says the report, it will develop into a parallel system of criminal governance throughout the country.
The National Prosecuting Authority has a state capture prosecutions headache, but its head Shamila Batohi is confident that the organisation will get things right. This state capture update features a small, but important, development in the Free State asbestos case, and the election list of the ANC that contains state capture accused.
While we ponder our choice of whom to give our vote to on 29 May, it is useful to understand Parliament’s function as lawmaker and the role that we as voters play in that process – this is part of being an active citizen, one that will not be afraid to make their mark on the ballot paper when the time comes.
Millions of South Africans still struggle daily to have their basic human rights upheld and respected. Amnesty International’s 2024 annual report reveals our leadership’s flagrant disregard for people’s right to health and safety, education, freedom, and more. With the nation going to the polls on 29 May, voters have an opportunity to collectively shape the future of the country and vote for human rights, says the organisation.
This Freedom Day, South African communities impacted by service delivery failures should take stock of the situation and prepare to vote for what matters most to them. The message is that abstaining from voting is not going to ensure the delivery of essential basic services, but turning up in numbers and voting for a party committed to providing such services, will go a long way towards attaining that goal.
Transparency International’s new research report, This Beautiful Land: Corruption, Discrimination and Land Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa features research and case studies from Ghana, Madagascar, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. A webinar held a few days after gave participants in the study – including Corruption Watch – the chance to share their thoughts and insights on the project, and discuss what strategies can be implemented to counter the situation.
National Treasury has failed to accede to the City of Tshwane’s request, made more than two months ago, that Blackhead Consulting be put on the list of restricted suppliers. The company is implicated in corruption relating to the unfinished upgrade and refurbishment to Tshwane’s Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Plant, which may have contributed to a deadly cholera outbreak in May 2023.