Zondo Commission – week 3 overview

In the third week of the public hearings for the Zondo Commission into state capture, implicated parties grabbed the spotlight by replying publicly to testimony and applying to cross-examine witnesses. After acting DG of the Government Information and Communication System (GCIS) Phumla Williams implicated former communications minister Faith Muthambi not only of mistreatment towards her Read more >

Mnquma Local Municipality – a failure of governance

By Kwazi Dlamini Corruption-ridden Mnquma Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape, together with its district municipality, Amathole, seems to be in tatters. Mnquma is off the radar – it cannot be reached by the usual forms of communication, while e-mail addresses provided on the website are unresponsive. The telephone number, also provided on their website Read more >

Zondo Commission – week 2 overview

The second week of public hearings for the Zondo Commission into state capture saw damning evidence that puts former president Jacob Zuma at the centre of what appears to be intricate plans for fleecing government departments to meet the interests of the Gupta family. It was first former ANC member of parliament Vytjie Mentor, and Read more >

SA making progress on beneficial ownership, but CSOs left out

South Africa launched its latest Open Government Partnership (OGP) action plan, covering the period 1 July 2016 – 30 June 2018, on 6 May 2016. This was the country’s third national action plan since joining the OGP programme, which provides a platform for governments and civil society to work together to develop and implement ambitious Read more >

ConCourt holds Sassa accountable for second CPS contract extension

The Constitutional Court today handed down a further judgment in the seemingly never-ending matter of the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) and Cash Paymaster Services (CPS). Today’s judgment did not relate to personal costs arising from the Section 38 inquiry, presided over by Judge Bernard Ngoepe, into former social development minister Bathabile Dlamini and Read more >

How the Guptas milked SA for diamonds

By Khadija Sharife and Josy JosephFirst published on the OCCRP website Under recently ousted President Zuma, the Gupta family made millions in South Africa. Some of that money may have been used to purchase diamonds in a scheme which defrauded a state program to help poor black dairy farmers. Until a couple of years ago, Read more >

Zondo Commission – week 1 overview

The first week of the Zondo Commission has already produced some explosive testimony. On Friday former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas testified that the Gupta brother he met with in October 2015, believed to be Ajay, boasted that “we are in control of everything…” – including the Hawks, the National Prosecuting Authority and the National Read more >

It’s Time – A FunDza / Corruption Watch story

Together with the FunDza Literacy Trust, we now publish our sixth youth-targeted story, It’s time for us to eat, a story about doing the right thing, even if it means your dreams will take a little longer to be realised. Catch up with our previous youth-focused stories, also produced in partnership with FunDza – Innocence Read more >

Poor support for whistle-blowers a problem for Zondo

By Rebecca Davis First published on Daily Maverick “The response has not been what we were expecting,” remarked Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo when he opened the first day of the state capture inquiry. “The response has been quite disappointing.” Zondo was referring to the apparent public reluctance to comply with a call put out Read more >