Nearly a year ago Nigeria published Africa’s first beneficial ownership registry, focusing on the oil, gas and mining sectors. NGO OpenOwnership, which supports countries implementing beneficial ownership transparency, assessed the tool soon after its establishment, and was cautiously optimistic. South Africa, despite long-standing commitments to establish a beneficial ownership register, has yet to do so.
The sheer scale of corruption in South Africa – most recently, the pillaging of resources intended for countering Covid-19 – is, to quote the Auditor-General, ‘frightening’. It not only deprives South Africa’s most vulnerable of the support to which they are entitled, but fosters cynicism about the political environment that enables it. Civil society must demand accountability for things to change materially.
Corruption Watch’s 2020 report titled the Analysis of Corruption Trends paints a bleak picture. But it also demonstrates that South Africa’s whistleblowers are far from defeated, writes Melusi Ncala.
Despite voicing their concerns about matters of royalties and traditional leadership many times over the years, the North West mining community of the Bapo Ba Mogale are still without answers or satisfaction. The community is demanding the release of the Mafereka report, which was finalised in mid-2013 and has been kept secret ever since. The community’s hope now is to put pressure on the provincial government to release the report, by exposing its lack of action.
The Civil Society Working Group on State Capture, of which Corruption Watch is a member, has sent, in an open letter to Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, a list of key witnesses whose testimony must be heard before the state capture commission ends its work at the end of March 2021. The list features public officials, individuals and private corporations.
The Budget Justice Coalition’s Imali Yrsizwe alternative people’s budget, released on 21 October 2020, puts the fulfilment of human rights first and replaces austerity with a long-term plan for socio-economic development that will ensure the economy and its people recover sustainably from COVID-19. The budget is the result of efforts made by progressive civil society organisations working in the budget and human rights sectors.
The Ad Hoc Committee on the Appointment of the Auditor-General has nominated deputy auditor-general Tsakani Maluleke to take over from outgoing AG Kimi Makwetu, who steps down at the end of November. Maluleke was the committee’s unanimous choice.
We live in a world where we don’t know who owns what, how they afforded it in the first place and what they are doing with it, writes Tax Justice Network researcher Andres Knobel. Companies awarded government contracts or extractive licenses could be owned by some honest person – or by the very same minister approving the contract. This is why beneficial ownership transparency is such a crucial weapon against corruption and money laundering.
On Wednesday 21 October 2020, the Budget Justice Coalition will table an alternative, people’s budget based on human rights. The coalition is concerned about the possibility of the upcoming medium term budget policy statement cutting funding to health, education, social development, local government and housing, and critical institutions.
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.