The Western Cape High Court has found in favour of Tiso Blackstar (now Arena Holdings) and amaBhungane in their application to gain access to a PwC report commissioned by embattled retailer Steinhoff. The report will shed light on the alleged irregularities giving rise to a precipitous drop in the company’s share price in December 2017.
For a Bill so long in the making (consultations began in 2012), it is a mess. Released without an explanatory memorandum and with clumsy, half-drafted and contradictory provisions, its true intent and impact is virtually incomprehensible to those who have noticed it.
The High Court handed down judgment declaring the Executive Ethics Code to be unconstitutional, unlawful and invalid — internal campaign donations to be disclosed.
The court ruling that former President Jacob Zuma hand over tax information has prompted a flurry of public debate over taxpayer confidentiality — much of it alarmist and wrong. AmaBhungane, one of the parties in the case, tackles five misconceptions about the judgment.
The real owners of some companies hide their identities behind opaque legal mechanisms which may mask political corruption, money laundering or terrorist financing. We should therefore welcome the newly published Companies Amendment Bill, which offers a game-changing overhaul of corporate ownership transparency.
Access to information in 2021: Is our signature statute fit for purpose?
Comment: AmaBhungane has argued in the Pretoria high court that donations to internal political party campaigns – which can lead ultimately to the candidate’s elevation to high office – are constitutionally required to be disclosed.
We will make our case for transparency once again in the high court.
Thoughts from amaBhungane’s advocacy coordinator.
The Constitutional Court’s ruling in favour of amaBhungane, striking down the unfettered powers of the state to individual and bulk surveillance of data and communications, is a major victory for our rights to privacy.
The apex court has confirmed amaBhungane’s landmark high court victory. The State Security Agency must stop bulk interception immediately, journalists’ sources must be protected, and you must be notified after you were bugged.
The Electoral Laws Amendment Bill, intended in part to protect voters’ personal information, will restrict access to the voters’ roll and the information contained in it. The gains are negligible compared with the cost: a potential threat to democracy itself.
AmaBhungane has approached the high court on an urgent basis to access a “section 417” inquiry into the collapse of Paramount Combat Systems, an armoured vehicle manufacturer that forms part of an international – and politically connected – group.
That there are opportunists who will look at a global tragedy and see only a chance to defraud the public purse underscores an urgent need: we must know who these people are. We need beneficial ownership transparency in procurement.
An investigative outfit with an advocacy programme may raise eyebrows. But amaBhungane has scored major wins for transparency and free speech.
Lockdown shouldn’t have to mean ‘locked out’: amaBhungane champions keeping courts accessible to the media in the time of Covid-19.
After the vague and worrying policy on phone-tracking, officials have tightened the regulations significantly. But let’s see what comes out of the oven.
The state’s first move to use phone tracking to fight covid-19 lacks key details and safeguards against abuse.
Ruling in president versus protector matter a setback, but the game’s not over.
The minister of police is in the odd position of upholding the same spying system that targeted him.
Our challenge to the abuse of the state’s surveillance capacity is coming to a head.
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