Wrap up of the latest from our state capture desk

The ANC has been putting out fires related to its election candidate list – more particularly, relating to members of the party whose names appear on the list despite corruption and other controversies hanging over their heads. Secretary-general Fikile Mbalula hosted a media briefing on Monday 11 March, almost a month after a similar engagement Read more >

The European company that profited from corruption at Prasa

Image: Flickr/GovernmentZA By Ra’eesa Pather and Qiqa Nkomo for Open SecretsFirst published on GroundUp In 2012, a deal was struck that contributed to the near collapse of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa). The Swifambo deal for 70 locomotives led to billions of rands in losses for Prasa and accelerated the decline of Read more >

The state of democracy around the world: latest report

Democracy [noun]UK /dɪˈmɒk.rə.si/ The belief in freedom and equality between people, or a system of government based on this belief, in which power is either held by elected representatives or directly by the people themselves. South Africa, like more than 60 other countries, goes to the polls in a couple of months in what is Read more >

It’s time to make restitution for Fishrot, says IPPR

Image: BORGEN Magazine It’s been a decade since Samherji’s former operations director Jóhannes Stefánsson quit his job at the Namibian division of the Icelandic fishing company, to expose what is now known as the Fishrot corruption scandal. Stefánsson, who admits that he was part of the mismanagement until his conscience got the better of him, Read more >

FATF issues update on SA’s grey list progress

In its latest update on South Africa’s progress in addressing shortcomings in its anti-money laundering/counter financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) noted that the country had taken steps to correct the deficiencies, though the work is not yet complete. The organisation published the update on 23 February 2024, after the Read more >

Special Tribunal sets aside another dodgy Covid PPE tender

It may have happened nearly four years ago, but South Africans have not forgotten the mad rush to exploit the relaxed emergency procurement regulations that were put in place when Covid-19 hit the country. Corruption flourished as civil servants and private companies alike fell over themselves to grab a slice of the pie. Overnight, companies Read more >

Add your voice to South Africa’s election agenda!

In the build-up to the general elections, the Nguvu Collective, an organisation working with marginalised communities in building leaders that will take the voice of the community forward, has launched its South Africa 2024 Elections survey to learn more about the issues South Africans care about. The organisation is committed to working with people on Read more >