When corruption protects its own, we must push back harder

Dear OUTA Supporters,

This month, South Africans were once again reminded that corruption in government doesn’t just persist - it protects itself.

At the heart of it: Tebogo Malaka, suspended CEO of the Independent Development Trust (IDT), who now faces criminal charges laid by Minister Dean Macpherson. Malaka allegedly attempted to bribe a Daily Maverick journalist – Pieter Louis Myburgh - with R60,000 in cash stuffed in a Dior shopping bag. The aim? To suppress a damaging exposé involving politically connected businessman Collen Mashawana and his alleged influence over IDT housing contracts. Of course, both Malaka and Mashawana have denied doing so, but the video evidence is rather damning. 

This wasn’t spin. It was an attempt to silence the press using public money. It’s a chilling glimpse into how deep the rot runs, where state entities are weaponised to protect elites, not serve citizens.

This scandal echoes the very culture that got Babita Deokaran killed. Four years since her assassination, the networks she tried to expose are still active. The state has made no meaningful effort to dismantle them or to hold perpetrators to account.

But OUTA refuses to accept this silence. This month, we stepped up our efforts to shine a light on where the system is failing.

We launched public protests outside the offices of CETA, INSETA and Services SETA, three institutions riddled with corruption and waste. These SETAs handle billions in training funds but have become havens for inflated contracts, dodgy procurement and captured leadership. The Minister of Higher Education’s decision to place some of them under administration is a start - but we’ve seen how this approach has failed in the past, especially when politically connected cadres are appointed as administrators. Very little cleaning up actually takes place and in cases, the administrators appointed have their own troubling track records.

OUTA is demanding better: credible boards, ethical CEOs, and a two-month deadline for transition. Anything less risks repeating the same cycle of cover-ups and cadre deployment.

Behind the scenes, we also met with National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi for a sobering update on our case referrals. The message was clear. While the NPA, Hawks and IDAC are trying to hold the line, they are overstretched, under-resourced and often working without the political backing they need. The justice system needs more than good people, skills and systems. It needs top-down reform and real independence.

In this month’s newsletter, we cover some of our projects that showcase what it takes to keep fighting:

• Finally, R218 billion Karpowership deal scrapped, thanks diligence and long multi-pronged challenge to halt this ‘scam’. 

• Legal action launched to declare Helen Botes a delinquent director, following her role in the Usindiso fire and COVID-era spending abuse

• A sustained push against SETA corruption, both in courtrooms and on the streets

• The launch of our YouTube and TikTok channels, bringing transparency to new audiences

OUTA’s multi-faceted approach to fighting corruption in the public sector, doesn’t just watch from the sidelines. We engage. We expose. We protest. And if need be, we litigate. We apply pressure until change happens.

If you are a contributor to OUTA, we can’t thank you enough. If not, and you’re tired of seeing power abused with no consequence, now’s the time to join. It only takes a few minutes to do so at www.outa.co.za/join-now.

Because corruption doesn’t fade quietly. And neither will we.

Wayne Duvenage

CEO, OUTA