Because the ongoing impeachment proceedings against Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane are primarily about accountability, Corruption Watch and the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution joined as amici. In the latest judgment, handed down on Friday 4 February 2022 by the Constitutional Court, the bench commended the two organisations for their submissions.
Parliament has announced that next week, on 8 and 9 February 2022, its joint standing committee on intelligence (JSCI) will interview the 10 shortlisted candidates vying for the position of inspector-general of intelligence. As it has done with previous important leadership appointment, Corruption Watch has urged the committee overseeing the process to ensure it is as fair and transparent as possible.
In the Constitutional Court today, the Women’s Legal Centre Trust is amicus in a matter dealing with an Equality Court ruling that the allocation of police human resources in the Western Cape unfairly discriminates against black and poor people based on race and poverty. The Equality Court did not provide a remedy to its finding of discrimination and the applicants will ask the court to compel the police leadership to address this issue, with a deadline included.
Towards the end of last year, Good Governance Africa released the latest version of its Governance Performance Index. We reported earlier this year on the results for municipalities, and we now highlight the performance of the country’s eight metropolitan municipalities and, in brief, the background thereto.
While South Africa might not be able to fix its state-owned enterprises overnight, write Lulama Qabaka and Leon van Vuuren of The Ethics Institute, a good starting point would be the formation of strong and independent governance structures. This first step can be done through nomination committees comprising government and non-government representatives. Importantly, this function does not have to reside within the governing party.
Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has found that the South African Revenue Service (Sars) was systemically and deliberately weakened, chiefly through the restructuring of its institutional capacity, strategic appointments and dismissals of key individuals, and a pervasive culture of fear and bullying. This was achieved by collusion between former president Jacob Zuma, former Sars commissioner Tom Moyane, and consulting firm Bain & Co.
For many Zimbabwean nationals who are anxious over their next move in the wake of the decision by the Department of Home Affairs not to renew Zimbabwe exemption permits, an even more dangerous threat of corruption awaits as the countdown to the deadline to regularise their stay in South Africa begins.
Corruption Watch marks the 10th anniversary of its launch today, and the organisation is making it clear that it has no intention of slowing down. “The fact that CW’s cause and approach is as relevant today as it was 10 years ago is testament to conflicting circumstances,” says our new executive director Karam Singh.
The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration invites members of the public to submit comments on the 16 shortlisted candidates put forward for the position of Public Service Commission commissioner. The closing date for comments is 11 February 2022.
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.