Defend our Democracy, an association formed in March by civil society organisations – including Corruption Watch – religious leaders and individuals, has called on the South African public to participate in a United in Action Against Corruption week, which will run from 3 to 10 December. Highlights include a march on 5 December, and the release of a CW report on whistle-blowers on 9 December.
Exposing corruption is the only way South Africa can halt its political, social and economic decline, and full protection for those who expose it is a vital first step. If this does not happen we will be failing not only the whistle-blowers but the entire nation, and we will continue to lose valuable citizens like Athol Williams and Babita Deokaran.
The second article in a series focusing on our investigation into the Public Service Commission highlights the weaknesses uncovered, and potential triumphs that could be realised if the body’s restoration drive is taken seriously.
In part 4 of our series on beneficial ownership transparency, we see that a good deal of the spate of illegal activity seen in recent years could have been alleviated, had accurate and accessible information on the true owners of companies been readily available. Continued corporate ownership opacity plays into the hands of criminals – but finally a global push for transparency is taking shape.
In part 3 of our new mini-series highlighting the current Financial Action Task Force beneficial ownership review process, we highlight the proposed amendments to Recommendation 24 and its interpretive note, with responses from stakeholders factored in.
In part 2 of our new mini-series highlighting the current Financial Action Task Force (FATF) beneficial ownership review process, we examine the five key recommendations submitted by Transparency International as a response to the FATF invitation. Part 1 presented the particular issues the financial watchdog had sought input on, part 3 will look at the FATF response to the call for submissions, and part 4 will recap a number of recent high-profile examples of why beneficial ownership transparency is so important.
In the past year, South Africans have endured not only the hardships of Covid-19 on top of everything else, but have been subjected to the outlandish and improbable promises of campaigning politicians gearing up for the local government elections. When casting our vote, writes Corruption Watch’s Melusi Ncala, we must keep in mind that their promises were many and their deliveries were few.
Corruption Watch recently analysed the spend by the South African Police Service on PPEs during the Covid-19 era, and the results reveal a disturbing trend of gross inflation of prices, fruitless and wasteful expenditure and possible corruption. The data was obtained from publicly available Treasury records – but if such revelations are not followed by consequences for the perpetrators, they might as well not bother.
These days civil society is more conscious about corruption, writes Ferial Haffajee, and this heightened awareness and resultant publicising of the issue can can make it seem things are getting worse rather than better. But corruption is being exposed – though not addressed – more frequently than ever before. This momentum will be lost, however, unless activism, investigation and prosecution are intensified.
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.