Stop bribing those traffic cops

Dear Corruption Watch    I am a taxi driver. I work long hours under stressful conditions. I try my best to keep my taxi in repair, obey traffic regulations and make a living for my family.   But sometimes I don't know what to do. The cops are always stopping us. Last month I got Read more >

Dealing with abusive officers

Dear Corruption Watch I was stopped in my car last weekend and threatened by a policeman – not a traffic cop – who wanted me first to get out of my car and then to drive (with him in the car) to get my blood tested far from where I was stopped.  He was verbally Read more >

Whatever you say to your lawyer is confidential

Dear Corruption Watch I am facing allegations of corruption. I need to go to my lawyer, but I’m afraid that if I tell him all the facts he may also think that I have been corrupt. Can he be compelled to reveal what I tell him? What are his obligations under law and professional ethics? And his public Read more >

Can residents sue council over rigged tender?

Dear Corruption Watch My neighbours and I have been deprived of sanitation and a water service because of what we believe was a corrupted tender process. Can we sue the council or the tender adjudication committee for the damages? Could the other bidders who lost also institute a claim for damages? Dear Seeking Recourse, Let's Read more >

Government tender fraud: Who takes the rap?

Dear Corruption Watch There are many reports in the news about government tenders going to friends and family where thousands and even millions of rands are allocated and services are not delivered. Who should take the rap for this, members of the tender adjudication committee, or the company awarded and violating the terms of its Read more >

Corruption insults those who fought for freedom

The high levels of corruption in South Africa should be seen as a form of sacrilege of the graves of those who died fighting for freedom in Sharpeville on March 21 1960 and elsewhere in the country. Corruption is undermining the very rights that many sacrificed to gain. Mind you, Sharpeville is the very place Read more >

Any wrongdoing must be reported to police

Dear Corruption Watch I run a small business that is dependent on a single contract with a government department. I have evidence that the person who manages our supplier status is corrupt. If I blow the whistle, can I ensure our company doesn't lose the government business we need, or does South Africa's whistle-blower protection Read more >

How the wife could get you into trouble

Dear Corruption Watch  I work for a parastatal and sit on some of the boards reviewing tender proposals.   My wife works for a business which often submits proposals to secure government work, but up until now has not pitched for business from the department where I work.   Her business will be doing so Read more >

Rival tender far more expensive than mine

Are you witnessing corruption but don’t know what to do about it? Ask the team of Corruption Watch experts what to do by writing to: letters@businesstimes.co.za and mark your letter ‘Dear Corruption Watch’. I run a small service business that has, from time to time, tendered for government contracts. I am a black woman with a professional Read more >