AG: depts improve reporting, but accountability instruments must too

National and provincial government has improved over the last four years on reporting on finances. They have also improved on performance and compliance with key legislation, but for continued improvement to be realised, the national legislature and its provincial counterparts must enhance oversight mechanisms that will ensure transparency and diligent performance by the departments that Read more >

IEC launches 2024 national and provincial elections programme

Source: South African government The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of South Africa has formally launched the 2024 National and Provincial Elections (NPE 2024) programme to declare its readiness to host millions of eligible voters at over 23 290 voting stations across the country next year. The theme for NPE 2024 will be Your Democracy, Own Read more >

Billions lost to material irregularities, but Agsa is making progress

The South African government has always had a hard time accepting and implementing the recommendations of the Auditor-General of South Africa (Agsa), and the accompanying lack of consequences has meant that government departments and municipalities still grapple with the basics – 30 years after democracy. But legislative amendments in the form of the Public Audit Amendment Read more >

State capture: civil society must bridge gap between public and govt

On 25 and 26 October two civil society organisations – the Public Affairs Research Institute and the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution – jointly hosted a conference to discuss government’s response to state capture and the implementation of the Zondo commission recommendations, made public last year. The event, the second of Read more >

AGSA elected Unesco’s auditors for 2024-2029

Issued by: Auditor-General of South AfricaContact: Africa Boso on 071 365 3024 / Africab@agsa.co.za The Auditor-General of South Africa (Agsa) has been elected as the external auditor of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) for the 2024–29 term. After a rigorous bidding process, Unesco announced South Africa’s supreme audit institution (SAI) as Read more >

Compromised WC criminal justice system a boon for gangs

Image: GroundUp A year ago we reported that the Western Cape (WC) police ombud Oswald Reddy had been requested to investigate allegations that police members and gang members in the province were in cahoots. This followed a biting Western Cape High Court judgment in a case involving the 28s gang, delivered on 17 October 2022, Read more >

The three revolutions of public procurement in Africa

By Edwin MuhumuzaFirst published on Open Contracting Partnership Public procurement is like the heartbeat of public spending in most of Africa – by some estimates, it accounts for 17% of the GDP of African countries.  There is growing recognition that the public procurement system can be a strong force for policy implementation, helping to tackle Read more >