The 20th International Anti-Corruption Conference took place from 6-10 December 2022 in Washington DC. After around 90 sessions, hours of deliberations, and much discussion, participants had come up with a number of anti-corruption focus areas, and resolved to unite in solidarity against corruption. This resolve was published on 12 December as the Washington Declaration. Read it here.
The remainder of the General Laws (Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Terrorism Financing) Amendment Act will commence on 1 April 2023, except for two sections. The first instalment took force on 31 December 2022. The act was hastily developed in response to South Africa’s potential unwelcome appearance on the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list of countries under increased monitoring, as a result of deficiencies in its anti-money laundering legislation..
Impeachment debates, motions of no confidence, the Zondo Commission, speeches and state capture, committees and sessions, bills and acts, fire and damage – 2022 was a busy year for South Africa’s Parliament. Read the Parliamentary Monitoring Group’s review of the year that was.
Another year, and the fight to eliminate corruption goes on. Opposition political parties have stated their determination to press on with their various anti-corruption initiatives, saying there can be no retreat or capitulation.
Criminals who brazenly threaten officials engaged in anti-corruption work do so because more often than not, they enjoy certain levels of political protection, writes Kwazi Dlamini. And even more shocking – or perhaps not so – is that some of our very own political leaders take pleasure in disparaging those who try to root out corruption.
Accountability means different things to different people, in different contexts and in different countries. In this article, based on the Accountability Research Center’s recent working paper on accountability keywords, we take a closer look at the concept.
While the governing ANC talks a lot about fighting corruption and develops ambitious action plans, writes Corruption Watch’s Moepeng Talane, its lack of a culture of accountability for wrongdoing within its own ranks is one of its greatest weaknesses.
Corruption is paid for not only in hard currency, but also in human potential, trust and solidarity, and the very future of the planet. The only way to meaningfully tackle it, says the UN Development Programme, is to work together – because the price we are paying is too high.
The fact that National Treasury’s tender defaulters database is empty – and likely has been ever since it was set up in 2004 – is less of a Treasury problem and more of a criminal justice system problem, says procurement law expert Prof Geo Quinot. One probable reason, he contends, is that there are not enough prosecutions happening under the very specific procurement-related provisions of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act.