The Department of Trade and Industry and Competition will this month submit the Companies First and Second Amendment Bills to Parliament. The two bills are aimed at addressing beneficial ownership transparency, improving transparency around the pay gap between employees and executives, and extending the period during which former directors can be declared delinquent, among others.
Transparency International chapters in Africa came together in Johannesburg this week for their annual regional meeting. The group has pushed relentlessly for conditions for freer, fairer, and more prosperous societies across the continent, said former ConCourt justice Richard Goldstone, delivering the keynote address at the gathering.
Over the next 10 years, says the Tax Justice Network, countries will lose nearly US$5-trillion in tax abuse because of the dodgy dealings of multinational corporations and wealthy individuals using tax havens to avoid paying what is due by them. The organisation is pushing for regulation of the global tax network to transfer to the UN, as it argues that the OECD – the current tax watchdog– is failing to curb tax evasion and illicit financial flows.
We often talk about the plight of whistle-blowers as being one that involves their safety, wellbeing and security – and rightly so. But often we overlook the power of inspiration that they may have drawn from those who used their positions of power and influence to right wrongs, despite the backlash they received. Some of these are women who, in spite of the circumstances, dared to use their voices for the benefit of many others who could not.
As South Africa ponders the question of how to provide incentives for whistle-blowers, the country needs to first adjust its approach to the matter. This was the view of experts who took part in a recent webinar hosted by the Public Affairs Research Institute. For instance, we should not look for lessons from the US – where a successful incentivisation scheme has been running for years – because that country has institutionalised whistle-blower support and South Africa has not.
Corruption is a scourge in our country, and a major obstacle to our development, security, and well-being. It violates the principles of justice, robs people of their basic human rights, […]
KZN’s KwaDukuza Municipality will include over 300 households from the Sheffield informal settlement in a new housing project, as agreed in a recent court settlement, reports Tsoanelo Sefoloko for GroundUp. The agreement ends nearly five years of continuous evictions and court battles against the shack dwellers, who were supported by housing movement Abahlali BaseMjondolo, and represented in court by the Socio-economic Rights Institute of South Africa.
The laws relating to whistle-blowers are supposed to protect them against retaliation and victimisation. But what happens when the law itself is used as a weapon against those who expose corruption? South Africa is not alone in dealing with the use of the law to avoid accountability, rather than as a tool for social change and justice.
Corruption Watch wishes to correct a previous observation made, that Professor Boitumelo Mmusinyane may not qualify for the role of public protector due to not being admitted as an advocate. We have been corrected in this regard and we apologise for any misconceptions created. We wish Prof Mmusinyane well in the upcoming interview process.
Visit our GivenGain R20 for Change page and help us demand transparency in our systems, accountability in our leaders, and better empowerment and protection of whistle-blowers. By donating R20 a month, you’ll be supporting our work with communities across the country, helping them to know and access their rights and reduce the corruption that robs people of resources intended for their benefit.