Vote for your Hero and Zero of the Year!

Was there a corruption buster who stood out for you this year? Or a corruption perpetrator who almost made you despair? Now’s the time for you to let us know who you particularly liked or loathed – yes, voting is open for Hero and Zero of the Year. Last year our heroes were the three Read more >

SA disappoints in TI’s Africa corruption survey

Global corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI) today launches its African edition of the Global Corruption Barometer, which was conducted in partnership with Afrobarometer. The report, titled People and Corruption: Africa Survey 2015, polled 43 143 respondents across 28 countries in sub-Saharan Africa on their experiences and perceptions of corruption in their country, and the results Read more >

Muthambi appeal shows contempt

By Bekezela Phakathi There is no rational explanation why Communications Minister Faith Muthambi and South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) executives are intent on defending chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng at all costs, other than contempt for the public protector. The ink had hardly dried on the ruling by the High Court in Cape Town setting Read more >

Audit reports improve, but old problems remain

Presenting his audit report on provincial and national departments last year, auditor-general (AG) Kimi Makwetu said that wasteful expenditure and the flouting of procurement processes in government will continue because there are simply no consequences for errant officials who abuse systems without shame. This year, he said much the same thing. Presenting his audit report Read more >

SA police force featured in new corruption book

South Africa is one of eight emerging nations whose police forces are profiled in a new book titled Police Corruption and Police Reforms in Developing Societies. The volume, edited by Kempe Ronald Hope, Sr., looks at efforts to combat police corruption in Argentina, Cameroon, Ghana, India, Kenya, Solomon Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and South Africa, Read more >

An action plan for more open government

In part two of our series on the Open Government Partnership (OGP), we take a closer look at South Africa’s action plans – that is, the efforts its government is making to improve openness and transparency. Part one gave an overview of OGP and South Africa’s role in it. The OGP was launched in 2011 Read more >

OGP for transparency and accountability

The Open Government Partnership (OGP) held its second global summit in Mexico from 27 to 29 October 2015 – the first took place in London in 2013. South Africa, which is a founding member of the OGP, attended the gathering. Our new two-part series looks at South Africa’s participation in the OGP process – part Read more >

The power of investigative journalism

Corruption is a crime that goes unnoticed, and often it’s only through the efforts of investigative journalists that such crimes are exposed. Because it’s important for journalists to hone their skills and learn from their peers, Wits University last week hosted the latest edition of Power Reporting 2015 – the African Investigative Journalism Conference. Wits’ Read more >

G20 drops ball on beneficial ownership

The G20 has not delivered on promises to tackle issues of beneficial ownership – this is revealed in a report released on Thursday by Transparency International. In November 2014 the G20 countries – of which South Africa is one – met in Brisbane. Among the topics up for discussion was the question of beneficial ownership. Read more >