u/BodybuilderFlaky637

Van Heerden’s argument, however, goes considerably further than the leadership of individual institutions.

He believes South Africa’s political economy of corruption “runs deep and long”.

While tracing some of its origins to apartheid, he stressed that this could not serve as an excuse for corruption after 1994.

Instead, Van Heerden argued that democratic South Africa underestimated one particularly powerful force.

“One of the things that we undermined at its very core was the power of money,” he said.

“We have a brilliant Constitution, we had all kinds of Chapter Nine institutions put in place, etcetera, but we simply did not bargain on the lure of money and how it will corrupt us.”

It is an argument that shifts the focus away from finding the right anti-corruption boss or creating another institution.

If corruption is embedded deeply enough in South Africa’s political economy, changing the person at the top of an agency can only achieve so much.

‘There are no heroes'

LOL. "Listen properly"

The Trump administration’s deteriorating relationship with Pretoria is quietly becoming a liability, particularly in molding the emerging international order. South Africa’s willingness to push back on claims of “white genocide,” defend its domestic Black empowerment policies, and spearhead the genocide case at the ICJ shows that South Africa has crafted an independent foreign policy identity. That middle-power positioning gives Pretoria something Washington has steadily depleted: credibility abroad, particularly in the Global South.

Amabhungane have been trying to get financial statements from the IEC for all parties who hold seats in Parliament. They want to know where the money comes from and how it is spent. A crucial question for democracy. The IEC seems keen to comply but the EFF and ActionSA are pushing back. Wonder why?

Yet another witness called to answer to the Madlanga commission for their alleged crimes has suddenly been hospitalised.

The courts ended up banning the BMW ad. It was just too good.

"Early analysis raises concerns about the inorganic nature of the social media amplification. Inorganic engagement is often characterised by attempts to ‘game the algorithm’ (the system ranking what we see in our feeds). Influencers use techniques to ensure a narrative trends, while the platforms earn advertising revenue based on engagement. ‘Organic engagement’ reflects ‘genuine’ online debate between users.

With touchstone issues such as immigration, Afrophobia or xenophobia gaining traction, social media platforms should respond to such manipulation."