Optics are important in any government, anywhere. Politicians want to look good. But when optics and pretty words are all that’s delivered, then governance is fractured, and public trust remains in the doldrums.
Soon after the government’s announcement of relief funds for flood-stricken KwaZulu-Natal, civil society, business and beyond started blowing the warning whistle on potential corruption before it even happened, writes Karam Singh, Corruption Watch’s CEO.
Racketeering charges may seem like just another charge among many, but they can be used to secure convictions of corrupt high-ranking officials who steal public money for personal enrichment
It is time to consider and define the theft and corruption of disaster relief funding as a crime against humanity, a treason against the people, writes the Daily Maverick in an editorial. The latest shameless show of greed centres on donations meant for rescue efforts after the devastating floods in KwaZulu-Natal. It wasn’t long before the vultures were circling.
The Political Party Funding Act was enforced on 1 April 2021. The legislation has been largely welcomed as it seeks, among others, to limit the control private donors have over political parties – however, it is already in danger of being amended, through a push by the governing ANC for more lenient requirements.
With millions of rands of relief funds allocated to address the damage caused by recent severe floods in KwaZulu-Natal, the ever-present threat of corrupt and improper use of those funds must not be ignored. Corruption Watch has warned that transparency and strict monitoring must be a feature of the distribution of the relief funds, lest the rampant and shameless looting that characterised the use of Covid-19 emergency resources happens again.
Corruption Watch’s Project Larona aims to contribute to addressing income and wealth inequality related to land rights, land reform, and access to natural resources, by ensuring that those living in traditional areas are able to have a greater say over the decisions affecting their land. As part of the project, we provide access here to summaries of court cases which specify the key rights available to these vulnerable groups.
Who is responsible for the catastrophe that is Delmore East Ext2? Residents claim they were duped by banks that approved their home loans without due diligence checks on the sustainability of the land. Their houses, built on sinkholes and a wetland, pose a real threat to inhabitants, who are now taking on the banks and developers in a civil case.
Driving licence test centre officials, in collusion with driving school practitioners, to bend the rules as and when they see fit, for their personal benefit – and why not, seeing that some earn up to R22 000 a day. But the lack of immediate consequences for this attitude, writes Zanele Fengu, is that for every forward step in policy and technology to advance the eradication of corruption and fraud, there will be unfortunate concessions to accommodate those who use intimidation and force to secure their demands.
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.