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HEROES & ZEROES

Businessman blows the whistle on corrupt officials

These days it’s almost standard practice among those seeking to do business with state departments to pay bribes in order to win lucrative contracts. But there are those who stand up against this unwanted activity – such as businessman Fikile Bili from North West’s Ditsobotla local municipality. He blew the whistle on corrupt government employees Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

AG: municipal supply chain management problematic

Municipal employees, councillors, their relatives and broader public servants benefited from municipality contracts worth over R800-million between 2013 and 2014. This was revealed by auditor-general Kimi Makwetu in his latest local government audit report released on Wednesday. Of the amount, the biggest chunk – R781-million – went to close relatives of employees and councillors. The Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Private sector action against corruption – part one

By Janine Erasmus Corruption in the public sector is under constant scrutiny, but there’s no doubt that the private sector is affected too. Where corruption in public procurement takes place for example, it’s likely that a private company will be involved, either as a victim or a perpetrator. In the latest Global Economic Crime Survey, 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 >

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 >

RAISING AWARENESS

Corruption fuels poor service delivery

Although the basic right to sufficient water is enshrined in South Africa’s Constitution, gaining access to that clean water has been a long struggle for millions of people. The struggle is still happening, and it’s a crucial driver of uprisings in South Africa today. A 2012 study by the South African Water Research Commission confirms Read more >