SA government corruption contributes to overfishing

Some material supplied by University of Gothenburg Bribery among government officials who inspect fishing along the coast of South Africa contributes to overfishing – this is shown in a new peer-reviewed study. Researcher Aksel Sundström, a PhD candidate in Political Science at Gothenburg University in Sweden, examines how bribes and corruption hamper the implementation of Read more >

How open is your government?

The World Justice Project (WJP), which works to advance the rule of law, recently launched its 2015 Open Government Index. This, says the organisation, is its first effort at measuring government openness around the world, and is based on ordinary people’s experiences and perceptions as they interact with their governments. Openness, says WJP, is a Read more >

TI and CW engage with young corruption busters

Transparency International (TI) and its South African chapter Corruption Watch held a workshop on youth and corruption in Johannesburg in early May. Delegates from South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe took part in the discussion, which centred on the goal of building an environment which enables young people to thrive in all facets of society without Read more >

Civil society victory as Alderman steps down

Corruption Watch, with five other organisations, last week wrote an open letter to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to express disappointment that Richard Alderman would sit on the high-level advisory panel reviewing OECD efforts on bribery. Their voices did not go unheard – the Financial Times reports today that Alderman, a former Read more >

Immigrants face a continuing cycle of abuse

By David Lewis First published in City Press The glare from the xenophobic flames burning these past weeks should not blind us to the reality that what we are witnessing is simply a moment in the slow violence to which immigrant communities are subject every day and in every interaction with South African officialdom. After Read more >

Civil society disappointed by OECD choice of Alderman

Corruption Watch is one of six signatories of an open letter to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), protesting the organisation’s recent appointment of Richard Alderman to its high-level advisory group to review the OECD’s efforts on bribery. The group is concerned about Alderman’s apparent preference for using settlements to wrap up cases Read more >

Corruption in defence – a matter of life or death

Transparency International (TI) UK has released its 2015 defence companies anti-corruption index – the second edition. Building on the first index released in 2012, TI UK says that just 33% of defence companies improved the transparency and quality of their anti-corruption programmes – and two-thirds don’t make the grade. “Companies that have improved are taking Read more >

CW gathers data on corruption threats to refugees

Reports received by Corruption Watch indicate that foreign nationals, most notably refugees, face extortion, threats and solicitation from a number of government agencies on a regular basis. To date Corruption Watch has received over 100 reports to this effect. All reports involve state officials demanding bribes, specifically from officials within the South African Police Service Read more >

Open letter to the African Commission re: xenophobia

Open Letter to the African Commission Regarding the Xenophobic Attacks in South Africa 23 April, 2015 Dear Chair and Commissioners of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, We, the undersigned civil society organisations, write to you as concerned organisations and citizens of the African continent to raise concern about the xenophobic attacks currently Read more >