Siyangena case dismissal is a victory for Prasa’s corruption-busters

First published on GroundUp Today (1 November), the Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed, with costs, the appeal by Siyangena Technologies, a corrupt contractor for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa). R5.5-billion of public money was on the line. Siyangena was shameless in its corruption. The company circumvented procurement rules, tailored Prasa contracts to Read more >

Tapping into community media is vital for both it and civil society

By Phemelo KhaasFirst published on Daily Maverick I like millennials’ redefinition of the word “influencer” because it bestows authority and respect on those who have the power to influence. It converts influence into monetary value, which is especially important in this day and age, in a period where a litre of petrol threatens to hit Read more >

We need to fix appointments to key institutions – now

By Kavisha PillayFirst published on News24 South Africa’s public service and institutions are in disarray. If we are to avoid any further breakdown of our institutions, we need to focus on who is appointed and scrutinise the appointment processes.  Transparent, merit-based and public participatory appointment proceedings are the minimum requirements to ensure the appointment of Read more >

Directly electing our president does not guarantee accountability

By Steven FriedmanFirst published on My Vote Counts Academics who teach politics do not believe that their knowledge equips them to judge court cases or to represent parties in legal actions. But judges and lawyers tend to believe that legal training somehow equips them with a knowledge of politics greater than that of their fellow Read more >

Corruption: Africa’s undeclared but deadly pandemic

By Tafi Mhaka First published on Al Jazeera On June 21, Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera fired the country’s chief of police, suspended several senior government officials and also took the extraordinary step of stripping his deputy, Saulos Chilima, of all powers after they were accused of receiving kickbacks from UK-based businessman Zuneth Sattar in exchange Read more >