Corruption Watch

In episode 4 of this important podcast series, the focus is on the living conditions of farmworkers, in particular the beneficiaries of farm worker equity schemes, and how they are consistently denied what is due to them as shareholders.

The team held numerous interviews with beneficiaries on various farms in the Western Cape, notably in the Matzikama and Witzenberg areas. Despite the Witzenberg municipality being one of the wealthiest farm areas and biggest deciduous producer in the country, the gap between the rich and poor in the region and the dire conditions of farm workers is put into stark relief.

We hear from farmworkers who speak about working on farms for their whole lives, and leaving with a fraction of what is due to them.

Different equity schemes and partnerships, managed by prominent commercial businesses, are discussed, revealing the sad reality that farm workers have been left feeling misled.

In episode 3 of the series, the CW team delves deeper into the intersection between corruption and human rights abuses in the land sector, exposing the ways in which this manifests and impacts disadvantaged and marginalised groups.

The team shares experiences from a field trip earlier this year, where they visited several farming communities in the Western Cape. Their meetings and engagements with beneficiaries and civil society stakeholders brought to light the challenges facing farm workers, the precariousness of their lives, and lack of security in terms of tenure and livelihoods. 

These discussions also highlighted the flaws in government schemes and programmes such as the equity scheme, the aim of which was to allow farm workers to share in ownership of the economy as a vehicle of transformation.

This episode explores the contentious issue of land in South Africa, and its importance as a critical resource and foundation for sustainable livelihoods, by explaining how the country’s land system works in practice. It canvasses the views of a wide range of stakeholders, from grassroots civil society organisations and activists to individuals on the left and right of the political spectrum.

It contrasts the opinions of those on the left who believe land should be returned to the black majority because of the country’s colonial past, to those on the right who believe that inequality and poverty can be addressed through employment and access to property rights.

The focus also extends to the fragmented legal framework and the role of traditional leadership that makes it difficult for people to obtain security of tenure, while also reviewing the intersection of gender, race, land rights, and corruption.

This episode addresses the broad topic of land in South Africa, its history and legacy under apartheid leading up to the current day, and the work of Corruption Watch in relation to land and corruption. 

Listeners will hear a summary of the learnings from the first phase of the Land and Corruption in Africa (LCA) project, also referencing the December 2019 report Unearthing Corruption in the Land Sector and providing context to the focus of phase two of that project, which was launched in 2022. 

The episode touches on land issues affecting vulnerable groups broadly, and the contributing factors. This context is outlined by civil society actors, a small-scale farmer, and parliament researcher.

This episode addresses the broad topic of land in South Africa, its history and legacy under apartheid leading up to the current day, and the work of Corruption Watch in relation to land and corruption. 

Listeners will hear a summary of the learnings from the first phase of the Land and Corruption in Africa (LCA) project, also referencing the December 2019 report Unearthing Corruption in the Land Sector and providing context to the focus of phase two of that project, which was launched in 2022. 

The producer sets the scene in this and all subsequent episodes with a conversation between himself and his grandmother on a road trip in which his grandmother recounts her years as a farm-dweller and worker in 1940s and 1950s South Africa.  

The episode includes clips from Transparency International LCA project lead Alice Stevens, Thapelo Mohapi, secretary-general of grassroots movement Abahlali baseMjondolo, founder of South African Women in Farming Mam Deborah Motuku, CEO of Blind SA Jace Nair, and parliamentary researcher Mashudu Masutha.

These interviewees describe the severe challenges of access to land experienced by a vast number of people in South Africa, and the dire consequences of corruption, which further denies people their rights to decent land.

Corruption impacts access to land in South Africa and the powerful perpetuate it in this sector. Join Corruption Watch in exploring this critical topic in its podcast series: Land and Corruption: Story of the marginalised.

There is a well-worn phrase that you get the leaders that you deserve. This is as true in South Africa as anywhere else.

In this podcast, Corruption Watch takes us on a journey of over seven years of active campaigning for greater transparency in the appointment processes of leaders of state-owned enterprises, institutions in the criminal justice system, and those established under chapters 9 and 10 of the South African Constitution.

Host Melusi Ncala, senior researcher at Corruption Watch, addresses some of the questions around how the systems to appoint key leaders who have a significant impact on our lives have evolved, and what still needs to improve. Guests include Kavisha Pillay, head of stakeholder relations and campaigns, legal researcher Motlatsi Komote, and David Lewis, a member of the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council.

The podcast will home in on topics such as public participation in a democratic society and the difference between activism pre- and post-democracy, and will unpack one of Corruption Watch’s flagship campaigns which focused on the public protector appointment in 2016. Called Bua Mzansi, this has developed into a pivotal project for the organisation, encompassing the monitoring of various significant appointment processes and setting an important precedent in how such processes should happen in a constitutional democracy.

There is a need for greater transparency and accountability in the public sector in order for the public to understand how funds are being managed and spent, how decisions are made and why. In this episode, the young people being interviewed call on the government to manage public resources effectively and efficiently, and to put strong measures in place to maximize service delivery, while minimizing corruption and mismanagement of public funds. 

The Corruption Watch team discusses our work with whistle-blowers and some of the lessons we have learned throughout our 10-year journey in the anti-corruption space. The team explains our approaches and strategies to fighting corruption and explores other interventions needed to eradicate corruption.