Paul Hoffman Oct 6, 2026 Busy seasoned readers of the Daily Friend will know that they may need to be enticed into a “long read”. This offering is a long read. It seeks to establish the connection between low business confidence and high rates of corrupt activity by...
SAPS leadership crisis puts governance and accountability under scrutiny
The SAPS is facing an unprecedented crisis at its highest levels, with Minister Senzo Mchunu, National Commissioner Fannie Masemola and Deputy National Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya all suspended or on special leave amid serious allegations. As the Madlanga Commission...
New brooms sweep clean, but only if the political will to do so exists.
Dear Editor, The appointment of former senior Institute for Security Studies staffer, Gareth Newham, as special adviser to the Acting Minister of Police, Professor Firoz Cachalia, is of interest. They worked together on crime in Gauteng between 2006 and 2009. A...
Countering corruption effectively must precede economic growth in SA
Dear Editor, There is a strong and growing desire, among those who care for a better life for all in SA, to stimulate the growth of the economy. Plainly the lot of the poor and our unemployed job-seekers, in particular, will be improved by so doing. A brighter future...
Paul Hoffman: Four comfortable myths that keep SA’s corruption busters toothless
Nugent, Zondo, Mpati, now Madlanga. South Africa commissions inquiries the way other countries commission statues. And how much changes? Paul Hoffman SC, who led the Glenister litigation, says the reports gather dust because four myths let everyone off the hook:...
Voters will get the municipal councillors they deserve on 4 November
Paul Hoffman Sep 25, 2026 The prospects for a free and fair election being held peacefully in South Africa on 4 November seem good. Preparations are in hand; the IEC is satisfied with the submission of candidate nominations by the parties and individuals who wish to...
Laura Pop shoots the lights out at Madlanga Commission hearing
Dear Editor, The intrepid evidence leaders at the Madlanga Commission have excelled yet again, this time by securing the report and evidence of the World Bank’s resident guru on vetting of criminal justice administration officials and on money laundering, Laura Pop....
A hat-trick for the Madlanga evidence leaders
Dear Editor, During the last few weeks, the evidence leaders at the Madlanga Commission have outdone themselves. The evidence that they have procured from Dr Mark Shaw, a world expert on corruption and organised crime, Laura Pop, the World Bank guru on money...
Resetting and renewing Idac won’t solve SA’s corruption crisis
A new, reformed Investigating Directorate Against Corruption needs to be a fully independent, single-entity anti-corruption body — outside executive control and potentially under Chapter 9 — to effectively combat grand corruption and restore the rule of law. By Paul...
Preserving the IDAC in any way would be a mistake
Paul Hoffman Sep 14, 2026 Many admirable sentiments are expressed in the DM opinion piece penned by Xola Nqola, an ANC MP, who is chair of the justice portfolio committee in the National Assembly. However, he misses the mark by a country mile; here’s why. The theme...
Forget the Hawks – Paul Hoffman SC says SA needs “The Eagles”
The admirable team of evidence leaders at the Madlanga Commission deserve high praise for securing and presenting the evidence of Dr Mark Shaw, the Geneva-based guru on organised crime and serious corruption, who happens to be a South African. He is the executive...
Elections are a matter of perspective
That self-effacing “humble newspaperman”, Mondli Makhanya, has outdone himself by penning a couple of choice phrases in his predictions for the ANC’s fortunes in the upcoming municipal elections. As the comments are tucked away at the end of a long Daily Maverick...
The right to vote is undervalued in SA
Dear Editor, According to the IEC a record number of voters in SA, about 29 million, have registered to vote in the local government elections in November. SA has an overall population of about 63 million people of whom approximately 21 million are under 18 years old...
Everything you need to know about Madlanga, IDAC, and justice in SA
Accountability Now's Paul Hoffman on the Madlanga Commission, IDAC's constitutional risk and 25 years of South Africa's fight against corruption. Published on: 26 Aug 2026 LISTEN HERE: A commission of inquiry can't jail anyone. It can't force government to do anything...
Kieswetter channels Glenister
Dear Editor, The Gordons Institute of Business Science boasts an Anti-Corruption Coalition which does good work in the field of righting our ship of state’s capacity to deal with serious corruption and organised crime. Its most recent guest speakers gathered at GIBS...
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