UK Bribery Act encourages culture of bribery prevention

  By Wilma den Hartigh   South African companies operating in the UK could find themselves in trouble if they don’t comply with the country’s new Bribery Act. The new law, which came into force on 1 July 2011, is also drawing attention locally as it contains important lessons that could help South Africa in Read more >

Click-through civic action

By Nicky Rehbock   One of the dominant themes of the 15th Anti-Corruption Conference in Brasilia was the role of civil society in fighting corruption. Simply put, civil society is a space outside one’s family, state or economy where people can group together to support action on a set of issues. Corruption Watch was sponsored Read more >

Bethal ghost teacher exposed

  An Mpumalanga primary school teacher has robbed South African taxpayers of thousands of rands in salary cheques she collected while she was nowhere near the classroom, but rather was nurturing her estate agent career, with the blessing of the school principal.   Kobus du Plessis, the head of HM Swart Laerskool in Bethal, knowingly Read more >

Three-pronged corruption attack needed

  The fight against corruption needs a practical, integrated approach that includes governments, private sectors and civil society working together – that was one of the main messages coming out of a recent session at Transparency International’s 15th Anti-Corruption Conference taking place in Brasilia, Brazil, from 7 to 10 November.   Corruption Watch has been Read more >

Nxesi dodges questions on Nkandla upgrade

  On 30 September, City Press reported that the Department of Public Works had approved a budget in March in 2011, to revamp President Zuma’s private residence in Nkandla, in KwaZulu-Natal. Proposed renovations include building helipads, sports fields, underground bunkers and fencing the entire complex. The article caused a huge public outcry, to which Nxesi Read more >

Khayelitsha hearings to start

  By Lorraine Louw   The Commission of Inquiry into policing in Khayelitsha published its hearing plan yesterday, despite a call from the national minister of police to halt proceedings.   It said that during the first week of hearings, from 12 to 15 November, it would hear evidence from a range of different witnesses. Read more >

Joburg acts tough on ‘corrupt’ employees

The City of Johannesburg has confirmed the arrest of five of its employees from the Building Control Department by the Hawks on 31 October 2012. This was for their alleged involvement in a R10-million scam to defraud council funds for the submission of building plans over a 12-month period. This also follows the recent five Read more >

Small cricket clubs battered

By Zaheer Cassim Reggie Seane is the captain of the premier team at Kagiso Cricket Club, in Mogale City. He sits in a cold and grey change room conducting a meeting with four other men; they are discussing the state of the team. Outside, four junior players practice in the nets with tattered balls. Their Read more >

Fraud, bribery top anti-corruption hotline list

More cases of fraud and bribery, involving police and government officials, are reported to the National Anti-Corruption Hotline than other corrupt activities. Fraud and bribery have been the most common allegations lodged through the National Anti-Corruption Hotline (NACH) since it was established, according to a Public Service Commission (PSC) document titled “Measuring the effectiveness of Read more >