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CORRUPTION NEWS

Gabriella Razzano: evangelist for openness

By Valencia Talane A transparent system of government that encourages access to information for its citizens as well as freedom of expression, while protecting those who question its decisions and motives, may be an unrealistic concept for many. For the team of activists at the Open Democracy Advice Centre (ODAC), however, it is the proverbial Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Good and bad of audit reports

  By Valencia Talane Depending on which way you look at it, the municipal audit report for the 2012/13 financial year offers either a positive or a miserable outlook for South Africa's local government landscape. The report was published last week by the auditor-general, Kimi Makwetu. As Pravin Gordhan, the minister in charge of local Read more >

RAISING AWARENESS

Nicky Rehbock: our woman in Berlin

Valencia Talane Many young people from around the world gathered in Brazil in November 2012 for the Transparency International (TI) annual anti-corruption conference. One of those was Nicky Rehbock, who was the editor of the Corruption Watch website at the time. She was so moved by the work of the global organisation – and particularly Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Gordhan questions the rules

Valencia Talane The one-size-fits-all approach to the governance standards of local government does not work and needs a rethink, according to Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Pravin Gordhan. Gordhan, who was responding to the latest auditor-general report on municipalities on 30 July, said that the standard requirements for metro municipalities, for example, could not Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Municipalities improve corruption-reporting process

By Valencia Talane Protection for whistleblowers who report corruption within a municipality has been reinforced, thanks to new regulations that come into effect in July. The new Municipal Regulations on Financial Misconduct Procedures and Criminal Proceedings were gazetted into law on Friday 30 May. Through the Protected Disclosures Act (PDA), public officials who report acts Read more >

INVESTIGATION

Poorly managed water project no boon to community

By Gcina Ntsaluba In the heart of KwaZulu-Natal’s Zululand district, high up in the valleys and mountains, rural settlements nestle. They’re cut off from a vital necessity, access to water. In a province where many rural communities have no access to running water, the people of KwaNsinde tribal authority – ordinary village folks with little Read more >

INVESTIGATION

KZN water crisis: too little too late

By Gcina Ntsaluba With about 14 % of its people having no access to clean water, in this respect KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is one of the worst affected provinces in South Africa, according to a water and sanitation report released earlier in March 2014 by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). While the national average Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Local government in South Africa – part 6, procurement

So far we’ve looked at the structure of municipalities, the laws that govern their management, the way they should handle finances, and the people who manage these tasks. In the last article in our series, we explain how procurement should work in a municipality. Municipalities spend their revenue on a wide range of expenses such Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Local government in South Africa – part 4, the law

In part four of our local government series we take a look at the key pieces of legislation that are relevant to local government. South Africa’s Constitution not only creates local government, but also sets out its objectives in various pieces of legislation. These regulate different areas of local government including the establishment and development Read more >