corruption - The African Mirror

Apr

2023

S.Africa’s Eskom losing well over $55 million a month through theft, ex-CEO says

SOUTH African state power firm Eskom loses well over 1 billion rands ($55 million) a month from theft, its former chief executive told parliament, saying a previous estimate he gave was conservative. Andre de Ruyter made the comments in a written submission to parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) seen by Reuters, following an interview to local news channel eNCA in February where he made sweeping corruption allegations without detailed evidence against Eskom and South Africa's governing African National Congress. Shortly after the interview aired Eskom announced de Ruyter would leave his job immediately, cutting short a notice period he was serving after…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

South Africa targets $111 billion investment goal in tough investor climate

NEWS

SOUTH Africa needs to urgently fix energy, transport and security challenges if it is to reverse souring investor sentiment, executives said as President Cyril Ramaphosa targets 2 trillion rands ($111 billion) in new investments over the next five years. Executives were speaking at the South African Investment Conference in Johannesburg, launched by Ramaphosa in 2018 as a way to boost economic activity that had been in decline for over a decade in Africa's most advanced but struggling economy. Mismanagement and corruption at state-owned companies, including power utility Eskom and freight logistics group Transnet, have had a knock-on effect on ports…

Apr

2023

By CASPER LÖTTER

Thabo Bester’s escape from a privately-run South African prison raises questions about corruption

NEWS

RECENTLY, South Africans were told about an extraordinary escape story – they learnt that a convicted rapist, Thabo Bester, had been at large for a year after he’d escaped from a privately-run maximum security prison. In May 2022 the Department of Correctional Services reported that he had burnt to death in his cell. But a forensic report – which prison authorities only released recently after dogged reporting by journalists at the news outlet GroundUp, showed that the body wasn’t his. Journalist Ruth Hopkins. Ilse van Velzen Bester was re-arrested in Tanzania over the Easter weekend and arrests have been made…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

Winky D is being targeted by police in Zimbabwe – why the music star’s voice is so important

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

WINKY D, a 40-year-old Zimdancehall artist, is hugely popular in Zimbabwe. He’s also increasingly in the news for the messages in his songs, some of which address social injustice and corruption under a regime that stifles freedom of expression. There have been threats to ban his music and claims that his life is in danger. On 4 March 2023, during a concert in the city of Chitungwiza, police removed Winky D from the stage. He had just sung his latest hit, Ibotso, from his 12th album, Eureka Eureka. Videos shared online capture him being manhandled as he walks from the…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

Ugandan cabinet minister charged with corruption

NEWS

ELIAS BIRYABAREMA A Ugandan court charged a minister with several corruption offences connected to accusations of diverting metal roofing sheets meant to help residents in the restive northeastern Karamoja region, court documents showed. Prosecution of ministers for corruption is rare in Uganda, where stealing and the misuse of public funds and materials is routine. Karamoja, in a remote region bordering Kenya and South Sudan, is home to pastoral nomads vulnerable to frequent droughts and deadly cattle raids. Karamoja Affairs Minister Mary Goretti Kitutu was charged with several offences including "loss of public property" and "conspiracy to defraud," Kampala Anti-Corruption Court…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

Does democracy fuel corruption? Most Ghanaians don’t think so

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

DOES democracy breed corruption – particularly in developing countries? There are strong advocates of the theory. And strong detractors. Some studies conclude that democracy aggravates corruption. For instance, the noted scholar of public policy Jong-Sung You’s work explores the relationships between democracy, inequality and corruption. He shows in a study of three East Asian countries that democracy can worsen corruption when a country has high levels of inequality. This, in turn, increases clientelism and patronage politics and state capture. Author JOSEPH YAW ASOMAH, Assistant Professor, University of Manitoba Other studies show that democracy can help combat corruption. One study by…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

South Africa’s corporate whistleblowers don’t get enough protection: what needs to change

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

CORPORATE misconduct is difficult to detect and prove. This is because it is often hidden by a complicated web of transactions, misleading corporate records and convoluted company group structures. This is why corporate whistleblowers whose positions give them an inside track on misconduct are so important in exposing corporate crime and corruption. Author REHANA CASSIM, Professor in Company Law, University of South Africa But whistleblowers risk personal and financial risk by coming out. Whistleblower protection in South Africa lags behind international standards and inadequately protects whistleblowers in some respects. Given South Africa’s high levels of corporate corruption, whistleblowers deserve high…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Shun ethnic rivalry and corruption, pope tells African youth

NEWS

PHILIP PULLELLA and PAUL LORGERIE POPE Francis urged young people in the Democratic Republic of Congo to forge a new future without the ethnic rivalry, corruption and distrust that have fuelled so many bloody conflicts in Africa. Addressing more than 65,000 young people in Martyrs Stadium, Francis spoke of forgiveness and reconciliation, themes that have dominated his visit to Congo, where armed conflict has killed and displaced millions of people over the past decades. But Thursday's speech focused on what he called "ingredients for the future", and struck a more hopeful tone than his previous ones as he spoke of…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

Zelenskiy ally threatens jailings after high-profile graft allegations

WORLD

TOM BALMFORTH and OLENA HARMASH A top ally of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said corrupt officials would be "actively" jailed, setting out a zero-tolerance approach after the most high-profile graft allegations since Russia's invasion came to light. Ukraine has a long history of corruption and shaky governance, though there have been few examples since last year's invasion as Kyiv has fought back Russian forces and received Western financial and military support. On Sunday, anti-corruption police said they had detained the deputy infrastructure minister on suspicion of receiving a $400,000 kickback to facilitate the import of generators into wartime Ukraine last September. Separately, a newspaper…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

SA police probe poisoning of energy boss

NEWS

WENDELL ROELF SOUTH African power utility Eskom said police were investigating whether an attempt was made to poison its outgoing Chief Executive Officer Andre de Ruyter. Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan also told Reuters on Sunday the alleged incident "will be thoroughly investigated" and anyone responsible charged. Without giving any details, Gordhan said an intense battle was taking place "between those who want South Africa to work and thrive and those who want to corruptly enrich themselves". Faced with political pressure, De Ruyter resigned on December 14 after failing to solve a crisis in Eskom that has led to record power cuts…