Launching our OGP Monitoring Project

30 August 2012

ODAC has launched our OGP Monitoring Website. Though our involvement in the process began in 2011, and we have been gathering indicators for some time, we have finally conglomerated it onto a wordpress website to make the process open and available to the general public. You can visit the site at http://opengovernmentafrica.wordpress.com.

It is worth noting in particular that anybody who wishes to makes comments on the access to information environment in South Africa, whether positive or negative, and wishes to describe the types of information they need from government can do so through the site here.

We will use all the information gathered to create regular report cards on the OGP process.

Launching the SA Civil Society OGP website and our 2012 review of transparency

19 April 2012

As a result of discussions at the OGP Civil Society Meeting of 03 April, ODAC has collated and release a description of the transparency environment in South Africa. Highlight several key features of the transparency environemnt, the document draws on feedback from civil society and some key indicators to provide a useful reference point for monitoring the committments made by government to the OGP.

We hope that this will be the starting point of vibrant and proactive engagement between government, civil society and the private sector as we all strive to make open government a reality for the equal benefit of all South African citizens.

Download page for “TRANSPARENCY IN SOUTH AFRICA: a civil society review to facilitate South Africa’s Open Government Partnership Interventions“.

Open Government Partnership Civil Society Meeting

03 April 2012

Today a meeting was hosted at the Open Society Foundation, bringing together civil society memebers of the transparency sector to engage on the South African committments and think strategically about how civil society should move forward.

These discussions were incredibly productive, and it was agreed that as a prelude to the upcoming meeting in Brasilia an outline of the transparency issues in South Africa would be drawn up in order to inform our future engagement.

Open Government Partnership Action Plan for the Republic of South Africa

09 September 2011

In relation to the below ODAC has since received the Department of Public Service and Administration draft country plan which will be submitted to the Presidency.

OGP Action Plan 09 September 2011 by the DPSA

ODAC calls on government to be open about the Open Government Partnership

18 August 2011

The Open Democracy Advice Centre (ODAC) has called on President Jacob Zuma to be open about  South Africa’s participation in the Open Government Partnership (OGP). The Open Government Partnership is a project being championed by the United States President Barack Obama and it seeks to “secure concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance”. South Africa is a member of the steering committee of the OGP yet very little is known about the project in South Africa.

In letter to President Zuma, ODAC has asked the President and the government to fully inform the public about South Africa’s role in the OGP project.  “South Africa is to present its OGP action plan at the official launch of the OGP in New York in September and this action plan has to be developed following extensive public consultation.  We are not aware of any public consultation processes that have been conducted to develop the action plan” Mukelani Dimba, Deputy Executive Director at ODAC. According to Dimba the public not only has a right to know about the OGP but according to the OGP’s own principles, the public must be consulted in development of these commitments and action plans. He said; “What commitments are we as a country making towards advancing openness and accountability in the conduct of public affairs? What action plan will President Zuma be tabling in New York in September? Government must be open about the Open Government Partnership.”

Letter to the President