By Colette AshtonFirst published on Institute for Security Studies Corruption and state capture over the past decade in South Africa were enabled by an attack on the independence and capacity of its criminal justice agencies. As the country struggles to bring the perpetrators to book and prevent further damage, the question is: are South African Read more >
Democracy: from Ancient Greek dēmokratía, dēmos ‘people’ and kratos ‘rule’. Literally, rule by the people, especially rule of the majority. In its basic form, a government in which state power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving free and competitive elections. September 15 Read more >
Image: Civil Society Financing for Development Mechanism The global system of taxation is profoundly unequal, and long overdue for change. Global tax rules tend to favour developed countries, to a large degree because the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is the de facto rule setter, and has been for over 60 years. Those Read more >
While Parliament seeks legal advice on the legality of asking Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Thembi Simelane to provide it with a loan agreement at the centre of allegations of corruption against her, more calls have surfaced for her to step down to make way for a formal investigation into her links to VBS Mutual Read more >
The electoral reform consultation panel (ERCP) invites members of the public, and organisations including political parties or prospective independent candidates, to make written submissions for its consideration on proposals for an electoral system for the National Assembly and provincial legislatures. The closing date for written submissions is 31 October 2024 – previously the deadline was Read more >
In July pan-African research institution network Afrobarometer released what it describes as its inaugural flagship report, one focusing on the democratic aspirations and experiences of African citizens. The organisation intends this to be an annual series. Information is drawn from more than a decade’s worth of data, including the latest round of nationally representative surveys Read more >
Image: Wikimedia Commons, used under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International Almost a week after his former boss was sworn in as a member of Parliament, former Prasa executive Daniel Mtimkulu learned his fate in the Johannesburg High Court on Tuesday. He will be going to jail for 15 years, the maximum sentence for fraud. Read more >
By Moepeng Valencia Talane Politics is the gift that keeps giving, at least for the sake of a robust news cycle and every journalist interested in South Africa’s current affairs. This year, certainly after the May elections that brought about big changes in the dynamic in government and in Parliament, we are not short of Read more >
The function of the Judicial Service Commission is to select fit and proper persons for appointment as judges and to investigate complaints about judicial officers. It also advises government on any matters relating to the judiciary or to the administration of justice. The commission has been in the news recently owing to Parliament’s nomination of Read more >