For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Reza Creamer.

Making headlines: Corruption Watch says Gauteng remains South Africa’s corruption epicentre; Ramaphosa champions participatory democracy as South Africa marks 30 years of Constitution; And, Uganda confirms seven Ebola cases

Corruption Watch says Gauteng remains South Africa’s corruption epicentre

Nonprofit organisation Corruption Watch today noted a persistent crisis of governance across multiple sectors, with local government and public safety institutions drawing the highest volume of public grievances, and Gauteng firmly holding the title of the country's corruption epicentre.

The organisation released its fourteenth annual corruption report, titled ‘Ke Nako: Mobilising for justice’.

It received a total of 2 222 corruption complaints over the reporting period, with an overwhelming 91% of these submissions classified as directly corruption-related.

According to Corruption Watch board chairperson Themba Maseko, the organisation processed an average of 185 reports per month. Whistleblowers relied heavily on digital platforms to expose wrongdoing.

The public sector continues to bear the brunt of the allegations, with local government structures drawing the most intense scrutiny, with 400 reports from local government, 133 from national government and 116 from State-owned enterprises.

Ramaphosa champions participatory democracy as South Africa marks 30 years of Constitution

President Cyril Ramaphosa today said that while some believe participatory democracy slows decision-making or leads to excessive contestation, it is a fundamental tenet of the country’s constitutional order.

In his recent weekly letter to the nation, marking 30 years since the adoption of the South African Constitution, Ramaphosa emphasised that for democracy to retain its legitimacy, citizens must feel confident that their voices count when critical decisions are made.

Reflecting on the progress made since the early days of the Constitutional Assembly, the President stated that South Africans can reflect with pride on a political culture that is “robust, participatory, continuously evolving and firmly anchored” in democratic values.

Ramaphosa has announced that South Africa’s upcoming National Dialogue will feature 195 pilot dialogues across all nine provinces. Running from June to August, these ward-based, digital, and sectoral engagements aim to replicate the broad, inclusive spirit of the 1994 Constitution-making process to craft a shared national vision.

And, Uganda confirms seven Ebola cases

Uganda has detected two more confirmed cases of Ebola, its health ministry said today, bringing the total number of cases reported in the country to seven.

The two new cases are health workers in a private health facility in the capital Kampala and both are Ugandans, the ministry said in a statement.

Both patients have been admitted to the designated treatment unit and are now receiving care. Response teams were tracing all those who had been in contact with the two people.

Ugandan authorities confirmed three new Ebola cases on Saturday.

The epicentre of the outbreak is in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri province.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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