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CORRUPTION NEWS

Local government in South Africa – part 3, the councillor

By Valencia Talane Twelve years ago Simphiwe Zwane participated in her first service delivery protest in Thembelihle south of Johannesburg. The event was a landmark case of a community revolting against government plans to relocate thousands of families from one area to another. Today the 36-year-old mother of two is a councillor in the City Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Local government in South Africa – part 2, who’s who

Municipalities are complex institutions with a wide range of powers and duties. It is important to know who the officials and role-players in municipalities are, and to understand their duties and responsibilities. They are the people and structures responsible for the efficient running of a municipality, and they are the ones who must answer to Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Local government in South Africa – part 1, overview

Since our launch in January 2013, Corruption Watch has received a high volume of reports uncovering corrupt activities at local government level. As local government is the sphere of government that is the closest to the people and provides services to communities, it is important to understand what this level of government is all about. Read more >

PRESS RELEASES

Public servants are willing to report corruption

Corruption Watch is two years old. In this period, spiralling corruption has become the most intensely discussed topic on the South African public agenda. It’s widely held to be a significant contributor to poverty and unemployment and to the service delivery protests that are rocking the country. South Africans will expect corruption to feature in Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

The trouble in Tlokwe: latest developments

Fourteen councillors in North West’s troubled Tlokwe municipality have been reinstated by the ANC after being dismissed in July. A provincial disciplinary committee had found them guilty of misconduct after they participated in a vote of no confidence against former mayor Maphetle Maphetle, in November 2012. The vote was prompted by allegations of corruption against Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Problems in North West

Municipalities in North West were hailed by the province’s leadership towards the end of 2012 for meeting auditor-general (AG) Terence Nombembe’s deadline for submitting their financial statements for that year – but what was not revealed at the time was that the achievement came with a R29-million bill for taxpayers. On Wednesday, Mail & Guardian Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

New tool to help fight conflict of interest

Dodgy government officials who spend their time running their own businesses instead of helping to run the country will find it increasingly tricky to protect their private projects from public scrutiny, thanks to new tools that have been created to improve the visibility of any conflicts of interest. A new software package, created by six Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

The dark heart of Utrecht

For many the idea of living in the countryside conjures up images of peace and serenity – and this can be felt while driving through the vast open lands of the Amantungwa clan in Utrecht, 50km outside Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal. You can immediately feel the tranquillity there. But beneath the façade of pastoral bliss is Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

AG’s report paints grim view of local govt

Auditor-general Terence Nombembe gave a grim view of financial management at local government level this week, with just 30% of municipalities making progress in addressing internal control disciplines. Nombembe said he “remains concerned about 70% of municipalities where the basics of key controls have not yet been mastered”. Nombembe tabled his 2010-11 general reports on Read more >