OPINIONS

Responding to rampant corruption: get your own house in order

by Cynthia SchoemanFirst published on Ethics Monitor We are all outraged by ongoing reports of public sector corruption. And, given how long corruption has been a problem, many are questioning whether the latest government committee, the committee of ministers appointed by the president to investigate Covid corruption, will achieve meaningful results. As a positive response, Read more >

OPINIONS

SA police: Neither serving nor protecting GBV victims

By Sabeehah MotalaFirst published on News24 Before Parliament are three very important bills, amending various laws, all in the name of dealing with gender-based violence (GBV). So what are we, as an anti-corruption organisation, doing sticking our nose into GBV matters? Firstly, theoretical background is very important. A feminist conception of corruption leverages on the Read more >

OPINIONS

Transparency demanded in mining community commission reports

Photo: James Oatway for the Centre for Environmental Rights By Matshidiso Dibakwane First published in The Star Despite several commissions of inquiry set up both at national and provincial level to investigate and establish lawful traditional leaders in terms of customary law and the Constitution, mining communities in the North West still await justice. Although Read more >

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Strong start to Nigeria’s first beneficial ownership register

First published on OpenOwnership At the end of last year Nigeria published Africa’s first beneficial ownership register, and the first globally to focus on the lucrative oil, gas and mining sectors. The OpenOwnership team has been assessing the register’s performance and analysing the quality of the data that’s been disclosed. The register itself is a Read more >

OPINIONS

Civil society must demand an end to political self-enrichment

By Judith February and Karam SinghFirst published on Daily Maverick When it seems that virtually every tender awarded during the time of a health emergency is tainted with corruption, it says something about the soul of the country. The president’s own spokesperson, Khusela Diko, said she and her husband made an “error of judgement” when Read more >

OPINIONS

Whistleblowers are the heart of Corruption Watch’s fight

By Melusi NcalaFirst published on News24 Corruption is my beat. I say this reservedly for my role and duty, though seemingly small, is a huge responsibility to me. Why? I am part of a country that is still grappling with vast inequality and indigence. But South Africans are people who live in hope and that, Read more >

OPINIONS

We need a transparent and accountable law enforcement system

By Valencia TalaneFirst published on News24 The events of last week, in particular Wednesday 30 September’s high-profile arrests relating to the irregular Free State asbestos contract of 2014, indicate a step in the right direction in the fight against corruption. The Zondo commission has explored the contract extensively over the past few weeks, and some Read more >

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Are Zuma’s good old “andizi” days over?

By Valencia Talane As I write this article, this was meant to be the first day of the return of former president Jacob Zuma before the commission of inquiry into state capture. The much-anticipated corruption trial he faces in the Pietermaritzburg High Court is a very important affair, says his attorney Eric Mabuza, who recently Read more >

OPINIONS

No panacea for corruption – so do we need to keep spelling it out?

By Matthew StephensonFirst published on Global Anticorrutpion blog I’m taking another one of my periodic breaks from semi-serious commentary to make a mostly frivolous, slightly snarky point about the way we talk and write about corruption. Here’s my plea for today: Every sensible person would presumably agree that there’s no panacea (that is, no single Read more >