Graft report release: eThekwini holds its breath

The eThekwini council is to respond today, Wednesday 29 February 2012, at a council meeting to allegations raised in the Manase and Associates report, which revealed R2.2-billion in irregular expenditure over a three-year period and implicates some high-ranking municipal officials and politicians.    The council was given 21 days to respond to the closely guarded 700-page Read more >

More clout needed for local govt watchdogs

Municipal public accounts committees (MPACs) are being presented as one of government’s most important tools in the fight against poor financial management and accountability at local level, but so far only 101 of 272 municipalities have set these up despite a November 2011 deadline.   Cash-strapped Limpopo had set up two MPACs by October 2011, Read more >

Budget tackles procurement, lease deals head-on

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s plans to fight corruption in state procurement and review all property leases was welcomed by political parties and labour, following the unveiling of South Africa’s R1-trillion budget on Wednesday 22 February 2012. Corruption in procurement and questionable leasing deals are costing government billions annually. Just the two police headquarter leases, for Read more >

Transparency International: Corruption perceptions index, 2011

Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries according to perceived levels of public-sector corruption. It gives scores to 183 countries with 10 being “clean” and 0 being “highly corrupt”. The 2011 Index ranks New Zealand (9.5), Denmark (9.4) and Finland (9.4) top the list, with North Korea and Somalia at the bottom, both with a Read more >

UN Convention against corruption, 2003

Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in October 2003, the Convention against Corruption tackles the scourge of corruption globally and affirms core values such as public accountability and transparency, honesty and respect for the rule of law. The Convention calls for the criminalisation of corruption in both the public and private sectors; sets out Read more >

Statistics SA: Victims of crime survey, 2011

The Victims of Crime Survey 2011, a countrywide survey by Statistics South Africa, focuses on peoples’ perceptions and experiences of crime and their views regarding the police and justice systems. Residents from 29 754 households were polled between January 2010 and December 2010, with the findings providing insights into national and provincial trends. Among the key Read more >

Post shuffling at NPA, SIU frustrating corruption fight

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has denied that Advocate Glynnis Breytenbach, head of NPA’s Pretoria Commercial Crimes Unit, has been suspended.   The authority said on Friday 17 February 2012 that it was waiting for her response to the charges before deciding how to proceed.   A statement by NPA executive manager of communications Bulelwa Read more >

eThekwini under pressure to release full graft report

Opposition party the Democratic Alliance has given eThekwini’s Mayor James Nxumalo until Friday 17 February to provide it with the full Manase report into fraud, corruption and maladministration in the municipality – or it will apply legally for a copy.   The DA is concerned that the allegedly 700-page report will go the same way Read more >

Report: R2bn ‘irregular expenditure’ by eThekwini

A recently released report has revealed that eThekwini metro municipality, with an annual operating budget of close to R19-billon, has recorded irregular expenditure of R2,188-billion in the past three years. The report, by Manase and Associates, commissioned by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, followed the 2009/2010 auditor-general’s report, which revealed widespread Read more >