Corruption knows no colour

My name is Kavisha Pillay. I am 21 years old, and I am frustrated! The aftermath of Guptagate motivated me to write this opinion piece. Now that the dust has settled, and I’ve had time to digest it all, I can express my frustration: It bothers me that some people in our country let colour Read more >

The real cost of corruption – part two

By Lorraine Louw In part two of our three-part series on how much corruption is really costing South Africa, we reveal how financial misconduct is costing the country more and more every year. What is especially worrying is that it often goes unchecked and unpunished. The real cost of corruption – part one In a Read more >

Almost 50% of S Africans paid a bribe in last year

Some 47% of South Africans say they have paid a bribe in the last year to secure an essential service – a staggering 20% higher than the global average of 27%, according to the recently released findings of Transparency International’s 2013 Global Corruption Barometer. The report, which draws on the experiences of 114 000 respondents in Read more >

We need a way out of this impasse

Dear Corruption Watch, I’ve read that an NGO has taken the President to the Constitutional Court to force him to appoint a permanent National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP).  Why would they want him to be the one to make the appointment since President Zuma has a personal interest in the matter? Since the DA Read more >

Eastern Cape school transport deal hits the skids

A controversial scholar transport contract will go ahead in the Eastern Cape at the start of the third school term this month despite red flags of mismanagement of public funds raised by the transport oversight committee in the province’s legislature. For the second time this year, the provincial transport department’s contract with One Future Development Read more >

What’s the real cost of corruption – part one

By Lorraine Louw It’s easy to point to the losers when it comes to government corruption – that would be the residents and citizens. It is much more difficult to quantify the actual cash lost, with various government departments and entities, as well as political parties and NGOs, turning out their own figures. In October Read more >

How much corporate fraud is costing SA

Corporate fraud could be causing the country losses of about R150-billion, the audit firm BDO reported in May 2012. It was citing figures from the 2012 Report on Occupational Fraud and Abuse, prepared by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. An analysis of more than 1 300 fraud cases probed worldwide showed that the estimated loss Read more >