Role of AI in media explored on World Press Freedom Day

Thirty-two years ago, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 3 May as an international day for press freedom, under the custodianship of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco). Since then, says Unesco director-general Audrey Azoulay, a lot has changed – including the way the information universe works. The theme of this year’s World Press Read more >

The effect of social norms on bureaucratic corruption

South Africa is not alone in striving to address public sector corruption, which has been allowed to flourish over centuries of governance. Countries all over the world – yes, even those at the top of the Corruption Perceptions Index – struggle with the relentless tide of bribery, malfeasance, extortion, and more, that is sweeping over Read more >

Contribute to the review of the White Paper for Local Government

The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Leadership (Cogta) is reviewing the 1998 White Paper on Local Government (WPLG) to evaluate its impact, tackle challenges, and align local governance with modern realities. Accordingly, the department invites the public, civil society, public institutions, interested stakeholders, and all three spheres of government to provide comments towards the Read more >

State capture: FS asbestos trial off to a tricky start

Update: The Free State High Court has granted Moroadi Cholota the opportunity to challenge the jurisdiction of the court as it pertains to her case, as well as the legality of her extradition from the USt to face trial in South Africa. She was extradited in August last year and has maintained that South African Read more >

SA taxpayers lost R521bn bailing out corrupt, mismanaged SOEs

South African taxpayers have forked out an estimated R521-billion over the last 15 years to keep state owned enterprises (SOEs) alive, and have received nothing in return. Despite the bailouts, many companies continue to fail due to financial mismanagement and corruption, and the bailouts may be much higher than the National Treasury estimates. During a Read more >

The ParliMeter, a new tool for enhancing public participation in Parliament

Image: Flickr/GovernmentZA The Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG) is well-known as a dependable source of information on our legislature and its doings. Providing information on committee meetings, alerting the public to calls for comment on bills and discussion documents, and publishing the scheduled programme of meetings and debates is all in day’s work for the organisation. Read more >

New drone fleet to further protect SA’s borders

Towards the end of March we reported on the launch of the Border Management and Immigration Anti-Corruption Forum (BMIACF), a Department of Home Affairs and Special Investigating Unit initiative. Corruption Watch not only supports this vital collaborative initiative, which aims to to clamp down on corruption in this sector, but is a member of the Read more >

Addressing gender-based corruption challenges across Africa

Image: Flickr/UN Women The 11th session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD-11) is taking place this week in Kampala, Uganda. The theme is Driving job creation and economic growth through sustainable, inclusive, science-based and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, of the Read more >