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CEO UPDATE
Dear OUTA Supporters,
This past month of February 2025 has laid bare the deep leadership crisis gripping our nation. The President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), the Minister of Finance’s “non-event” Budget Speech, and the Gauteng Premier’s State of the Province Address (SOPA) all failed to deliver convincing and meaningful solutions to our country’s challenges.
Rather than decisive action, we were served more rhetoric and vague promises of "what will be done,” while our reality remains glaringly dire. The message is clear for all to see: South Africa is at a crossroads because we have run out of money to take the nation forward. More worrying though, is that our leadership appears to be the proverbial “deer stuck in the headlights” of an oncoming freight train - unable (or incapable) to move in the right direction, leaving the country vulnerable to an impending disaster.
For many years now, government has spoken about reducing our sovereign debt, addressing poverty and job creation, and yet real action is constantly delayed. The state continues to operate beyond its means, refusing to cut its cloth to fit the efficient, accountable, and service-oriented entity it must become. The delay of the Budget Speech, caused by a pushback on a proposed 2% VAT increase (rightly so), was a symptom of deeper financial mismanagement.
Now more than ever, our nation’s leadership must embrace a profound shift in mindset and approach to secure the future of our country and all who call it home. Rather than making South Africans shoulder the burden of an inefficient state, President Ramaphosa and his cabinet must clean house and focus on calculated action plans to reduce the waste, fight corruption, improve government efficiency and make South Africa attractive to investment and economic growth. There are many simple, low-hanging-fruit opportunities to begin this journey, yet the authorities seem reluctant to pursue them.
This is where civil society must step in. OUTA and like-minded organisations must push government to downsize its bloated administration, cut wasteful expenditure, and prioritise competent, ethical leadership. The status quo cannot continue.
OUTA remains hard at work at holding government to account
The OUTA team continues to fight corruption and inefficiency across multiple fronts. Here are just a few of the projects we are currently working on:
• Cracking down on corruption within the Sector Education and Training Authorities
(SETAs): These institutions, meant to upskill South Africans, have instead become feeding troughs for connected cadres. OUTA is actively investigating and exposing maladministration within these entities.
• The stalled driving license card tender: This vital tender has been on hold since September 2024 following OUTA’s exposure of gross irregularities. We await the Minister of Transport’s long-overdue decision and will continue to push for a transparent and fair process.
• Rationalised and effective government entity boards: Numerous boards oversee government entities. Many are riddled with excessive fees, unnecessary meetings and political interference, rendering them ineffective as oversight bodies. They ought to be mechanisms that drive good governance – not boards that overreach and earn millions to rubber stamp wasteful expenditure and poor performance.
• Challenging Eskom’s excessive tariffs: Ensuring our submissions to NERSA present strong, well-founded arguments for making Eskom’s electricity tariffs more cost-reflective than in the past.
• Challenging the DMRE’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) on SA’s mix of electricity generation: In this project, we are pressuring the authorities to ensure that input for the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s long-outdated IRP is conducted meaningfully and rationally to achieve sound energy security at the lowest possible production cost for the country.
• Launching of ParliMeter: This week, we launch our groundbreaking dashboard to provide insight into parliamentary performance. It will track MPs’ meeting attendance, bill progress, and a host of efficiency measures and insights that make Parliament’s performance more transparent to various stakeholders, not least of all the public. This tool will give citizens a clearer picture of how Parliament is (or isn’t) working for them.
• Tackling the ineffective City of Joburg management: OUTA’s Joburg Community Action Network (JoburgCAN) is a small team that collaborates with other organisations in the city to address the dire decline of this once thriving and efficient economic powerhouse. We are exchanging ideas and seeking partners to take this entity to greater heights and maximise its impact.
• A focused approach to water issues: Over the past two years, OUTA has launched the WaterCAN initiative, which has made significant strides in addressing South Africa’s water challenges. Aside from developing a water quality heat map (currently undergoing a significant upgrade) that logs water quality testing data through a national citizen science-based program, the team drives awareness and advocacy through numerous activities relating to our water security and human rights issues. The issues we address in this space are critical, and we are exploring ways to elevate this initiative further by bringing in additional partners and securing much-needed resources.
The time to push harder for meaningful change is now
OUTA remains steadfast in its commitment to tackling public sector corruption and maladministration. It also challenges inefficiency and irrational policies within government and holds those in power accountable wherever possible. We cannot do this alone, which is why we collaborate with other organisations and consistently urge the public to support us by contributing to OUTA.
Our supporters mean the world to us. They are our lifeline, without which we die. Crowdfunding is one phenomenon that can change a cause’s course and drive tangible change. As South Africa stands at this crucial juncture, we must act together to demand better governance, responsible leadership, and a country that serves its people – not just those in power.
Thank you for standing with us in this fight.
Yours in accountability,
Wayne Duvenage
CEO, OUTA