First Nene budget due today

Last year this time then-minister of finance Pravin Gordhan impressed the nation when he delivered his medium term budget policy statement (MTBPS). Gordhan announced, among other developments, that severe austerity measures were to be put in place to cut down on wild spending. Today his successor Nhlanhla Nene presents his first medium-term budget, also known Read more >

Van Vuuren defiant at Seriti Commission

By Lee-Ann Alfreds Hennie van Vuuren, the arms deal critic who withdrew from the Arms Procurement Commission in August, appeared before it on Monday, 20 October, as instructed. The week before, Van Vuuren told Corruption Watch that "I have been summonsed to appear on 20 October and will be at the Arms Procurement Commission at Read more >

R400-million firearm control system in shambles

By Daneel Knoetze First published on GroundUp Pressure is mounting on the police to sort out problems with a R400-million firearms control system, 10 years after the contract to develop it was signed with Pretoria-based company Waymark Infotech. In its successful bid for the contract in 2003, Waymark proposed an IT system which would enable Read more >

WJP is no lightweight operation

Statement on allegations made against the Wits Justice Project at the Oscar Pistorius sentencing hearing, 16 October, by Acting National Commissioner Zach Modise The Wits Justice Project was disturbed to hear the unfounded allegations made against it by Zach Modise, the acting national commissioner of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS). These allegations were made Read more >

Taxpayers’ money not spent on water service in Madibeng

The municipal management of Madibeng, in the North West, is not doing its best with taxpayers’ money. This is the municipality that was in the news earlier in the year when water-related service delivery protests resulted in several deaths, some at the hands of police. It seems that not much has changed, as some residents Read more >

Housing indaba explores pressing issues

Government has spent R2-billion to date, rebuilding or refurbishing houses built as part of its national human settlements programme. This amount, says human settlements minister Lindiwe Sisulu, is all that government is prepared to pay, and the cost of fixing the shoddy work done by crooked contractors will not be borne by taxpayers. Sisulu was Read more >

The best of times and the worst of times

By Valencia Talane As the saying goes, “what do you give someone who already has everything?” If the person has pioneered the fight for the respect of the country’s Constitution and all that it represents, and holds government leadership accountable on all fronts, you reward them by recognising their efforts and sharing this on a Read more >

Public protector honoured by international peers

Corruption Watch has long championed the brave and courageous deeds undertaken by the public protector, Thuli Madonsela, to perform her constitutional duty to protect South African citizens from the misdeeds of the powerful and to expose corruption where she finds it.  It is therefore fitting that Madonsela should be the person chosen to receive Transparency Read more >

Public protector honoured by international anti-corruption peers

Corruption Watch has long championed the brave and courageous deeds undertaken by the public protector, Thuli Madonsela, to perform her constitutional duty to protect South African citizens from the misdeeds of the powerful and to expose corruption where she finds it.  It is therefore fitting that Madonsela should be the person chosen to receive Transparency Read more >