Corruption starts long before money changes hands
By Fatima Rawat, The Ethics Institute Corruption starts long before money changes hands. By the time a bribe is paid, a contract is manipulated or public money disappears, the real damage has often already been done. It begins much…
Boards have a new governance risk. Most are not ready for it.
By Dr Liezl Groenewald, The Ethics Institute Artificial intelligence has transformed misinformation from a communications challenge into a governance risk. Deepfake videos, fabricated documents, and cloned voices can now be produced in…
Feroz Khan Was Shot Before He Could Testify. What Happens to the Truth Now?
By Dr Paul Vorster, The Ethics Institute The shooting of Major-General Feroz Khan before his appearance before the Madlanga Commission raises a fundamental question: can South Africa expect people to tell the truth if it cannot keep them…
When a LEGO scandal exposes big cracks in trust
By Dr Paul Vorster, The Ethics Institute There is something strangely powerful about a scandal involving LEGO. On the surface, it sounds almost harmless: colourful plastic bricks, Star Wars sets, collectors, franchise stores and YouTube…
Why South Africans are losing faith in the ballot
By Dr Lincoln Cave, The Ethics Institute As the 4 November 2026 local government elections approach, South Africans face more than competing promises of service delivery. Rather, they confront a growing sense of distrust. Cases of…
The real lesson of the Madlanga Commission
By Jovita Matos Fazenda, The Ethics Institute The revelations emerging from the Madlanga Commission have once again shaken public confidence in South Africa's justice and policing institutions. Allegations of misconduct, corruption, abuse…
Public sector – Are we seeking policy solutions to people problems?
What do we do when the supply chain regulations are bypassed; when services aren’t delivered; when culprits are not held accountable; when corruption prevails? Generally, we write more laws, regulations, policies and procedures in the vain…
The Elephant Everyone Sees but No One Names
In an environment of economic pressure, governance scrutiny, reputational risk, and growing workplace instability, workplaces are increasingly discovering that their greatest threats are not hidden misconduct, but visible dysfunctions…
When HR Fails Ethical Culture Pays the Price
As South Africa continues to confront the fallout from corruption inquiries, governance failures, and public sector instability, a less visible but equally damaging issue is emerging: the breakdown of ethical people management inside…
Clean for the G20 Summit, dirty for the People? A test of our collective responsibility.
Across African countries, and maybe in other geographies I am less familiar with, in the lead-up to major international events, host cities are often subjected to a deep transformation process. Streets are cleaned, infrastructure is…