Osisa report: efficacy of SADC’s anti-corruption bodies

Results of a study on anti-corruption bodies in the Southern African region were released in the region towards the end of July. Titled Effectiveness of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Southern Africa: Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the report was commissioned by the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa Read more >

Turning big data in Africa into an anti-corruption tool

By Dr. Elizabeth Dávid-Barrett First posted on the Global Anticorruption Blog Many anti-corruption advocates are excited about the prospects of “big data” helping to detect and deter graft and other forms of malfeasance. As part of a project in this vein, titled Curbing Corruption in Development Aid-Funded Procurement, Mihály Fazekas, Olli Hellmann, and I have Read more >

MPs have constitutional duty to hold executive to account

The long-awaited vote of no confidence – the eighth such effort – against President Jacob Zuma takes place later today under a secret ballot. This follows a Constitutional Court ruling in June that set aside Speaker Baleka Mbete’s initial reasons for not agreeing to a secret ballot. Mbete said her decision was taken with the Read more >

Joburg uncovers graft worth up to R12bn

The City of Johannesburg’s corruption fighters have uncovered graft totalling up to R12-billion‚ The Star newspaper reported on Thursday. R2-billion of that total has already been unveiled‚ while a further R10-billion is still being investigated. Shadrack Sibiya‚ who heads the city’s internal investigations‚ told the newspaper that he had been stunned by the level of Read more >

CW, ISS campaign for accountable and honest police leaders

In July 2017, Corruption Watch and the Institute for Security Studies launched a joint public awareness campaign that focuses on the appointments of the SAPS national commissioner and the head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (the Hawks). The organisations believe that both appointments require a transparent selection process against clear merit-based criteria as Read more >

Focus on civil society funding rather than BEE, says CEO

By Aphiwe Deklerk First published in Business Day Magda Wierzycka‚ CEO of Sygnia Asset Management‚ has called on companies to ignore black economic empowerment (BEE) points and rather fund civil rights organisations fighting corruption in the country. She said that considering Sahara Computers, a business owned by the Gupta family, had a level 6 BEE Read more >

Weak state institutions boost private sector corruption

By Linda Ensor First published in Business Day The private sector, including legal and auditing firms, has been complicit in facilitating the illegal removal of money out of the country, says Prof Ivor Chipkin, director of the University of Witwatersrand Public Affairs Research Institute. Chipkin made a submission to Parliament’s portfolio committee of public enterprises, Read more >

How corruption is fraying SA’s social, economic fabric

By Sean Gossel First published on The Conversation  South Africans are not happy. According to the recent Bloomberg’s Misery Index, South Africa is the second-most miserable country on earth. Venezuela tops the list of emerging countries. This isn’t too surprising considering that the country is embroiled in multifaceted crises. It also has among the highest Read more >

Gauteng cops arrested for corruption

Two Gauteng Community Safety Department officials are due to appear in the Johannesburg Commercial Court on Monday on charges of corruption. Two female transport compliance officers, aged 41 and 36, were arrested at Langlaagte vehicle testing centre on Friday after allegedly taking R9 000 from a scholar transport operator who required a roadworthy certificate. The Read more >