Corruption Watch was started by the office-bearers of Cosatu, who had been seeing a significant increase in complaints from members and the public about corruption in South Africa.
It seeks to act as a tip-off service for South Africans with information about corrupt activities.
How it works
The information collected from the public and other sources will be compiled.
Corruption Watch will then be able to identify where and what kind of corruption is occurring.
From the data they will be able to spot patterns that may lead to investigations or cooperation with agencies able to prosecute individuals or companies engaged in corrupt activities.
Corruption Watch wants to hear your stories. If you have been affected by corruption, let it know.
How to contact Corruption Watch?
To report an incident, you will need to answer questions on a form on www.corruptionwatch.org.za.
This is important because each answer will be coded into a system to “read” the information and deliver statistics.
After you complete the form, you will be given the option to provide whatever additional information you like.
While the information that you provide will be available for all to see, your identity will be restricted to a confidential part of the form. You do not even have to fill in the confidential part.
You have the option to remain anonymous. You can name individuals you suspect of corrupt behaviour on the confidential part of the form, but you do not have to do so.
This information will only be accessible to a few Corruption Watch staff members.
However, if you want to take the matter further with Corruption Watch, you will need to provide contact details – a cell number or an email address.
These details will remain confidential.
The information on the public part of the form will be put together with information from other people, and reported by Corruption Watch.
From this you will be able to see the experiences that others have had and will be able to identify patterns and “hot spots” of corruption.
These may be a particular town or province, a particular government office or public service, or a particular company or economic sector.
This information will form the basis for further research and public campaigns.
Anyone can report instances of corruption, no matter how small, to the CW website or its Facebook and Twitter walls. You can also send a short-code SMS, which costs R1 per message, on 45142.
The information that you send by SMS will be included in the data gathered from the website
Become part of the network
Trade unionists, NGOs, community forums, street committees, ratepayers’ associations, or other organisations that are active in anti-corruption work can register to become part of the network.
Corruption weakens institutions, turns individuals into criminals and undermines social solidarity. Corruption Watch will provide the tools of support for a more engaged and active civil society in South Africa.
Each act of corruption that our citizens prevent underpins and fortifies civil society, enhancing democracy, the rule of law and the establishment of a more caring and just society
What Corruption Watch does:
Corruption Watch collects and analyses information to spot patterns and hot spots of corruption. It:
• exposes corrupt behaviour;
• enlists partner organisations and individuals to take a stand against corruption;
• investigates, commissions and publicises research reports on corruption;
• harnesses the power of the public through social media for South Africans to recognise, prevent and stand up to corruption;
• works, in select cases, with law enforcement agencies, the media and other stakeholders to investigate allegations of individual acts of corruption;
• monitors the progress of selected, important cases; and
• strengthens the accountability of those – in both the public and private sectors – who are in a position to influence the deployment of, and access to, public resources.
Corruption Watch
Telephone: 011 447 1472
Email: info@corruptionwatch.org.za
Source
Numsa News No 1, April 2012