As we stood in the rain, queueing to vote in the deep south of Cape Town, the fidgeting got more and more pronounced. It was clear that the IEC officials were not only late, but also very inexperienced. That’s neither free nor fair. Opinionista • Paul Hoffman • 8 May 2019 Daily Maverick Planning for […]
General
Corruption is not just a scourge, it is a crime too
Professor Pierre de Vos has suggested that Cyril Ramaphosa, deputy president under Jacob Zuma and now president since February 2018 as well as possibly president for another 10 years, will be too constrained by the politics of patronage and factionalism within the ANC to do anything useful about countering corruption in SA. This rather dismaying […]
LETTER: New parliament must be cleansed of crooks
SA must not enter its next political phase with corrupt officials 06 May 2019 – 05:05 (BusinessDay) South African parliament. Picture: GCIS The voters of SA — those of them who turn up on Wednesday — have the opportunity to assist in the post-Zuma cleansing process that all right-thinking people accept is essential if constitutional […]
The golden thread of accountability and the conduct of the Public Protector
By Paul Hoffman* In the past, Accountability Now has had occasion to cross swords with the Public Protector in relation to her mishandling of the Ciex complaint (also called the lifeboat case) in which she startlingly and inappropriately sought to force the amendment of the Constitution as it impacts on the role of the Reserve […]
Vigilantism is not the solution to rampant corruption
Corruption Watch, which has kept watch over corruption in SA since 2012, has reached, and published, a somewhat startling conclusion after surveying the terrible ravages of grand and petty corruption in the country, especially as these twin scourges impact on the lives of the poor. As the population is made up of a majority of […]
LETTER: Jacob Zuma gets some of his own medicine
The former president defamed Billy Downer dreadfully in an affidavit filed in his filibustering application for a permanent stay of his prosecution 15 April 2019 – 05:04 (Business Day) Jacob Zuma. Picture: SUPPLIED Karyn Maughan reports that prosecutor Billy Downer, SC, is fighting back against Jacob Zuma by invoking the newly minted evidential principle that […]
LETTER: Voters should not tolerate corruption
The Hawks and the NPA constitute twin structures that have not been — and will never be — fit for countering grand corruption, state capture and kleptocracy in SA 21 March 2019 – 08:00 FinancialMail National Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Shamila Batohi. Picture: ALON SKUY I refer to your timely article, which thoroughly interrogates […]
Stop playing (possum) dead, start prosecuting – Hoffman to NPA
1st April 2019 by Linda van Tilburg in Biznews LONDON — Over the weekend a Sunday newspaper reported that the National Prosecuting Authority with new broom, Shamila Batohi at the head, did not want to ruffle feathers and bring charges for corruption before the 8 May elections. While we all procrastinate on who to vote […]
Will the Concerned Elders ever learn?
Opinionista • Paul Hoffman • 29 March 2019 • Daily Maverick The ANC Elders are a highly respected group. But their recent intervention in deploring the composition of the ANC’s electoral lists begs the question – why did it take them so long to speak out? Last week a group of Concerned Elders in the […]
Ramaphosa’s NPA investigative unit: An unknown compromise
By Greg Nicolson• 22 March 2019 • Daily Maverick Newly appointed National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Advocate Shamila President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a proclamation this week to establish a new anti-corruption unit within the NPA. It was a compromise born out of State Capture and meant to tackle it. Gareth Newham, head of justice […]
