South Africa is facing a crisis of organised crime and corruption that threatens the rule of law itself. At a high-level seminar jointly convened on 27 March 2026 by the Institute for Security Studies and the Special Investigating Unit on preventing and disrupting the nexus between organised crime and corruption through upstream interventions, improved coordination, and system-level reform, the message was stark: unless the country shifts decisively toward upstream disruption, the window for reform may close.
South Africa is facing a crisis of organised crime and corruption that threatens the rule of law itself. At a high-level seminar jointly convened on 27 March 2026 by the Institute for Security Studies and the Special Investigating Unit on preventing and disrupting the nexus between organised crime and corruption through upstream interventions, improved coordination, and system-level reform, the message was stark: unless the country shifts decisively toward upstream disruption, the window for reform may close.
Disrupting the nexus of organised crime and corruption
Corruption news
Ten years after the release of the Panama Papers, enablers and tax cheats are still being brought to justice, writes the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. The organisation was one of dozens around the world involved in the massive exposé, which featured more than 11.5-million confidential documents from Panamanian law firm and corporate services provider Mossack Fonseca.
Ten years after the release of the Panama Papers, enablers and tax cheats are still being brought to justice, writes the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. The organisation was one of dozens around the world involved in the massive exposé, which featured more than 11.5-million confidential documents from Panamanian law firm and corporate services provider Mossack Fonseca.
The Panama Papers - 10 years later, justice still sought
Corruption news
Clean audits still a long way off for most PFMA auditees
Corruption news
The 2024/2025 Public Finance Management Act audit results were a case of same old, same old. Only 151 auditees achieved clean audits - that is 36% of the audit base of 417 auditees. However, this 36% is responsible for only 12% of the total expenditure budget. Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke explained that this means many of the larger entities, some of them overseeing billions of rands, do not get a clean audit as these tend to reside among the smaller auditees.
The 2024/2025 Public Finance Management Act audit results were a case of same old, same old. Only 151 auditees achieved clean audits - that is 36% of the audit base of 417 auditees. However, this 36% is responsible for only 12% of the total expenditure budget. Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke explained that this means many of the larger entities, some of them overseeing billions of rands, do not get a clean audit as these tend to reside among the smaller auditees.
When corruption intersects with the basic human rights that are boldly enshrined in the Constitution – such as the right to equality and human dignity, the right to a healthy environment, the right to own property, the right to education, and the right to enjoy healthcare, food, water, and social security, among others – it affects the most vulnerable and marginalised in our society in the most merciless of ways.
When corruption intersects with the basic human rights that are boldly enshrined in the Constitution – such as the right to equality and human dignity, the right to a healthy environment, the right to own property, the right to education, and the right to enjoy healthcare, food, water, and social security, among others – it affects the most vulnerable and marginalised in our society in the most merciless of ways.
Human rights provision fails when corruption is present
CW Voices
Corruption Watch, in collaboration with Social Change Assistance Trust or SCAT, and Transparency International, and co-funded by the European Union, has embarked on the Strengthening Action Against Corruption (SAAC) project which focuses specifically on empowering and educating community advice offices/civil society organisations in the Eastern Cape province. Follow our activities here.
Strengthening Action Against Corruption
The SAAC Project
Veza (a colloquial term for ‘reveal’ or ‘expose’) allows you to: · Report incidents of police corruption and police misconduct, · Access information on your rights when you encounter the police, · Access information on SA's 1 150 police stations, such as locations, resources, budget and personnel, · Locate your nearest Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit, · And much more.
At a high-level seminar jointly convened on 27 March 2026 by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) on preventing and disrupting the nexus between organised crime and corruption through upstream interventions, improved coordination, and system-level reform, the message was stark: unless the country shifts decisively toward upstream disruption, the window for Read more >
By Janine Erasmus South Africa, as it does every year, observed Human Rights Day on 21 March under the month-long theme of A Legacy of Courage: Protecting Rights, Preserving Humanity. In his address on the day, President Cyril Ramaphosa surprised nobody when he said corruption was one of the biggest obstacles and challenges to improving Read more >
By Carmen Molina Acosta First published on The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists In a court in Cologne, Germany, a former law firm executive sat and listened as his lawyers read out a statement. “In the end, I accept the consequences,” his lawyers told the courtroom on his behalf at the March hearing. For Christoph Read more >
Working in the field of community development often lays bare the intersectionality of issues of human and socio-economic rights, climate governance and even corruption that manifests in the absence of accountability. The realities of all this are all too familiar for Sizeka Mavumengwana, the director of Ukhahlamba Legal Advice and Development Agency (ULADA) based in Read more >
Corruption Watch (CW) today led a group from 10 community-based organisations (CBOS) supported under the Strengthening Action Against Corruption (SAAC) project in presenting the preliminary findings of a corruption risk assessment report on local government in the province. The report highlights risks associated with poor governance and weaknesses in controls that emerged across various Read more >
