Fine qualifications alone do not a public protector make

The unprecedented removal of Busisiwe Mkhwebane as public protector highlights the importance of selecting the right person for a job – especially one of such importance – through a rigorous process that disregards party or cadre issues and focuses solely on merit and suitability. Never before has a South African public protector been removed from Read more >

Community, collaboration make for better public institutions

Ten years ago Corruption Watch ran an investigation into the dire conditions at Macosa Junior Secondary School in the Mqanduli area of the Eastern Cape. The school had no furniture for its 500 or so learners, no proper ablutions, and the walls had not been painted in years. Those learners who had a place to Read more >

R20 for change: a small amount makes a big difference

Corruption is a scourge in our country, and a major obstacle to our development, security, and well-being. It violates the principles of justice, robs people of their basic human rights, damages public confidence, and squanders valuable resources. We can no longer tolerate the persistent corruption that robs our nation of its opportunities. South Africa has Read more >

Bodycams or not, JMPD officer integrity is key

By Moepeng Valencia Talane – CW Voices In its early days, around 11 years ago, Corruption Watch set out on a campaign that sought to help combat corruption in the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD). No More Tjo Tjo, as it was called, rallied members of the public to resist paying bribes to officers when Read more >

Strengthening public integrity, part 1 – the importance of an ethical public service

At the beginning of April the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) held the 10th edition of its annual global anti-corruption and integrity forum, in a virtual environment. The theme this year was Renew with Integrity, and the event focused on how creating different frameworks could resolve long-standing challenges, especially those exacerbated by the Read more >

Take our police research survey and help us make a difference

In November 2018, Corruption Watch was one of four recipients of the Google Impact Challenge award – a nationwide competition aimed at improving inequality through innovation. Our innovation seeks to improve transparency and facilitate public involvement in the South African Police Service. We are now in the process of developing the product and we’re asking Read more >

Police corruption an ongoing problem

By Thato Mahlangu Months after the new report by Corruption Watch (CW) was released, highlighting the alarming number of corrupt police officials, little has been done to curb crime within the police, whistle-blowers claim. Since the organisation’s inception in 2012, some 1 400 members of the public have felt concerned enough to share their experiences Read more >

Profiles: shortlisted candidates for deputy public protector

On 23 October 2019, the parliamentary Committee on Justice and Correctional Services shortlisted eight of the 26 applicants who applied or were nominated for the position of deputy public protector. The committee acknowledged Corruption Watch’s contribution to the process in which we highlighted, through our submission, the results of our persona survey, as well as Read more >