OUTA

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has released the findings of a preliminary investigation into the Insurance Sector Student Fund (ISSF), uncovering what appears to be an extraordinary increase in the fund’s budget from about R20 million a year to more than R442 million during the 2024/25 financial year. The investigation raises serious questions about …

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) welcomes the Department of Water and Sanitation’s (DWS) written confirmation that ordinary households using borehole water for reasonable domestic purposes do not need to register under the current national water-use registration process. The clarification follows OUTA’s formal request to the DWS after Government Notice 54575 and the department’s recent …

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has launched an urgent High Court application to suspend the implementation of Phase 2 of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) system. OUTA argues that government has brought the amended legislation into force before establishing the legal safeguards that motorists are entitled to rely on. The application …

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) is calling on the Department of Transport and the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) to urgently explain whether the next phase of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) will proceed as planned on 1 July 2026. With only days remaining before the proposed rollout, government has yet …

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) says the Auditor-General’s 2024/25 local government audit outcomes confirm that South Africa’s municipal crisis remains firmly entrenched, despite modest improvements in some audit indicators. While more municipalities submitted financial statements on time and 61% ultimately received unqualified audit opinions, OUTA cautions that these improvements should not be mistaken for …

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has welcomed the Auditor-General of South Africa’s decision to conduct a national inspection of NSFAS-funded student accommodation, saying the process could help uncover whether students are being housed in accommodation that fails to meet required standards. According to notices issued to accommodation providers, inspectors will assess compliance with Department …

The development follows years of concerns raised by OUTA regarding governance, procurement practices, transparency, and accountability within the organisation. OUTA says the suspension should mark the beginning, not the end, of efforts to uncover the full extent of any maladministration or wrongdoing at the Insurance Sector Training Authority (Inseta). Inseta manages billions of rands collected …

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) welcomes Cabinet’s decision to write off outstanding Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) e-toll debt, saying the move finally acknowledges a reality that became clear more than a decade ago: the vast majority of the debt was never going to be recovered. While the e-toll system was officially discontinued in …

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has submitted its final comments on governments Reviewed Draft White Paper on Local Government, warning that South Africa does not suffer from a shortage of plans to fix municipalities. It suffers from a shortage of accountability. While OUTA welcomes many of the reforms in the White Paper, it says …

Public confidence in government depends on consistent and credible accountability for ethical failures. The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to dismiss Minister of Social Development, Sisisi Tolashe, from Cabinet. OUTA says the decision was necessary and overdue in light of a series of serious allegations surrounding Minister Tolashe’s conduct, …

South Africa cannot keep asking citizens to expose corruption while leaving whistleblowers unprotected. The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has warned that South Africa’s proposed Protected Disclosures Bill still fails to provide the level of protection required in a country where whistleblowers are routinely intimidated, financially destroyed, professionally sidelined, and, in far too many cases, …

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has raised serious concerns over what appears to be a deepening governance crisis at the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), following Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela’s announcement that interim Chairperson Dr Mugwena Maluleke and board member Karabo Mohale had both resigned with immediate effect. According to …

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) welcomes Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s decision to retain fuel levy relief for May, providing much-needed short-term support to South Africans facing sustained financial pressure. While this decision adds strain to the national fiscus, it offers critical relief to households, businesses, and the broader economy as fuel costs continue to …

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) notes that Mr Nelson Makgata, Technical Director of the North West Transport Investment (NTI), will appear before the North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management on 28 April 2026. This forms part of the Legislature’s ongoing inquiry into NTI. OUTA believes this appearance is …

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) welcomes the publication of the Protected Disclosures Bill, 2026 for public comment. The Bill is an important acknowledgement that South Africa’s current whistleblower protection framework has failed too many of the people who risked everything to expose corruption, state capture and abuse of power. There are important improvements in …

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has called for stronger, enforceable ethics rules in Parliament, warning that proposed amendments to the Code of Ethical Conduct still leave critical accountability gaps. In its formal submission to Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests, OUTA supports the intent to improve transparency and ethical leadership, but cautions …

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) welcomes government’s decision to reduce the fuel levy by approximately R3 per litre for petrol and close to R4 per litre for diesel. This intervention is both necessary and appropriate in helping to mitigate what would have been a severe price shock on 1 April. But it came too …

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) notes Eskom’s decision to extend the deadline for residential solar system registration. This extension follows widespread public resistance to the registration requirement. OUTA believes this response has played an important role in slowing down a policy that lacks clear legal and practical justification. South Africans who have invested in …

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has uncovered a failed R39 million sewer infrastructure project in Pomona, Kempton Park, where public funds have been spent, no functional pipeline has been delivered, and residents continue to live with raw sewage flooding their properties years after government intervention. The project was intended to resolve long-standing sewer failures …

On 20 March 2026, the Administrator for Services Seta (SSETA) confirmed what should never have taken seven years to admit: three whistleblowers had been unfairly dismissed. This finding follows legal advice from SSETA’s internal legal team, an independent law firm, and Senior Counsel. It comes just two weeks after another whistleblower at the Construction SETA …

R520 billion and counting: South Africa’s failing state-owned enterprises received more than R520 billion in government support between 2008 and 2023. Pay without performance: OUTA’s new report finds weak links between board remuneration and the actual performance of SOEs. Opaque remuneration practices: Board pay structures remain inconsistently transparent and vulnerable to political influence. Accountability gap: …