By Paul Hoffman At present there is a crisis in Gauteng, the province in which half of the civil litigation in the country takes place. Backlogs of cases of all kinds continue to grow apace as the population grows and economic activity increases. The Constitution...
An early spring 2024 SWOT analysis for SA
Paul Hoffman says the success of the GNU is critical to ensuring a country that can survive and thrive As the dust begins to settle around the controversially named Government of National Unity (GNU) and new political alliances begin to take shape, it is timely to...
LETTER: Inaction draws into question NPA independence
The constitution expressly requires that all organs of state make effective and efficient use of resources. That the treasure trove of Zondo commission data is a resource of use to the prosecuting authority is beyond question. A good chunk of the roughly R1bn spent on...
Crunch time for countering corruption
Paul Hoffman | 15 August 2024 Paul Hoffman says it is clear the message has sunk in at last: clean up your act ANC or face annihilation at the polls In all the noise and clutter around the formation of the coalition that is inaccurately known by the nickname GNU, one...
Big business going down dead-end in its R50m bid to counter serious corruption
By Paul Hoffman Big business ought to be concerned about reports that the NPA is being starved of the data gathered by the Zondo Commission. That data is the lifeblood of the many prosecutions needed to hold those responsible for State Capture to account. In his After...
LETTER: ANC’s endless sea of impunity
While it is mildly encouraging that the ANC’s leadership is prepared to put a handful of its leading members on the carpet before its toothless internal integrity commission, it needs to be noted that at least 97 members of the ANC received a dishonourable mention in...
Accountability is the new ANC and GNU buzzword, according to ‘Mama Action’
By Paul Hoffman Accountability is a cornerstone of the rule of law, so its prominence in the newly announced ANC thinking for the future of SA is most welcome. Although the “amandla awethu” war cry of the liberation movements in the pre-1994 era has lived on in...
Fixing procurement system without fixing deterrence system won’t work
By Paul Hoffman Once the corrupt know for sure that the game is up they will quit. While they think they can get away with their crimes they will continue. Two developments in the past week caught the attention of those interested in exacting accountability as a means...
LETTER: Ending the misery
It is likely that Cyril Ramaphosa will be the last national president to have participated in Codesa, whether or not his political party secures a majority in the next national election. It must take place by mid-2029, and might be held sooner if the new GNU...
UJ hosts colloquium on Whistleblowing and Social Change amidst 30 Years of Democracy
In celebration of South Africa’s 30 years of democracy, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) hosted a significant colloquium on 18-19 July 2024, exploring the role of whistleblowing in combating corruption and fostering social development. Organised by the SARChI Chair...
How ANC votes on Glynnis Breytenbach anti-corruption bills will be a key test for GNU
By Paul Hoffman There is no logic in clinging to the gutted anti-crime dispensation that has driven South Africa to the brink of failure as a state due to the prevalence of corruption with impunity in the land. The humble farmyard bird, the turkey, features in the...
Watchwords of new Cabinet should be pragmatism, meritocracy and honesty
By Paul Hoffman Honesty will not be inculcated while corruption with impunity is allowed to continue. The first order of business of the new Cabinet should be to address the matter of ‘ending corruption’, as President Cyril Ramaphosa put it when inviting participation...
LETTER: Election of John Hlophe to JSC an irrational decision
It beggars belief that the speaker of the National Assembly can see nothing wrong with the nomination and appointment of an impeached former judge as a parliamentary member of the Judicial Service Commission (“Parties and civil society condemn election of John Hlophe...
LETTER: Bold anti-graft step necessary
It must obviously be a priority of the newly installed national cabinet to get SA off the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) greylist as soon as possible. Tinkering by the Treasury won’t do. (“SA working to exit FATF greylist by June 2025, says Treasury”, July 2)....
LETTER: Hlophe’s ‘illegal’ entry
Your thoughtful editorial opinion on the entry into parliament of the former and recently impeached Cape judge president, John Hlophe, deserves a little fleshing out for further consideration (“The politics of vengeance”, June 25). A learned legal academic, Loammi...


