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Public protector selection process about to start

The moment that South Africans have been anticipating is almost here – next week the selection and appointment of a new public protector will officially begin with the establishment of an ad hoc committee to oversee the process. The National Assembly is responsible for the process, which must be open to public participation in terms Read more >

SPEAK UP, South Africa: the impact of the Nkandla ruling

By David Lewis First published on Transparency International In March this year South Africa’s highest court upheld a landmark investigation by the courageous public protector Thuli Madonsela that showed how taxpayers’ money had been used to upgrade President Jacob Zuma’s personal residence. This underscored the importance of the role of the Public Protector in holding Read more >

Take part in our public protector persona survey!

Public participation in the appointment of a new public protector – and other positions that require similar processes – is written into the Constitution. In chapter nine, section 193 (appointment of the public protector or member of any commission established under chapter nine) it states that “(6) The involvement of civil society in the recommendation Read more >

SA’s public protectors – the legacies, part three

Our new three-part Bua Mzansi series looks at the careers of South Africa’s three public protectors to date. In part three, we focus on Thuli Madonsela, who, with her team, has raised the image and reputation of the institution to unprecedented heights. Parts one and two looked at Selby Baqwa and Lawrence Mushwana respectively. Public Read more >

SA’s public protectors – the legacies, part two

The mixed legacy left by South Africa’s public protectors continues in part two of our three-part series, which deals with Lawrence Mushwana, the predecessor of incumbent Thuli Madonsela. Part three will look at Madonsela herself, while part one highlighted the role played by now-Judge Selby Baqwa in establishing the institution of the Public Protector. Lawrence Read more >

SA’s public protectors – the legacies, part one

Our first three-part Bua Mzansi series looks at the careers of South Africa’s three public protectors to date. Part one starts with Selby Baqwa, who helped establish the Chapter 9 institution in 1995. Parts two and three will focus on Lawrence Mushwana and Thuli Madonsela respectively. Selby Baqwa The Public Protector has become an increasingly Read more >

Annual report 2015: a year of intense public participation

In its annual report for 2015, released today, Corruption Watch highlights the power of public participation in the fight against corruption. Since we launched in January 2012, we’ve received more than 10 000 reports. This public activism was reflected in several events during 2015, such as the student fees protests, various anti-xenophobia and –corruption marches, Read more >

Profile of a public protector

What values and attributes would you like to see in your next public protector? Many South Africans would not struggle in answering this question. This is partly because the public profile of the incumbent, Thuli Madonsela, has been raised broadly over the past few years, thanks to controversial issues investigated by her team as well Read more >

Bua Mzansi gets public involved

Corruption Watch today launched a mass public awareness and mobilisation campaign, Bua Mzansi, in a bid to ensure that the Office of the Public Protector remains a safely guarded cornerstone of South Africa’s democracy when the new public protector takes office later this year. The launch took place at Constitution Hill, the seat of South Read more >