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.