July 2025 Newsletter | Open Secrets contributes to 2025’s big accountability breakthroughs

Despite the relentless gloom of the news cycle, 2025 has brought meaningful strides towards justice and accountability.

The Dirty Dozen, the Twelve South African National Defence Force members were finally charged in connection to the assassination of Frans Mathipa. After years of pressure, the Presidency finally suspended Andrew Chauke, the unaccountable South Gauteng National Director of Public Prosecutions. In May, Open Secrets launched a case to review the NPA and Hawks’ conduct for failing to hold PRASA looters to account – in July, the Hawks raided PRASA’s Braamfontein offices. Things are moving and our work is having real impact!

Just last week, state capture profiteer Bain & Co announced that it would be shutting down its South African operations. The consulting firm could not survive the reputational damage caused by the overwhelming evidence of its complicity in state capture. This is a powerful reminder that exposés of  economic crime and corporate misconduct are effective means of accountability.

And just when we thought the good news couldn’t keep coming, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered a landmark advisory opinion on climate change, affirming that states have legal obligations to protect the climate and mitigate its impacts.

So even when it feels like the world is falling apart and the rich and powerful remain untouchable, these victories are important reminders that change is possible. They are beacons of hope lighting the path to a more just world.

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Here is your July 2025 newsletter, packed with updates and a recap of the waves we’re making together.

One step closer to justice for Frans Mathipa

Almost 2 years after the murder of Lieutenant Colonel Frans Mathipa, twelve SANDF members were arrested and charged in connection to the 2023 murder of the Hawks officer and other crimes. Open Secrets’ director Hennie van Vuuren states:

“The President needs to consider why the chief of the SANDF has done so little to tackle this — and hold him accountable. All of this underscores the extraordinary public importance of the prosecution of the SANDF’s “dirty dozen” and the work of the Hawks and prosecutors in bringing these matters to court…This represents a test for our democratic state and demands vigilance to ensure that all those implicated are held to account.”

In 2023, we partnered with Carte Blanche on a two-part exposé of the SANDF torture squad, the recent arrests of the dirty dozen prompted a follow up feature published in July this year.

Hawks/NPA filing update

On 16 May 2025, Open Secrets filed an application at the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria to review the conduct of the Hawks and the NPA during their long-running investigation into corruption at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA). The application asks the court to declare unlawful both the delay in finalising the investigations by the Hawks and the NPA, and the related failure by the NPA to decide whether to prosecute the perpetrators.

While the Hawks and the NPA have missed the 6 June 2025 deadline to provide a written record of the reasons behind the delays, the recent raid of PRASA’s offices give an indication of a move towards accountability. But we are not letting up. We need to establish why it has taken the state a decade to make decisions on PRASA corruption. We are considering all our legal options it is unacceptable that the tardiness of the Hawks and NPA continues to delay justice and accountability for state capture.

How Shell & BP walked away from a toxic refinery—and left South Africans to pay the price

In a two-part article series, Open Secrets investigators Michael Marchant, Cheriese Dilrajh and Luvano Ntuli explored the Central Energy Fund’s purchase of BP and Shell’s oil refinery in South Durban for R1.

• Read Part 1 | CEF ignores red flags and gives Shell and BP a clean-break on SAPREF deal
• Read Part 2 | The consultants who supported CEF’s SAPREF oil refinery gambit

State Capture Inquiry: Recommendations progress report

The presidency has finally released its progress report on implementing the recommendations of the state capture report. While the report reads as self congratulatory, what is the truth behind it all? Open Secrets campaigner, Letlhogonolo Letshele, breaks it all down in an op-ed for the Civil Society Working Group on State Capture (CSWG).

We challenged Eskom on “commercial confidentiality” and won!

An Open Secrets investigation revealed for the first time a massive ‘gift’ given by Eskom to JSE listed company South32. Documents given to us showed that South32’s Hillside aluminium smelter received around a 50% discount from Eskom that could add up up to R92bn over the life of the deal.

Eskom and BHP Billiton, from which South32 was unbundled, had cited “commercial confidentiality” for hiding this information. But we did not stop digging – and what we found makes it easy to see why they were so keen to keep the information away from the public eye.

2025 Publications

We Can’t See the Sunset

Featuring testimonies, activist guidelines, artwork, and reflections on climate justice, the zine amplifies the voices of communities most impacted by environmental harm and energy profiteering. It’s a creative call to action for a just transition rooted in dignity, equity, and collective power.

The Climate Consultants

Based on explosive insider interviews and hard-hitting investigative research, the report shines a light on the roles played by these consulting firms, and considers how we can hold these unelected private technocrats to account.

#ShutdownsEverywhereYouGo

#ShutdownsEverywhereYouGo exposes MTN’s alleged role in enabling internet shutdowns, corruption, tax evasion, and enabling terror activities across Africa and the Middle East, highlighting its complicity in human rights violations.

Did you miss one of the launches? Catch up on Open Secrets TV!

Open Secrets has joined a collective of activists, advocates, and researchers dedicated to advancing demilitarization worldwide. The call? Redirect at least 10% of military spending to fund care work, education, climate action, social protection, and community-based alternatives to violence.

• WATCH | Hawks raid Prasa offices in Johannesburg – Luthando Vilakazi on Newzroom Afrika
• LISTEN | State-owned entities and the question of accountability
• WATCH | Ramaphosa suspends Chauke – Ra’eesa Pather on Newzroom Afrika
• LISTEN | Why Andrew Chauke’s suspension from NPA is no surprise
• WATCH |SANDF Special Forces Arrested For Allegedly Murdering Hawks Detective – The Dan Corder Show
• WATCH |Management consultants cashing in on climate crisis – Newzroom Afrika
• LISTEN | Ra’eesa Pather on Power Business – How management consultants are cashing in on the climate crisis – report
• READ | Business Tech – New report reveals who is really making money through South Africa’s R1.76 trillion clean energy drive
• READ | Currency News – Consultants guzzle millions in just energy grants
• READ | The R74bn MTN lawsuit – a litmus test for corporate accountability – By  Jane Borman and Ra’eesa Pather
• WATCH | Newzroom Afrika – MTN probed for human rights violations in war-torn countries
• LISTEN | Exposing MTN’s Role in Internet Shutdowns  across Africa and the Middle East | Cape Talk