SA needs a human rights framework based on social values

By Sabeehah Motala and Melusi NcalaFirst published on News24 There is a problem with anti-corruption legislation in South Africa. It does not reflect the intersecting forms of power that may determine how one interacts with corruption. Ultimately, this could severely disadvantage those who are beholden to varying structures of power and inequality, that affect their Read more >

Questions linger over Jova as health department stays mum

By Karam Singh and Kirsten PearsonFirst published on Business Live Corruption Watch is trying to keep a close eye on Covid-19 vaccine procurement and rollout. Given the experiences with personal protective equipment (PPE) procurement and the impact the vaccine rollout has on each resident’s lives, we believe it is critical to monitor. But our monitoring Read more >

SA languishes in corruption index despite recent cleanup moves

By David Lewis and Janine ErasmusFirst published on Business Live Despite a number of positive developments during 2020 on the anti-corruption front, SA’s score on Transparency International’s corruption perceptions index remains static. There are several possible reasons for this, not least of which is the governing ANC’s apparent unwillingness or inability to tackle corruption in Read more >

Treasury opens up on Covid vaccine procurement oversight

By Janine ErasmusFirst published on Maverick Citizen With the upcoming deployment of South Africa’s Covid-19 vaccine programme, Corruption Watch felt strongly enough about the possibility of corruption marring the process to write to National Treasury asking for clarification on aspects of the procurement process, given that emergency procurement thus far has been riddled with corruption. Read more >

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 >

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 >

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 >

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 >

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 >