How to fight the wave of plant trafficking in SA

Image of Lithops salicola from Wikimedia Commons In part one of our new mini-series focusing mainly on plant trafficking, we looked at the seriousness and the extent of the problem, which affects South Africa too, and the role that social media plays in enabling it. In this second part we take a high-level look at Read more >

Plant trafficking a threat to SA’s indigenous species

Image of Conophytum tumidum from Wikimedia Commons They might look unprepossessing – tiny little fleshy plants, many of which closely resemble stones, nestling between the rocks in some of the most arid parts of South Africa. But for some time now, the country’s residents have been reading media reports about those very indigenous plants, particularly Read more >

Pause in FCPA enforcement is dangerous, says TI

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) is in the news, and not for a good reason. On 10 February 2025, US president Donald Trump signed an executive order directing attorney-general Pam Bondi to pause enforcement of the FCPA until she reviews current policies and guidelines and issues new ones. It is not known how long Read more >

TI: Do not use Corruption Perceptions Index to mask democratic decline

Global anti-corruption watchdog Transparency has warned against the use of its annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), released on 11 February, as a cover-up for declines in democracy. The organisation was referring to countries who, it says, “leveraged their CPI rankings – or even stagnant scores – to present a misleading image of their governance.” The CPI serves as Read more >

Lottery bosses asked State Security Agency to investigate whistle-blowers

Image: Raymond Joseph/GroundUp By Raymond JosephFirst published on GroundUp Former National Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda asked the State Security Agency (SSA) in December 2018 to investigate the leaking of documents that exposed lottery corruption. In an affidavit for the SSA, the NLC’s company secretary at the time, Nompumelelo Nene, listed media reports she Read more >