Track your municipality’s financial performance

An informed citizenry is an empowered citizenry. Whether you’re someone who wants to exercise your civic responsibilities and get involved in how your municipality is run, or whether you just wish you could understand the complexities of the system a little better, we have put together a list of useful tools that will help you. Read more >

Government – for the few, by the few

A new nine-country survey by the Pew Research Center (PRC), a US non-profit organisation, has found a common perception that government is run for the benefit of the few rather than the many‚ both in emerging democracies and more mature democracies that have faced economic challenges. The survey probes the strengths and limitations of civic Read more >

CW now a full chapter of Transparency International

Corruption Watch has become a fully-fledged chapter of Transparency International (TI), the global movement against corruption. The news concludes a four-year accreditation process and means we are now TI’s official representative in South Africa. Established in 1993, TI is an NGO with more than 100 national chapters – for the most part locally established, independent Read more >

State capture report calls for commission of inquiry

The long-awaited state capture report was released yesterday, and one of the outcomes was the instruction by former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela that President Jacob Zuma must appoint a judicial commission of inquiry into state capture. However, Zuma is not to choose the commissioner – that task falls to South Africa’s chief justice. State of Read more >

State capture report: PP must publish today

The second day of the state capture report hearings in the North Gauteng High Court brought more interesting developments. President Jacob Zuma withdrew his application to interdict the report, and the court ordered the Public Protector, whose report it is, to publish the document immediately. The hearings are focusing on various applications to interdict the Read more >

CW: SARS’ Moyane is not off the hook

On 25 October Corruption Watch wrote to the South African Revenue Service’s (SARS) commissioner Tom Moyane, informing him that we intended to lay criminal charges against him for not reporting corrupt activities – detailed in a Financial Intelligence Centre report and involving two senior SARS employees – to the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation, or Read more >

What is grand corruption and how can we stop it?

First published by Transparency International Grand corruption is one of the great unresolved legal challenges of our day. With its serious and often global effects, combating grand corruption must be the responsibility of the international community. For this to happen grand corruption should be treated as an international crime. Transparency International has developed a legal Read more >

Ibrahim index: African govts lacking in accountability

If corruption in Africa is to be fought successfully, the latest data from the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) – released recently by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation – should be taken very seriously by governments that wish to end the scourge. The foundation developed the index 10 years ago, and through it, evaluates the Read more >

Mkhwebane: I will not ignore high-profile cases

Claims that she will no longer focus on high-profile cases are simply not true, said Public Protector Busi Mkhwebane at her first media briefing today. “One of my priorities is to bring the services of our office to grassroots level. I want to make it possible for an African child in a small village to Read more >