South Africa is trapped in a cycle of impunity. In a previous investigation, called the Enablers, Open Secrets tracked the architects and beneficiaries of corruption at Eskom, Transnet, and other high-profile state capture crimes. In this report, we investigate the ‘low-hanging fruit’ cases which law enforcement agencies and regulators can urgently act on now.
Prasa, SAA, Denel, and SARS are key South African institutions. Corruption at these agencies affects millions of commuters and impoverished South Africans who face the brunt of corruption when government is unable to afford basic services due to looting of state institutions.
This report — which is Part One in a two-part series on state capture — finds the people, politicians and businesses who enabled and benefited from corruption at these four state institutions. They are the low-hanging fruit: the cases which law enforcement agencies and regulatory bodies can act on now to hold perpetrators of state capture crimes to account. Yet, no-one has been convicted or faced serious consequences for their actions.
To disrupt South Africa’s history of impunity, networks of patrongage and corruption must be held to account by those who enforce the law and who regulate industries and institutions. The time for urgent action is now, and these are people and businesses who must face accountability.
‘Wanted’, was launched in a live webinar on the 29th of June 2022. The webinar was hosted by the Financial Mail’s Rob Rose and features a discussion with Open Secrets’ Michael Marchant and Ra’eesa Pather.
Leaked documents and voice notes suggest that SA company, Ren-Form, inflated a tender for the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission by 235%, while its politically connected partner, Wicknell Chivayo, made payments to mystery officials.
by Hennie van Vuuren and Abby May Published in the Financial Mail Eswatini central bank red-flags Farmers Bank licence Eswatini finance minister Neal Rijkenberg projects an air of ordinariness. His sensible suits, likely bought off the rack, are only rarely swopped out for Swazi traditional dress. But Rijkenberg is far…
In part 2 of the Swazi Secrets investigation we expose, Mitchelo Shakantu who has built a business empire with stakes across the Eswatini economy.
Swazi Secrets leak exposes the violence and corruption of eSwatini, Africa’s last absolute monarchy
Join us on the 11th of April for a transformative networking evening hosted by Open Secrets and PPLAAF. Together, let’s forge alliances and ignite change in the DRC through meaningful dialogue.
This is the third in a series of articles on corruption and irregular money flows from PRASA’s dealings with Swifambo Rail Leasing. It follows the auditors and lawyers who cashed in on corruption at the Passenger Rail Agency, neglecting their professional duties.
This is the second in a series of articles on corruption in PRASA’s dealings with front company Swifambo Rail Leasing. It focuses on the activities of Makhensa Mabunda and Auswell Mashaba, the men who orchestrated the purchase of unusable locomotives for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA).
This article is the first in a series of articles on corruption in PRASA’s dealings with a front company called Swifambo Rail Leasing. It focuses on Vossloh, a European rail technology company, which made billions of rands through a dubious partnership with Swifambo.
Radio Islam South Africa’s civil society has unveiled a report demanding actionable steps be taken to address state capture. The collective response, presented in Braamfontein, reflects the collaboration of civil society organisations within the Civil Society Working Group on State Capture, focusing on the findings of the Zondo Commission. Letlhogonolo…
The collective civil society response is a reflection, by civil society organisations within the Civil Society Working Group on State Capture (CSWG), on the Zondo Commission and the State Capture report.
Lester Kiewit speaks to Michael Marchant, head of investigations at OpenSecrets, about Shamila Batohi’s five years at the helm at the National Prosecuting Authority, and whether she is making a dent in the country’s massive corruption problem.
Director of Open Secrets, Hennie van Vuuren is calling on the Presidency and the US government to make public details of the mysterious cargo of the Russian vessel Lady R which docked in Simon’s Town in December 2022.
KPMG has signed a confidential settlement with VBS Mutual Bank
Takudzwa Pongweni | Daily Maverick South Africa now falls into the category of ‘flawed democracies’. The latest annual Corruption Perceptions Index says efforts to fight public sector corruption are faltering. The index partly blames a global decline in justice and the rule of law. Transparency International on Tuesday released its…
The ongoing failure of South Africa’s investigative bodies and prosecuting authority to secure accountability for high-level corruption and economic crime is one of many serious risks to the country’s future.
The Middelburg specialised commercial crimes court struck former Eskom boss Matshela Koko’s fraud, corruption and money-laundering case off the roll due to unreasonable delays. Phemelo speaks to the Head of Investigations at Open Secrets, Michael Marchant about the case.
Public hearings into the National Prosecuting Authority Bill, which will see the establishment of the Investigative Directorate Against Corruption, began today. Open Secrets says it’s concerned about the operational and financial independence of the new body. Lawyer at Open Secrets Luthando Vilakazi has more.
On 25 October 2023 Open Secrets made a presentation to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee of Justice and Correctional Services on the National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Bill B29-2023. The Bill attempts to make a range of amendments including creating a permanent Investigating Directorate called the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC).
We are pursuing accountability for the facilitators of state capture in Zimbabwe. This includes a Mauritian management company agent, UK based company administrators, South African law firms and lawyers and South African registered companies.
A new investigative report by Open Secrets highlights once more how consultants greased the wheels of state capture. Big-name global consultancies have been implicated in helping South Africans to capture State-Owned Enterprises to serve corrupt ends.
Noluthando Mthonti-Mlambo speaks to Luvano Ntuli, Investigator at Open Secrets about their new report, “The Consultants – A Corporations and Economic Crime”.
A new report by Open Secrets, revealed here exclusively, details just how consultants have pillaged the state. So how can this disturbing trend be reversed, given the country’s skills crisis?
In The Corporations and Economic Crime: The Consultants, Open Secrets profiles McKinsey & Company, Bain & Company, and, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Three companies that occupy immensely influential seats at the tables of the world’s most powerful corporations and governments.
Cabinet has now approved the National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Bill. Ra’eesa Pather, Investigator at Open Secrets talks to POWER Breakfast host Thabiso Tema on what this means for the return of the Scorpions
Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is one of the world’s largest consulting firms. Its corporate mission is to “unlock the potential of those who advance the world”. What BGC fails to mention is that this includes its clients who are kleptocrats and dodgy corporations
A round-up of news updates, including a look at threats by Santaco to take the City of Cape Town to court over the recent impounding of taxis.
Lester Kiewit speaks to Ra’eesa Pather, senior investigator at Open Secrets, about the investigation into former NPA head of public prosecutions, Andrew Chauke and what is known about his role in state capture.
Daily Maverick Investigative journalist, Pauli van Wyk will be hosting Prize-winning journalist, Nick Donovan, Head of Investigations at Open Secrets, Michael Marchant & Executive Director of the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development, Janet Zhou to discuss Open Secrets and The Sentry’s latest investigative report: “Fronts, Fakes and Façades”.
Published in New Zimbabwe and AllAfrica Sentry and Open Secrets exposé has confirmed that Zimbabwe has become a mafia state, run and controlled by cartels and syndicates, Former Finance Minister Tendai Biti has said. In a publicised joint investigative report titled ‘Fronts, Fakes, and Facades: How South African and Mauritian…
Michael Marchant explains the findings of Open Secrets and The Sentry’s latest investigative report on state capture in Zimbabwe, Fronts, Fakes and Façades.
By The Sentry and Open Secrets Published in the Daily Maverick A joint investigative report by The Sentry and Open Secrets exposes how Zimbabwean presidential adviser and business tycoon Kudakwashe Tagwirei – the subject of numerous corruption allegations – was able to move suspect funds from the Reserve Bank of…
SAfm’s Aldrin Sampear is joined by Michael Marchant to discuss the findings of Open Secrets and The Sentry’s latest investigative report titled: ‘Fronts, Fakes, and Façades’.
Mike speaks to Peter Ndoro about our Zimbabwe state capture investigation.
Channel Africa’s Peter Ndoro speaks to Michael Marchant to find out more about Open Secrets and The Sentry’s latest report, Fronts, Fakes, and Façades.
ZimLive The report, “Fronts, Fakes, and Façades: How South African and Mauritian Enablers Helped Move Millions from Zimbabwe to Britain,” focuses on three payments that secured Tagwirei’s purchase of two Zimbabwean mines—Bindura Nickel and Freda Rebecca Gold Mine. Tagwirei, already surrounded by corruption allegations at the time of the deal,…
In 2019, Zimbabwean presidential advisor Kudakwashe Tagwirei moved millions of dollars in suspect funds from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) to London to buy two Zimbabwean mines— Bindura Nickel and Freda Rebecca Gold Mine—for $29.5 million.
Zim State Capture | Response from a representative for Mr. Kundomal and Capital Horizons
On Thursday the 6th of July, Open Secrets and The Sentry will be launching our new investigative report, Fronts, Fakes and Façades. The report tells the story of how a politically-connected oil tycoon in Zimbabwe moved suspect funds from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) to the City of London…
Source material for investigative report- Fronts, Fakes and Façades- How South African and Mauritian enablers helped move millions from Zimbabwe to Britain
Open Secrets information requests to the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO) and the State Security Agency (SSA) for any documentation regarding South Africa’s attempts to extradite Atul Gupta, Ajay Gupta and Rajesh Gupta.
The most cynical corporations seek to rip off the poor. Few have been as effective as Net1 and Cash Payment Services (CPS). While they have rebranded, they have not paid back their illicit profits owed to millions of South Africans
How much did Eskom board members know about the André de Ruyter-initiated probe? And did we learn anything more about the corruption in the power utility?
The first state capture case has fallen apart in court. The accused in the R25 million Nulane Investments trial have been discharged due to insufficient evidence against them.
Open Secrets submitted a PAIA request to the Presidency asking for any documentation on how and why Duma Ndlovu and Michael Horn nominations were accepted to receive the National Order Award.
The Eastern Cape Provincial Government confirmed that President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has landed in the Eastern Cape, on a runway he paid for. This is after the UAE denied our request for the extradition of the Guptas.
Al Jazeera has broadcast a four party documentary showing how high ranking officials in Zimbabwe are helping people to smuggle gold of that country.
Open Secrets criticises the Justice Department for delays in prosecuting high-profile state capture cases.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has invited South Africa to resubmit its application for the extradition of the notorious Gupta brothers, but government sources believe there is no longer any chance that the application will succeed.
Watch Open Secrets’ Head of Investigations Michael Marchant for a webinar conversation with Professor Lukas Muntingh (Dullah Omar Institute), Mbekezeli Benjamin (Judges Matter) and Ra’eesa Pather (Open Secrets) who will help us grapple with how we can seek justice and restitution for state capture crimes.
Register for our upcoming webinar- Accountability for State Capture: Where to now?
The British government has lifted the three-year ban it imposed on Bain and company last year. In August 2022, London placed a ban on its government doing business with Bain and Company.
The #ICMFiles is a series which sheds light on how ICM and its directors made payments to various companies and individuals to flush Transnet money.
This is the third piece in a series on a company called Integrated Capital Management (ICM) and its directors, who enabled and benefitted from state capture at Transnet, but have yet to be held to account.
In part 2 of #ICMFiles series we turn the spotlight on the ICM director who helped the Guptas score big inside Transnet: Stanley Shane
New information obtained by Open Secrets sheds light on how ICM and its directors made payments to flush Transnet money out of sight.
South Africans must send a clear message to multinational companies around the world: you can no longer bribe your way to contracts, enable corrupt political elites, kill off domestic competitors and destroy our institutions.
Mediated Conversation: auditing firm Deloitte had reached a settlement with the company Tongaat Hulette – over the massive auditing scandal at Tongaat.
Open Secrets Head of Investigations, Michael Marchant, weighs in on the fraud and money laundering Nulane Investments trial
The Budget Justice Coalition has rejected government’s maintenance of an expenditure ceiling and broad fiscal consolidation.
Lawyers and law firms were instrumental in the State Capture project. From prestigious Sandton white shoe firms to crooked small-time attorneys everyone feasted. One attorney who has not been held to account for State Capture crimes is the notorious Daniel Mantsha
Watch Open Secrets’ Zen Mathe in conversation with Moira Campbell (Corruption Watch), Devi Pillay (Public Affairs Research Institute-PARI) and Luthando Vilakazi (Open Secrets) who grapple with how we can address the social costs of state capture and seek restitution for the damage caused.
Open Secrets’ Zen Mathe will be in conversation with Moira Campbell and Devi Pillay. They’ll be exploring how South Africans can address the social costs of state captures and seek restitution for the damage caused.
The state has called its second witness in the Nulane case. Seven accused are implicated in a contract that saw R25 million worth of government money going to Nulane Investments to compile a report. Head of investigation at Open secrets Michael Marchant explains.
The Civil Society Working Group on State Capture’s media statement on the president’s response to the State Capture Report.
Despite glaring evidence available in the public domain, the findings of the Zondo Commission and a fresh criminal investigation in Germany, South African authorities seem uninterested in holding T-Systems to account.
Open Secrets Director, Hennie van Vuuren, weighs in on the Zuma vs. Downer and Maughan case.
Sello Maema is the prosecutor inside the NPA who led three of the authority’s most questionable cases at that time. Allegations of Maema’s misconduct were documented in Open Secrets’ latest investigative report: Bad Cops, Bad Lawyers.
2 June 2022 | This is the repository of documents cited in the 34th profile of the Unaccountable series which focusses on Sello Maema
By Luvo Mnyobe Published in City Press This is how democracy dies. These were my thoughts as I scrolled through Twitter and saw a shameful video of Hlaudi Motsoeneng trying to humiliate senior SABC News journalist Francis Herd. Motsoeneng was appearing on Full View, a prime-time news programme, to give…
Are the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and Hawks dragging their feet on cases of state capture? Social justice NGO Open Secrets thinks so and lays out its arguments in a persuasive new report published in August 2022. There are many who would agree.
Bad Cops, Bad Lawyers — documents how the Hawks and the NPA have failed to take on state capture cases.
Our efforts to bring accountability for state capture conspirators.
Whistle-blowers continue to be targeted within Prasa, and there is little evidence of effective reform. The result is that working-class commuters continue to be let down by failing infrastructure and almost non-existent rail services.
Six weeks have passed since Rajesh and Atul Gupta were arrested in Dubai. It follows a request by the National Prosecuting Authority and Justice Ministry, for the controversial brothers to stand trial for alleged State Capture crimes. Open Secrets Director, Hennie van Vuuren, explains.
The ANC’s devotion to its policy of cadre deployment is an indication that it values its own power more than the public interest.
Point of View with Phemelo Motene How did the State Capture network move billions of rand stolen from the South African people across the globe? The Zondo Commission report provides some of the details of the network of banks who profited from this — but fails to provide any remedy…
In this series, Open Secrets profiles the prosecutors inside the National Prosecuting Authority who motivated questionable prosecutions and unduly delayed important cases. In this instalment, we focus on Andrew Chauke, the NPA’s head of public prosecutions in Johannesburg.
In this instalment, we focus on Andrew Chauke, the NPA’s head of public prosecutions in Johannesburg.
Investigators at Open Secrets have warned that the Zondo Inquiry’s alleged failure to point out the banking industry and other middlemen in state capture, may undo future work against corruption. Open Secrets and Shadow World Investigations jointly submitted an exhaustive report to the commission on the matter, in 2020. They…
With all parts of the state capture report now published, civil society group Open Secrets is gearing up for the new challenge – getting SA’s law enforcement agencies to act.
The Democratic Alliance has laid criminal charges against the ANC for its role in the intricate large-scale corruption that involved specific individuals, government entities, and private companies in what has become known as the state capture. Findings of the State Capture report have implicated some of the ANC senior leaders…
We’ve had just about a week to digest the latest instalment of the State Capture report. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s failure to address corruption at various levels of government, and within the governing party has been widely criticised. Several parastatals have also been eaten away by dubious deals and corrupt politicians,…
This investigative report traces the networks of capture and corruption at the Passenger Rail Agency of SA, SA Airways, Denel and the SA Revenue Service, and identifies the looters, fixers and politicians who should now be held to account
What do you get if you cross a crooked president, the Gupta brothers and a corrupted ruling party? Hopefully, 20 years to life …
How did the State Capture network move billions of rand stolen from the South African people across the globe? The Zondo Commission report provides some of the details of the network of banks who profited from this — but fails to provide any remedy of how to prevent a repetition…
After missing 15 June deadline, the Chief Justice Raymond Zondo Commission has finally submitted part five and six of the report into State Capture. Earlier this week, Guest: Michael Marchant – Head of Investigations at Open Secrets Guest: Cynthia Stimpel – Whistleblower and Author of Hijackers on Board
Clement is joined by Karyn Maughan and Hennie van Vuuren to talk about the arrest of the Gupta brothers in the UAE.
Hennie van Vuuren speaks to Refilwe Moloto about his thoughts on the extradition of the arrested Gupta brothers from Dubai to South Africa.
Director of Open Secrets, Hennie van Vuuren, talks about the Gupta brother’s arrest and the UAE judicial system.
As South Africa’s prosecutors forge ahead with plans to extradite two Gupta brothers, Open Secrets is worried that the odds may be weighed against us.
One non-profit group is worried that the odds may be stacked against SA, in its bid to extradite the Gupta brothers from Dubai. Open Secrets Director, #HennieVanVuuren, speaks about his doubts on the extradition process.
City Press | Hennie van Vuuren South Africa must be wary of the motive and intentions of the UAE on the Gupta matter, writes Hennie van Vuuren. The arrest and detention of Atul and Rajesh Gupta in Dubai is the first step in what could be an epic battle to…
🛩🛩🛩 Wanted: The State Capture Conspirators. Coming 30 June. Music: Abidoza and Major League DJz-Le Plane E’Landile Video production and editing: Luvo Mnyobe, Open Secrets
eNCA Dubai police effected an Interpol Red Notice issued for charges of money laundering. They say they are working with South African officials to extradite the brothers. eNCA speaks to head investigator at Open Secrets, Michael Marchant.
SABC News There’s been mixed reaction to the arrest of the Gupta Brothers in Dubai. According to a statement by the country’s police the two men were being held in connection with money laundering and criminal charges in South Africa. The police say they were acting after receiving an Interpol…
Newzroom Afrika There are growing concerns around how long it will take to extradite the Gupta brothers after they were arrested in Dubai. Atul and Rajesh Gupta were wanted in connection with the R24.9 million paid by the Free State Department of Agriculture for a feasibility study on potential farming…
702. The Clement Manyathela Show Clement is joined by the Legal Journalist, Karyn Maughan and the Director of Open Secrets, Hennie van Vuuren to talk about the arrest of the Gupta brothers in UAE and the extradition process by the Justice Department.
State capture relies on a vast network of actors, many of whom have evaded accountability for their role in derailing state-owned entities. This network includes lawyers who have disregarded their ethical and professional duties in service of corrupt networks. Refiloe Mokoena, an attorney who served as a board member at…
2 June 2022 | This is the repository of documents cited in the 32nd profile of the Unaccountable series which focusses on the misdeeds of attorney Refiloe Mokoena
Unaccountable 00031: The National Postponement Authority on High Profile Corruption by Ra’eesa Pather for Open Secrets 4 April 2021 Questionable decision-making, poor leadership and political interference have collapsed public trust in the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). The current leadership at the authority, lead by Shamila Batohi, has yet to bring…
Newsroom Afrika | 15 March 2022 Head of Investigations at Open Secrets, Michael Marchant, speaks to Newzroom Afrika on prosecutions for state capture crimes, and issues in the NPA, Hawks, and the courts. Justice Raymond Zondo releases the third volume of the State Capture report which recommends more than 60 individuals…
SABC The Watchdog: Interview with Michael Marchant Michael Marchant, Head of Investigations at Open Secrets, speaks to the WatchDog following the public release of Part Two of the State Capture Report.
Monday 24 January 2022 || Civil Society Working Group on State Capture: Statement – Response to the Zondo Commission’s Report We urge the commission not to shy away from making robust recommendations that can act as catalyst for wholesale state reform and will help to ensure that powerful corporations and…
Inside the reign of Bain Financial Mail | Zen Mathe, Investigator at Open Secrets | 13 JANUARY 2022 The consulting firm was present for every step of the dismantling of Sars, from conception, to collusion, to capture. The first report from the Zondo commission into state capture, released on January…
Findings against The New Age in the State Capture report The Clement Manyathela Show on 702 | Interview with Ra’eesa Pather, Investigator at Open Secrets | 12 January 2022 Clement speaks to Open Secrets’ investigator, Ra’eesa Pather, as well as Pieter Pretorius from Eskom and former GCIS DG Themba Maseko,…
Open Secrets’ Michael Marchant reacts to the first part of the State Capture report, and the findings against PwC and Nkonki’s work at SAA.
Mediated Conversation: Reflection on the State Capture Report SAfm Sunrise | Guests include: Pauli van Wyk, Daily Maverick; Hennie van Vuuren, Open Secrets; and Mzwandile Mbeje, SABC News | 10 January 2022 Stephen Grootes of SAfm Sunrise speaks with Pauli van Wyk (Journalist at Daily Maverick); Hennie van Vuuren (Executive…
Zondo: South African Airways, PwC can drag heels no longer The Africa Report | David Whitehouse| 10 January 2022 Publication of the first part of the Zondo Report on state capture has finally prompted South African Airways (SAA) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to start facing reality. The first…
Thought Leadership: State Capture Report under the spotlight Power 98.7 | In conversation with Mamello Mosiana, Head of Campaigns at Open Secrets | 9 January 2022 Stand-in host Nhlanhla Sehume is in conversation with the head of campaigns, Mamello Mosiana, at non-governmental organisation Open Secrets – which is vocal on…
Pros and cons of Deferred Prosecution Agreements recommended in the State Capture Report Newzroom Afrika | In conversation with Tabitha Paine, Senior Attorney at Open Secrets | 8 January 2022 The state capture commission’s first report was released this week. It includes a recommendation to use deferred prosecution agreements for…
Analysing the State Capture Report: Objections to proposed deferred prosecution agreements Radio 786 | In conversation with Michael Marchant, Head of Research at Open Secrets | 7 January 2022 Red flags have been raised about the State Capture Commission’s recommendation that government introduce laws to allow for deferred prosecutions of…
Discussion | State Capture report hits and misses eNCA | In conversation with Michael Marchant, Head of Investigations at Open Secrets | 7 January 2022 Michael Marchant from Open Secrets spoke to eNCA’s Annika Larsen.
Discussion on State Capture Commission Report and insights on the findings: Ra’eesa Pather, Investigator at Open Secrets SABC News | In conversation with Ra’eesa Pather, Investigator at Open Secrets | 7 January 2022 Civil society organization Open Secrets last night hosted a virtual conversation to discuss the State Capture Commission…
Michael Marchant, Head of Investigations at Open Secrets, on the hits and misses in the state capture report SABC: On Point | In conversation with Michael Marchant, Head of Research at Open Secrets | 7 January 2022 Many stakeholders continue to pore over the contents of the first part of…
The pros and cons of deferred prosecution agreements: Is it a case of justice deferred is justice denied? Daily Maverick| Tabitha Paine and Ra’eesa Pather | 6 January 2022 The first of three reports by the Zondo Commission has proposed using deferred prosecution agreements as a tool to hold companies accountable…
Ramaphosa’s primary responsibility is to the country, not his political party: Open Secrets SAfm: Update at Noon | In conversation with Hennie van Vuuren, Executive Director at Open Secrets | 5 Januray 2022 The Democratic Alliance has called on law enforcement agencies to immediately act following the release of the…
Business with Khaya Sithole: Reflections on the State Capture Report – Part 1 Power 98.7 | In conversation with Michael Marchant, Head of Research at Open Secrets | 5 January 2022 Reflections on the State Capture Report with Michael Marchant, Head of Research at Open Secrets.
Suspend Bain & Co, urges Lord Hain in a letter to UK government Daily Maverick | Sasha Planting | 5 January 2022 Suspend Bain & Co, urges Lord Hain in a letter to UK government Management consultancy Bain & Co hoped it had put the sins of State Capture years behind it.…
Power Business with Khaya Sithole: Reflections on the State Capture Report – Part 1 5 January 2022 Power Business with Khaya Sithole Khaya Sithole reflects on Part 1 of the State Capture Report with Steven Powell from ENS, Pauli van Wyk from the Daily Maverick and Open Secrets’ Head of…
Ramaphosa’s primary responsibility is to the country, not his political party: Open Secrets 5 January 2022 Update at Noon The Democratic Alliance has called on law enforcement agencies to immediately act following the release of the first of the three-part State Capture report. The DA says now the information is…
5 January 2022 Lester Kiewit talks to Open Secrets’ Ra’eesa Pather
Examining the NPA’s delay in prosecuting high-profile cases SABC Morning Live | In conversation with Hennie Van Vuuren, Executive Director of Open Secrets | 7 December 2021 National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) head Advocate Shamila Batohi says the NPA is not in a crisis and there is no widespread sabotage of…
Who are the board members and executives at Prasa who enabled and participated in the looting of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa)? This week we turn to Sfiso Buthelezi, a former deputy minister of Finance and current member of parliament whose six years as Prasa’s first board…
This is the repository of documents cited in the 30th profile of the Unaccountable series which focusses on the role of current member of parliament and former board chair of Prasa, Sfiso Buthelezi.
Cape Talk | 8 September 2021 Transnet and the Special Investigating Unit were on Tuesday granted a preservation order to freeze R4.2billion sitting in bank accounts linked to Chinese company, CRRC E-Loco Supply (CRRC). They supplied Transnet with locomotives between 2011 and 2014. Michael Marchant of Open Secrets speaks to Refilwe Moloto about…
SABC News | 7 September 2021 Open Secret’s investigator Michael Marchant speaks to Vuyo Mvoko about corruption and the private sector.
The Citizen | Simnikiwe Hlatshaneni| 7 September 2021 If National Commissioner of Correctional Services, Arthur Fraser did not solicit an independent medical report on former President Zuma, his medical parole decision is illegal. So says the Democratic Alliance (DA) as well as legal experts who have raised red flags in…
Unaccountable 00029 | Roy Moodley- Mr Prasa? By Lucas Nowicki Who are the shady corporate bosses who derailed Prasa? In this instalment of Unaccountable, we shine a light on Roy Moodley, a politically connected businessman whom employees at the state-owned railway company would call ‘Mr Prasa’, according to testimony at…
Unaccountable Special: The Auditors 16 August 2021 | Mamello Mosiana The ‘Big Four’ audit firms – Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC – all play a systemic role in economic crimes and State Capture. The evidence suggests that these firms have prioritised profit over professional duties and the law. Accountability and…
This profile is on PwC and Nkonki, the auditors that repeatedly gave SAA a clean bill of health while fraud and corruption soared.
26 July 2021 | This is the repository of documents cited in the 28th profile of the Unaccountable series which focusses on the role of PwC and Nkonki as auditors of the national air carrier, SAA.
The Civil Society Working Group on State Capture again reiterates that law enforcement agencies should focus its attention on the individuals and corporations who have either allegedly been complicit in state capture or might have information that can assist the state in challenging the state capture networks.
Daily Maverick | Zukiswa Pikoli | 21 July 2021 Swift and decisive action must be taken to remove and hold to account compromised individuals who remain within key state institutions, say civil society organisations. The Civil Society Working Group on State Capture has called for the accountability of criminals fingered…
Unaccountable 00026: Vossloh- The German railway giant that derailed Prasa By Lucas Nowicki In installment 00024 of Unaccountable we focused on middleman Auswell Mashaba and his shelf company Swifambo Rail Leasing, which was used as a front by Vossloh España to secure a lucrative contract with Prasa that resulted in…
The Citizen | Cheryl Kahla | 11 June 2021 The treaty could see fugitive Gupta brothers returning as early as next month. Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola clarified the extradition treaty and mutual agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday. UAE treaty: What you need to…
9 June 2021 | SAFM SUNRISE Guest: Makgala Masiteng – SABC Reporter Guest: Hennie Van Vuuren – Director Of Open Secrets
6 June 2021 | Newzroom Afrika The National Prosecuting Authority has a witness protection programme, where people can even assume a new identity if the situation warrants it. But what about whistleblowers? Are we doing enough to protect them and encourage more people to come forward with allegations of wrongdoing?…
Cape Talk | 6 June 2021 Mamello Mosiana – Head of communications and collaboration at Open Secrets speaks to Refilwe Moloto about consultancy firm McKinsey that made millions off their questionable deal with Transnet and Eskom. They have now undertaken to pay back R870million, that they received from Transnet since…
City Press | Thamsanqa Malinga | 30 May 2021 The recent financial woes of the governing party in failing to meet its obligations towards staff salaries is an issue whose surface has merely been scratched. Much needs to be interrogated, but the sight of a once-glorious movement becoming cash-strapped does…
19 May 2021 | This is the repository of the sources cited in the 25th instalment of Unaccountable, VTB Capital- The Russian Bank that took Mozambique for a ride.
23 April 2021 On the 11th of August 2020, Shadow World Investigations (“SWI”) and Open Secrets submitted a complaint to the Chairperson of the Judicial Conduct Committee (of the Judicial Service Commission) in terms of Section 14 of the Judicial Services Act 9 of 1994, regarding the conduct of Judge…
Cape Talk | Barbara Friedman | 29 April 2021 Hennie Van Vuuren, the CEO of Open Secrets speaks to Refilwe Moloto about the appearance of the ruling party president, Cyril Ramaphosa at the Zondo Commission.
Unaccountable 00024: Auswell ‘tall trains’ Mashaba: The middleman who derailed Prasa By Lucas Nowicki Who are the shady middlemen who derailed Prasa? We turn our attention to Auswell ‘tall trains’ Mashaba, whose business Swifambo Rail Leasing is one of the locomotives of corruption at Prasa. In last week’s instalment of Unaccountable, we…
Unaccountable 00023: How Prasa was looted and left for scrap By Lucas Nowicki The link between corruption and lived experience is nowhere more obvious than the erosion of passenger train services in South Africa. Prasa’s service has declined so dramatically over the past decade that the majority of working-class South…
Unaccountable 00022: The Chinese Railway Rolling Stock Corporation: China Inc boards the State Capture train By Hlohi Ndlovu Where is the Transnet loot and why hasn’t it been recovered? Given the government’s recently announced austerity measures targeting social spending, this question demands an urgent answer. Why have institutions such as…
Open Guv Hub | 19 March 2021 | The new Biden administration represents an opportunity for governance and anti-corruption reform in the United States, both to undo the damage done under the Trump era and to build our systems back better and with more resilience. To make the most of…
Newzroom Afrika | 10 March 2021 Civil society groups in South Africa have published a joint statement in support of the State Capture Inquiry chairperson, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. The organisations, say they are against attacks on the judiciary by politicians who do not produce evidence to back…
Radio Islam International | 10 March 2021 | Civil Society organisation Open Secrets says with just a few months left before the Zondo Commission concludes and reports on its findings, there needs to be support for the inquiry into state capture. Some of South Africa’s foremost civil society organisations have…
Civil Society Working Group on State Capture | Maverick Citizen | Some of South Africa’s foremost civil society organisations have come out strongly in support of the State Capture Commission and have insisted that former president Jacob Zuma abide by the law. The 13 civil society organisations released a joint…
Unaccountable 00021: Bain and Company- The KGB of Consulting By Zen Mathe Bain & Company is one of several powerful multinational corporations at the centre of corruption and State Capture in South Africa. Bain enabled the wrecking of the South African Revenue Service, contributing to economic hardship for all South…
Daily Maverick | Sasha Planting | 16 February 2021 | With SA’s Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (Irba) in a full-blown governance crisis and the Auditing Profession Amendment Bill still wending its way through Parliament, two of the firms involved in SA’s gigantic accounting scandals are attempting to make right…
Mark Heywood | Daily Maverick | 2 February 2021 The latest scandal concerning the Gauteng Education Department’s R431-million expenditure on ‘deep-cleaning and decontaminating’ schools is symptomatic of a deeper problem: we live in a land of hopeless impunity for maladministration and corruption. It was the year Covid-19 upended our lives.…
Daily Maverick | Ruan Jooste | 25 January 2021 | The Big Four auditing firms – Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC – played a systemic role in financial crimes across the globe and evidence suggests that these firms have prioritised profit over professional duties and the law. Accountability reforms are…
Power FM | 19 January 2021 | In this conversation Thabiso Kotane is joined by Hennie van Vuuren, Director at Open Secrets and Lebohang Pheko, the Executive Director at the Trade Colleactive and talk about corporate capture, explore its effects of and look at this stifles the building and functioning…
Business Live| Natasha Marrian|14 January 2021 | Civil society bodies push for corporations implicated in state capture to be more thoroughly grilled by Zondo. Are private corporations being treated with kid gloves by the commission of inquiry into state capture? Sections of civil society say the impression is being created…
Daily Maverick | Michael Marchant |15 December 2020 | The Zondo Commission has a vital role to play in advancing the public’s understanding of private corporations’ role in State Capture. It is the commission’s duty and well within its powers to compel banking executives, lawyers, consultants and auditors to appear…
Newzroom Afrika | 16 December 2020 | More than 20 civil society organisations have written an open letter to Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, highlighting a list of witnesses they believe should be prioritised during the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture. They say the commission should use its full…
25 October 2020| Daily Maverick | Zukiswa Pikoli | More than 20 civil society organisations have written an open letter to Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo highlighting a list of witnesses they believe should be prioritised during the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, saying that the commission should use…
8 October 2020 | Biz News | In this BizNews noon webinar (Thursday 8 October), veteran broadcaster Tim Modise is joined by Public Service Commissioner Michael Seloane and Mamello Mosiana of Open Secrets to discuss efforts to promote professional ethics in the face of collusive networks of corruption within the public sector.
1 October 2020 | Daily Maverick | Mamello Mosiana and Michael Marchant | Banks are an essential cog in a global money-laundering architecture that enables the corrupt and criminal to disguise and hide the proceeds of their crimes. New revelations from the US reveal the depths of the problem of…
Breakfast with Refilwe Moloto | 17 September 2020 | Let’s not forget that state capture is so much bigger and Zuma and that this corruption doesn’t exist in a vacuum – the private sector has been there every step of the way. Michael Marchant from Open Secrets in conversation with…
Unaccountabe 00018: KPMG – At the heart of state capture By Mamello Mosiana The Big Four auditing firms – Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC – played a systemic role in economic crimes and State Capture. The evidence suggests that these firms have prioritised profit over professional duties and the law.…
Unaccountable 00017: EY – incompetent, negligent or criminal? By Michael Marchant The ‘Big Four’ audit firms – Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC – all play a systemic role in economic crimes and State Capture. The evidence suggests that these firms have prioritised profit over professional duties and the law. Accountability…
Paul Holden | Daily Maverick | 18 August 2020 | The crisis of State Capture and the epidemic of corruption that undermines Covid-19 relief and mitigation efforts, find their roots in the wholesale destruction of the capacity of the state to tackle corruption lest those capacities uncover the full rot…
CFO Talks Podcast | 17 August 2020 | A recent report released by Open Secrets provides fascinating insight to financial crimes in South Africa’s private and public sector. Open Secrets’ researcher Michael Marchant speaks to CFO Talks.
Unaccountable 00016: Deloot – How Deloitte gets away with it By Michael Marchant The ‘Big Four’ audit firms – Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC – all play a systemic role in economic crimes and State Capture. The evidence suggests that these firms have prioritised profit over professional duties and the…
Open Secrets researcher Michael Marchant speaks to Cape Talk’s Lester Kiewit
SA FM | Viewpoint | 8 July 2020 | The Auditor General recently released a report and it tells of gross financial mismanagement in the public sector. Now the public sector is bound to attract attention because it runs on taxpayer’s money. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that the same…
Lack of independence, poor accountability and a culture of silence are some of the issues plaguing the auditing profession globally.
Ciaran Ryan | Moneyweb | 3 July 2020 | A new report by Open Secrets puts them back in the crosshairs. Of the roughly 1 000 people attending the virtual release of the latest Open Secrets report titled The Auditors, a good number were likely from the accounting profession. They…
Radio 786 | 3 July 2020 | South Africa’s top four auditing companies have been labelled as a cartel. This comes as all four of the firms have been exposed and implicated in audit failure and corrupt dealing. In a special report by Open Secrets titled ‘Corporations and Economic Crime…
While the economic impact of Covid-19 will impact KPMG, PwC, Deloitte, and Ernst & Young (EY) like much of the private sector, they are cushioned by years of sustained and avaricious profit-taking.
Zukiswa Pikoli | Maverick Citizen | 19 June 2020 | “In South Africa, the struggle against State Capture and corruption remains part of the struggle for human rights and social justice – we will work hard to ensure that institutions like the Zondo Commission are effective,” insists the Civil Society…
Dear Judge Zondo, RE: State Capture Commission of Enquiry Hearings During Covid-19 We write to you as concerned members of the Civil Society Working Group on State Capture, which comprises more than twenty civil society organisations. In February 2020, we presented an Agenda for Action to the Commission, which is…
Daily Maverick | 22 May 2020 | In this letter to the president, organisations raise concerns about corruption during the Covid-19 crisis. Dear President Cyril Ramaphosa We, the undersigned organisations, commend you for the decisive action taken over the last few weeks in dealing with the Covid-19 crisis. We note…
Unaccountable 00009: McKinsey – Profit over Principle By Mamello Mosiana Big consulting firms take no credit and they accept no blame. This philosophy has enabled McKinsey & Company to profit with ease from work with authoritarian regimes, troubled businesses and corrupt state-owned enterprises. In South Africa, their work at Eskom…
Unaccountable 00008: FNB & Standard Bank – Estina’s Banks By Michael Marchant The infamous Estina Vrede Dairy Project was supposed to direct public funds to ‘empower’ indigent Free State farmers and develop local agriculture. Instead, almost all of the money was looted to benefit the Gupta enterprise. This week Open…
Naushina Rahim | News24 | 18 March 2020 The reality of the modern globalised and financialised world is that corruption on a grand scale, along with organised crime and state capture, is enabled by skilled professionals, including bankers, lawyers, accountants and consultants writes Naushina Rahim ‘An Agenda for Action’ was…
Hennie van Vuuren | Financial Mail | 12 March 2020 Last week, lawyer Robert Appelbaum floated the idea of an amnesty for perpetrators of state capture. It’s a short-sighted idea, designed to appease the powerful and corrupt, says Open Secrets’ Hennie van Vuuren In the home of Joburg-based corporate lawyer…
Unaccountable 00007: HSBC – The World’s Oldest Cartel By Mamello Mosiana If Transnet was a golden goose for the Gupta family and their associates, then global banking giant HSBC played the role of tending their illicit nest eggs. This week Open Secrets examines the role of a key global enabler…
This investigative report shows that the systems that enable grand corruption and state capture are global in nature, and that private sector elites are central to the problem.
State Capture and corruption go hand-in-hand with inequality and poverty
Cape Talk | 20 February 2020 | Listening to the testimony of bankers before the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into allegations of state capture, you might believe they were unwitting victims of the Guptas and acted quickly and virtuously to throttle their corrupt ways by closing their bank accounts in…
Civil society working group submits recommendations to Zondo Commission
Unaccountable 00006: Nedbank and the Bank of Baroda — Banking on State Capture By Michael Marchant Who laundered money for the Gupta acolytes and used the opportunity to cash in on State Capture? A new investigative report, ‘The Enablers’, co-authored by Open Secrets and Shadow World Investigations, details the role…
More than 20 civil society groups have submitted their recommendations to the Zondo commission on how to reform the state and private sector in the wake of state capture.
Corruption has undoubtedly contributed to poverty and unemployment and these consequences should not be ignored by the Zondo Commission.
Christi Nortier | Daily Maverick | 19 February 2020| Civil society organisations have been making submissions to the Zondo Commission for the past year. The Civil Society Working Group publicly launched a joint statement that was presented to the commission this week. It summarises their recommended strategies to ensure that…
Newzroom Afrika | 12 February 2020 | Newzroom Afrika speaks to Open Secrets’ researcher Mamello Mosiana on Open Secrets and Shadow World Investigations new report, The Enablers: the bankers laws and accountants that cashed in on state capture.
Ciaran Ryan | Moneyweb | 10 February 2020 | Listening to the testimony of bankers before the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into allegations of state capture, you might believe they were unwitting victims of the Guptas and acted quickly and virtuously to throttle their corrupt ways by closing their bank…
Jacob Rooi | Rapport/City Press | 10 February 2020 | It’s not only Jacob Zuma who needs to account for his alleged role in state capture, but also the bankers and auditors who made the shenanigans possible. This is according to Andrew Feinstein and Hennie van Vuuren, whose organisations Open…
Yolandi Groenewald | Vrye Weekblad | 7 February 2020 | Verskeie vooraanstaande ondernemings het baie om te verduidelik oor hoe hulle staatskaping aangehelp het, blyk uit ’n verslag wat vandeesweek bekendgestel is. YOLANDI GROENEWALD was by die bekendstelling daarvan TERWYL staatskaping in die middel van die vorige dekade op sy…
Jessica Bezuidenhout | Daily Maverick | 7 February 2020 | It’s the worst-kept secret and the most ill-explored story of State Capture: The role played by South African banks. Now, for the first time, a comprehensive report has been handed to the State Capture Commission calling for some banks whose…
Why Zondo must shift focus to the private sector if at least some of the billions stolen in state capture are to be recovered, and if transgressors are to be caught and punished Business Live | 6 February 2020 | By: Open Secrets and Shadow World Investigations In many ways,…
Co-authored by Open Secrets and Shadow World Investigations, The Enablers investigative report, explores the largely overlooked yet extensive evidence of the role of the private sector “enablers” in state capture. The Enablers focuses on the role of banks, accounting firms, consultants and lawyers in facilitating criminal conduct that formed part…
Black Sash’s Khuluma on the 21st November 2019 was a conversation with Valencia Talene (Corruption Watch), Tracy Ledger (Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) and Naushina Rahim (Open Secrets), where they discussed State Capture: Implications for governance and leadership of the SCA ruling ordering Cash Paymaster Services to pay back 316…
Azarrah Karim | 12 October 2019 | While the state capture commission of inquiry delves deeper and deeper into the web of capture, sourcing the culprits between factional battles, those who were most affected by the crimes believe they are being sidelined. The Civil Society Working Group on State Capture held…
Zukiswa Pikoli | 13 October 2019 | The People’s Hearing into State Capture took place at Constitution Hill’s Women’s Jail at the weekend. The hearing was civil society’s version of the State Capture commission of inquiry chaired by Justice Raymond Zondo. Civil society organisations and ordinary people gathered to share…
11 October 2019 | SABC News | Former President Jacob Zuma and French Arms Company, Thales, have lost their bid to avoid prosecution on corruption charges. They’ll have to appear in court on Tuesday for the start of their trial, which has been delayed for 15 years. Zuma’s legal team…
Mark Heywood | Daily Maverick | 7 October 2019 We are more than a year into the Zondo Commission, but sometimes one can be forgiven for thinking, where are the people’s voices and who were the real victims? On 12 October a People’s Hearing in Johannesburg aims to answer those…
Fatima Moosa | Daily Vox | 8 October 2019 For months now, the state capture commission has been taking place headed by deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo. The commission have been looking into the allegations of state capture and corruption within the public sector. Many startling allegations have come forward from the…
The Civil Society Working Group on State Capture – a coalition of over twenty civil society organisations – is organising a People’s Hearing on State Capture scheduled to take place in Johannesburg on 12 October 2019. The Civil Society Working Group recognises that the Zondo Commission on State Capture in…
Perspectives- Robbin’ the Hood | 25 August 2019 | Mamello Mosiana and Michael Marchant | Any analysis of state capture is incomplete if it fails to grapple with the network of private actors that facilitates unethical, corrupt and other criminal economic activity. A narrow focus on the structural and institutional…
Alex Mitchley Civil society organisations have called on Deputy Judge President Raymond Zondo, who is chairing the commission of inquiry into state capture, to not treat certain witnesses with kid gloves, and to robustly apply the principle of equality before the law. According to a joint statement by organisations such…
Member organisations of the Civil Society Working Group on State Capture call on the Zondo Commission to more robustly uphold the principle of equality before the law.
Cape Talk’s Refilwe Moloto speaks to Open Secrets’ Researcher Michael Marchant.
Media Statement| CSWG | 21 March 2019 The struggle against State Capture and corruption in South Africa is a struggle for human rights. This is why the current revelations at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture (the Zondo Commission) are important – they lay bare the various networks of…
8 February 2019 State of the Nation Address 2019: Time to Get Serious About Economic Crime An important focus of President Ramaphosa’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA) was on the Commissions of Inquiry that have the potential to finally tackle high level corruption in the private…
The widespread looting and corruption by the Gupta family and its associates were enabled not only by political individuals but also by banks and other financial sector institutions
The report begins by outlining the role played by international banks in supporting the apartheid state, both through the facilitation of illegal weapons trades and the continued provision of loans and capital despite international recognition of apartheid as a crime against humanity. It also considers the impact on democratic South…
The People’s Tribunal on Economic Crime has the potential to reshape the trajectory of how we conceptualise economic crime and the role of the private sector. South Africans have been staggering through multiple exposés on private and public sector corruption over the past few months alone, be it allegations of…
The municipal elections this year are likely to be the most expensive local polls yet. Political parties are seeking more and more money to finance electoral campaigns, increasing the need to attract private funders. This opens up the space for the capture of politics by narrow private interests, a hot…
Like many South Africans, I hear a lot about the growing “lawlessness” in SA. The strongest proponents are often people who have emigrated. It is mentioned in many contexts, but it is increasingly used at home and abroad to criticise corruption in government. Isn’t it sad, the story generally goes,…
