There is an ongoing spat between the department of justice and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) concerning the fate of the materials put together and archived as part of the extensive work done during the Zondo state capture commission at a cost of over R1bn...

In the absence of adequate state protection, lynch mobs, self-appointed vigilante committees and groups and kangaroo courts gain in popularity, to the great prejudice of the institutions of state. The scourge that is called vigilantism – violently taking the law into...

Corrupt people are the bane of the life of the nation in SA, and indeed anywhere in the world where corruption is as rife as it is here. The President has referred to the ANC, his own party, as “Accused number One” in relation to the phenomenon of state capture, which...

The minister with final responsibility over the NPA cannot possibly have as chequered a past as Thembi Simelane, nor can Simelane legally dwell in the predicament in which she finds herself. The facts that are germane to the future of the new justice minister in the...

The interview the justice portfolio committee of the National Assembly conducted with justice minister Thembi Simelane on Friday was unedifying in many ways. The true issue at stake is whether because of her illegal dealings with VBS Mutual Bank, via the municipality...

Our new justice minister, Thembi Simelane, is in a uniquely awkward position while executive and prosecutorial dithering over her future continues (“No time for private scolding”, September 3). She stands accused by investigative journalists of impropriety, and...

By Paul Hoffman The success or otherwise of the efforts to counter corruption worldwide is dependent on the political will of those involved, not on whether the structure is of one kind or another. Perennially so, it is a lack of political will to counter corruption...

The following statements made by important South Africans in recent days need to be reconciled with the law, and with each other. This task is urgent. Retiring chief justice Raymond Zondo: “My hope is that mechanisms will be put in place to ensure we will never have a...

By Paul Hoffman If any other political party in the Government of National Unity were to promote unconstitutional notions that ignore the binding nature of court judgments and overlook the need for accountability under the rule of law, a tsunami of opprobrium would...

The constitution requires in section 96 that members of the executive may not expose themselves to any situation involving the risk of a conflict between their official responsibilities and private interests. Nor may they use their position to enrich themselves or...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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)....

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...

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The opinion piece by Lauren Kohn and Theunis Roux, “Embracing the IDAC: A critical step in South Africa’s fight against corruption” (Mail & Guardian, 14 to 20 June 2024), requires a response both on the law and the facts. The law is quite simple: the...

Paul Hoffman says there is no need for a separate system of courts to hear corruption cases For the benefit of readers who have forgotten their Latin, here is a googled definition of the term that is adequate for present purposes: "Aberratio ictus means the going...

Before the GNU was formed, the DA gave official notice of its intention to proceed with the parliamentary processing of its two private member’s bills aimed at establishing constitutionally compliant anti-corruption machinery of state through the creation of a new...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=vQE1AvTbQ-s Advocate Paul Hoffman, Director and project lead at accountability now joins us as we preview the national assembly's first sitting in the 7th administration. For more news, visit sabcnews.com and #SABCNews...

By Paul Hoffman The NPA is run as a programme within the Department of Justice and the director general of that department, who is not even a member of the NPA, is its official accounting officer. These features of the NPA architecture, either singly or taken...