Posts

Will Africa become Russian oligarchs’ new safe haven? 

First published on Financial Transparency Coalition  During the last decade, Russia has expanded its interests and presence in Africa by investing in the mining sector and increasing military support to fragile states, primarily through private military contractors and mercenaries. One of Africa’s most prominent private military groups is the Wagner Group, believed to be financed by one Read more >

Developed countries highly complicit in financial secrecy 

Illicit financial flows create an unjust society and further worsen inequality, especially for underdeveloped countries. This is the message from the Tax Justice Network (TJN), which released its 2022 Financial Secrecy Index (FSI) on 16 May.  The FSI is a ranking of jurisdictions which fuel financial secrecy by helping individuals to hide their finances from Read more >

BOT conference: accessible, reliable information will boost prosecutions

Corruption Watch, together with the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), the Financial Intelligence Centre, the Open Government Partnership, and Open Ownership, co-hosted a conference on taking steps towards achieving beneficial ownership transparency. Titled Collective action for beneficial ownership transparency (BOT) in South Africa: From commitment to implementation, the two-day event, on 16 and Read more >

New company ownership regulation a step in right direction

By Mashudu Masutha and Karabo RajuiliFirst published on News24 The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is the global standard-setting body for combating money laundering, setting minimum standards via 40 recommendations. It has sanctioning mechanisms for countries that fail to comply. Recently, the organisation updated its Recommendation 24, which deals with beneficial ownership transparency – and Read more >

Party funding act, barely a year old, already under threat

By Kwazi Dlamini Free reign when it comes to political party funding threatens our hard-fought-for democracy in every aspect. While the new Political Party Funding Act (PPFA), promulgated on 1 April 2021, seeks to address the issue of private donors having unfettered power in funding political parties, at the same time there should be alternate Read more >

CW calls for vigilance in administration of KZN flood relief funds

The devastation caused by the floods in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) after days of incessant and unprecedented rainfall has exposed the failure of government to protect communities from not only the impact of climate change, but also of inadequate infrastructure and planning to ensure their safety, having failed to learn from similar floods and events in the Read more >