SA's corruption fix: Contracts, lifestyle audits, and real consequences
The only way to keep an eye on SA's leaders is to sign a performance-based contract and make sure they are removed as soon as something goes wrong, says Mike Bolhuis, a specialist investigator in serious, violent, economic and cybercrimes.
Most of the leaders get involved in criminal activities because they know they can get away with it, he said.
Performance contracts and lifestyle audits
Performance contracts have been talked about before, as have lifestyle audits, as promised by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
A politician's lifestyle audit is when the lifestyle of a politician is compared to the salary they earn.
ALSO READ: Auditor-General's war on waste and corruption yields R4.5bn
It typically entails a careful examination of their assets, income and the money that they spend or their lifestyle habits to check if there's a mismatch between their declared income and spending habits.
The audit can expose corruption, illicit enrichment, or any wrongdoing that the audited person is committing.
Audit fears
Political analyst Goodenough Mashego said leaders don't like this kind of audit because they always have something to hide.
'That is why, in 2014, the Cabinet made a very wise decision for all officials in state institutions who are working in the finance sections to be vetted, but that never happened,' he said.
NOW READ: Lesufi confirms more senior Gauteng officials failed lifestyle audits
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The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
Trump's Tariffs Must Sow the Seeds for a National Reawakening
Zamikhaya Maseti | Published 9 hours ago Zamikhaya Maseti On August 1, 2025 , South Africa will enter a zone of strategic economic pain, engineered not by global market fluctuations, but by the vengeful hands of conservative economic nationalism. The United States, under the reins of Donald J. Trump, will impose a 30 per cent tariff on all goods and products exported from South Africa to the American markets. This is not a policy of trade readjustment; it is a geoeconomic act of hostility. The justification, wrapped in the language of " reciprocity, " is in reality a strategic blow aimed at disciplining South Africa's geopolitical posture and diplomatic boldness. Trump's economic nationalism, which sits at the ideological centre of Conservative Republicanism, is not merely inward-looking. It is punitive, retaliatory, and profoundly regressive. It has shaken the global trade architecture, not to recalibrate it, but to bend it in favour of America's new mercantilist order. This doctrine does not merely target trade imbalances; it punishes defiance. South Africa is now paying the price for standing on principle, particularly for its posture on Palestine and its landmark case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. It is clear, painfully so, that South Africa is being economically strangled not for what it trades, but for what it believes. Some Western analysts, ever keen to defend the status quo, will dispute this. They will search for economic rationality in an act that is blatantly political. Let them continue their intellectual gymnastics. This moment calls for clarity, not politeness. The truth is that Trump's worldview is transactional and tribal, and in that logic, South Africa has become collateral. That South Africa is seen as an irritant in Washington's new world order is not coincidental; it is structural. And let it be said without fear, Trump's policy on South Africa is influenced not only by economic calculations but by the mythologies peddled by actors like AfriForum and Elon Musk, who have exported the lie of white genocide into America's political bloodstream. But this is not the time for victimhood, nor is it the moment for diplomatic lamentation. It is time for South Africa to do some difficult thinking and embrace a new, muscular pragmatism . Diplomatic efforts, however noble, are unlikely to change Trump's position. Minister Parks Tau and his diplomatic team may work tirelessly, but they are facing a political machine that does not respond to nuance. Trump's narrative is fixed , and in that narrative, South Africa is an unfriendly trading partner whose tariffs harm American interests. He argues, correctly or not, that South African import duties and market access protocols are unfavourable to US goods. That argument, however flawed, resonates with his domestic base, and therefore it will stand. The United States will not blink , and it will not backtrack . Thus, it is not sufficient for South Africa to hope against hope; it must respond. Minister Parks Tau, trade envoys, and industrial leaders must now do the hard intellectual and strategic labour of repositioning the country's economic posture. Nowhere is this urgency more pressing than in the automotive sector, a critical node of South Africa's manufacturing ecosystem. This sector is not only a source of direct jobs; it sustains a complex web of downstream industries, from component manufacturing and logistics to retail and after-market services. It is here that the 30 per cent tariff will hit hardest, and it is here that innovation, not inertia, must be summoned . The sector must accept that the American market , for the foreseeable future, has lost ground. The time has come for South Africa to pivot decisively toward other markets, especially those aligned with its economic diplomacy ambitions. The first option lies in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the single largest integrated market on the continent , and the largest globally by number of countries. With over 1.3 billion people and a combined GDP exceeding $3.4 trillion, the AfCFTA offers South Africa a natural and politically friendly trading space. Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, presents high-value demand for affordable, durable automotive products, especially among its emerging middle classes and youthful populations. Research shows that more than 60 per cent of the region's population is under the age of 25, representing a long-term demand curve that is not speculative, but empirically grounded. Yet, South African companies have been slow to leverage this opportunity. There remains an unhealthy fog of Afro-pessimism and the lingering delusion of South African exceptionalism. These intellectual blindfolds must be cast aside . Africa is not a dumping ground; it is a destination for growt h. The automotive industry must shift from waiting for trade to come to it and instead begin creating strategic partnerships in East, West, and Central Africa. This includes setting up joint ventures, service hubs, and low-cost satellite assembly plants across regional economic communities. The second and equally strategic option lies in a new industrial partnership with China. The presence and popularity of Chinese-made vehicles in the South African domestic market has reached a saturation point. They are competitively priced, technologically competent, and now represent a serious challenge to traditional brands. But if left unmanaged, this trend could lead to the hollowing out of South Africa's manufacturing base. 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IOL News
7 hours ago
- IOL News
Zim activist Duke Maplanka Atterbell criticises South Africa's treatment of foreign nationals
Zimbabwean Activist Duke Maplanka Atterbell denounces rising xenophobia in South Africa, accusing the government of silence and neglect. He vows international legal action if systemic discrimination against foreign nationals continues unchecked. Image: March and March/Facebook Zimbabwean activist Duke Maplanka Atterbell says the South African government is complicit in systemic discrimination against foreign nationals and has failed to act in the face of escalating xenophobic violence and medical exclusion. In a formal letter dated 27 July 2025, addressed to President Cyril Ramaphosa, Minister of health, Minister of home affairs and the South African Human Rights Commission, Atterbell accused the state of both silence and active neglect, warning of formal complaints to African and international human rights bodies if urgent action is not taken. "I write this letter as both a concerned African citizen and a representative voice of thousands of foreign nationals, especially Zimbabweans, living in South Africa," Atterbell said. He described a worsening situation where 'foreign nationals are being chased out of hospitals, clinics, and even maternity wards. Others are beaten in the streets, publicly humiliated, or threatened by vigilantes emboldened by government silence.' His letter denounced what he calls a double standard in South Africa's global human rights stance, referencing Pretoria's condemnation of injustice abroad while allegedly turning a blind eye at home. 'How can South Africa claim the mantle of human rights defender abroad, while at home it presides over de facto ethnic cleansing through economic and medical exclusion? This hypocrisy is staggering,' he said. Atterbell warned that if no action is taken, he will escalate the matter by filing complaints with the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and the South African Human Rights Commission. He also promised to engage in public advocacy and international media exposure. 'This is not governance, it is abandonment,' he wrote. 'This is not the South Africa that the continent stood behind during the anti-apartheid struggle. This is not Ubuntu.' Atterbell's appeal comes amid rising tensions in the country over undocumented migration, especially concerning access to jobs and healthcare. In March 2024, radio personality Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma launched March and March, a non-governmental organisation that actively campaigns against the employment and public healthcare access of undocumented foreign nationals in South Africa. What began in KwaZulu-Natal has now spread nationally, with March and March volunteers stationed at entrances of hospitals including Addington Hospital, RK Khan Hospital, and various Gateway Clinics across the province. The group screens patients before entry, turning away those unable to produce South African ID documents. 'We operate where the government has failed,' the group has said. While critics have labelled it a vigilante operation targeting vulnerable people, the organisation continues to draw strong support from South Africans who believe hospitals are being overrun by foreigners. Responding to Atterbell's letter, Ngobese-Zuma posted on Facebook: 'He is Zimbabwean and writes to OUR President and not HIS… Kshuthi ngampela they believe they are South African‼️ Kshuthi we owe them‼️ Kshuthi we must intensify our fight because mentally these ppl don't think that we are serious.'' (Translated : He is Zimbabwean and writes to OUR President and not HIS… Maybe, seriously, they believe they are South African! Maybe we owe them! Maybe we must intensify our fight because mentally these people don't think that we are serious.'') Atterbell was quick to respond addressing Ngobese-Zuma in defiant terms. 'When Dudula royalty thinks they can intimidate you,' he said, in reference to her association with nationalist movements. 'Jacinta Zinhle MaNgobese Zuma, let's get one thing straight. I am not here to bow before self-appointed foot soldiers of hate. ''I am an enigma, not because I hide, but because I refuse to allow you to spread your bitter view of patriotism unchecked. I am a fearless advocate for human rights, not because it's easy, but because people like you have made silence a weapon. And yes, I am a hater of bigotry — proudly, loudly, and unapologetically.' He continued, accusing Ngobese-Zuma of masking fear as nationalism: 'You walk around with your chest puffed out like you're some gatekeeper of South Africa's soul. But what you really are is a loud emblem of fear, disguised as pride. You lead mobs, I lead with conscience. You shout in mobs, I speak in truth. You weaponise suffering, I document it.' Addressing her direct challenge, Atterbell wrote: 'You asked, 'Who are you?' Let me answer clearly: I am the one your hate cannot reach and your intimidation cannot shake. ''I am the storm you didn't see coming, and the voice you'll wish you hadn't tried to silence. Because while you scream for borders, I fight for bridges. While you hunt the vulnerable, I summon accountability. And while you wave your flag with fury, I carry the Constitution with fire.' 'So no, MaNgobese. I won't be quiet. Not now. Not ever,'' said Atterbell. Atterbell, however, insists that the fight is not against South Africa, but for human dignity. 'If your government fails to act, history, and international law, will remember it not for its silence, but for its complicity.' Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. IOL News
The South African
7 hours ago
- The South African
Police captain commits suicide after killing girlfriend and her brother
Gauteng police have opened an inquest docket in Protea after a police captain committed suicide after he allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend and her brother. The incident happened in Protea, Soweto, on Saturday night, 26 July. South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson in Gauteng, colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said it is alleged that the group was at home celebrating the birthday of the captain's girlfriend, who is also a police officer. 'The captain reportedly called the girlfriend to the side, and that is when people saw him draw a firearm, and shoot her and her brother dead while three other civilians sustained injuries. He then turned the gun on himself,' Nevhuhulwi explained. Two counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder and an inquest docket were opened at Protea police station for further investigation. Meanwhile Gauteng police commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni expressed his sadness at this incident and sent his heartfelt condolences to the affected families. 'We give our members these tools to protect themselves against criminals, so it is very disheartening to see the very same tools being used to kill their loved ones. I urge our members to make use of employee health and wellness facilities to assist them to deal with any problems they may be facing, whether work or personal, EHW is always there', Mthombeni said. Recently, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) called on the SAPS to strengthen its mental health and wellness support programmes for officers, following a tragic incident involving one of its own. A female police constable, Ntombethemba Mgidi, appeared in the Port Shepstone Magistrate's Court on Monday, 22 July, after being arrested in connection with the fatal shootings of two fellow officers in the Mbayimbayi area near Murchison on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast last week. Both victims later died from their injuries at Murchison Hospital. 'This act of violence highlights the urgent need for SAPS to intensify internal wellness and psychological support programmes that help members manage relational and emotional pressures,' said POPCRU spokesperson Richard Mamabolo. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
