State capture boosted violence and organised crime

Organised crime flourished under Jacob Zuma’s presidency as South Africa’s criminal justice agencies were manipulated for political and personal gain. This is one of many findings in a joint submission by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and Corruption Watch to the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture (Zondo Commission). Interference in Read more >

Will the president finally cut out the rot, asks CW?

President Cyril Ramaphosa campaigned, and his party won the 2019 general election, on his record of tackling corruption in the 15 months following the demise of the corrupt Zuma regime, and on his commitment to intensify the fight against corruption following this election. He has now received a mandate from the electorate and Corruption Watch Read more >

Local municipalities in the spotlight

“The performance of local municipalities in South Africa is the indicator of the country’s heartbeat. Local municipalities are the closest institution to citizens; they reflect in great measure levels of citizen engagement – as recipients but also as contributors. In addition, local government shows, like no other indicator, the health of public institutions at the Read more >

CW and CASAC call for review of candidate lists

It is widely accepted that Parliament and other legislative bodies were conspicuously absent from efforts mounted to combat the corruption and state capture that characterized the period of the Zuma administration. This responsibility was largely left to civil society organisations, investigative journalists and the courts while Parliament proved, at best, unable to exercise its considerable Read more >

All correspondence in our Eskom delinquency application

In early February Corruption Watch launched an application in the High Court in Pretoria, to have former Eskom board members declared delinquent. Our application, which is brought in the public interest in terms of section 157(1)(c) of the Companies Act 71 of 2008, focuses on the violation of fiduciary duties and gross negligence on the Read more >

Edward Kieswetter is new head of Sars

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Edward Kieswetter as the new commissioner for South African Revenue Service (Sars) with effect from 1 May 2019 for a term of five years. Kieswetter’s appointment was guided by the recommendations of the Nugent Commission of Inquiry into Tax Administration and Governance at Sars, as well as the recommendation to Read more >

New Sars boss to be appointed soon

The search for a new South African Revenue Service (Sars) head is on, with some reports saying that an appointment is “imminent”. Analysts believe the appointment could be made before the start of the new financial year on 1 April. It was the job of a panel appointed by minister of finance Tito Mboweni and Read more >

Adv Shamila Batohi announced as new NDPP

Advocate Shamila Batohi is the new national director of public prosecutions (NDPP). Batohi was chosen, after careful consideration, from a final list of five. “I accept with gratitude and my only obligation is to serve the country with dedication and humility,” she said.”The NPA will serve the Constitution and the people of South Africa.” “As Read more >

CW wins $250K to launch police accountability project

Corruption Watch has been named one of the winners in the Google Impact Challenge South Africa, at an event held at Johannesburg, last night. The initiative, launched in May 2018, sought to find the most innovative non-profits and social enterprises using technology to solve societal problems. Corruption Watch’s winning project has, together with three other Read more >