Public-interest accountability
A structured view of integrity risk among South African public figures.
Integrity Index uses publicly available, source-linked information and a transparent scoring method to help citizens, researchers and journalists understand publicly documented integrity concerns.
Integrity Risk Score
Higher scores indicate higher publicly documented integrity risk. The score is not a positive rating and is not based on general reputation.
Current Coverage
Public roles and institutions currently covered.
The index is organised into public-service spaces so readers can quickly see who is covered, where each person sits, and how profiles connect across government, Parliament, parties, municipalities and public entities.
Executive
77National executive officeholders, including the President, Deputy President, ministers and deputy ministers.
View pageParliament
393Current National Assembly members across represented political parties.
View pageParty Leaders
40Senior political-party leadership figures across represented parties.
View pageMayors
257Metropolitan, district and local municipal mayors across South Africa.
View pagePublic Entities
96Leadership profiles for public entities, agencies, boards, regulators and public institutions.
View page* View each section, the Scoring Criteria page and the Scoring Sources page for detailed methodology and source information.
Scoring Index Criteria
How the Integrity Risk Score is assessed.
The Integrity Risk Score is based on publicly available information linked to verifiable sources. The score does not measure personal character or private conduct. It reflects publicly documented integrity-risk indicators such as convictions, charges, official investigations, ethics findings, credible reporting and conflicts of interest.
A higher score means a higher level of publicly documented integrity risk. Cleared, dismissed or corrected matters are also recorded so that profiles can reflect important context fairly.
Criminal Convictions
Publicly available information showing whether a person has been convicted of a criminal offence involving corruption, fraud, theft, dishonesty, abuse of office, money laundering, organised crime or similar conduct.
Criminal Charges
Publicly available information showing whether formal criminal charges have been brought against the person.
Official Investigations
Publicly available information showing whether the person has been or is being investigated by an official body such as the NPA, Hawks, SIU, Public Protector, Parliament Ethics Committee or similar institution.
Official Findings and Reports
Publicly available findings or references in court judgments, commission reports, SIU reports, Public Protector reports, Auditor-General reports, parliamentary reports or similar official documents.
Ethics and Disclosure Issues
Publicly available information relating to parliamentary ethics findings, conflicts of interest, failure to disclose interests, business interests, gifts, benefits or similar matters.
Credible Media Allegations
Reports from reputable media or investigative journalism sources, especially where those reports link to documents, court papers, official records or named sources.
Conflict-of-Interest Concerns
Publicly available information relating to tender-linked concerns, family-linked benefits, undeclared business interests, procurement issues or other possible conflicts of interest.
Cleared, Dismissed or Corrected Matters
Publicly available information showing that a matter was withdrawn, dismissed, corrected, disproven, cleared or otherwise resolved in the person's favour.
0
No adverse public record found
No relevant public adverse evidence was found during the latest review cycle.
1-19
Low risk
Limited or low-severity public adverse information.
20-39
Moderate risk
Meaningful public integrity concerns or lower-level documented matters.
40-59
Elevated risk
Serious documented concerns, including official adverse findings or formal charges.
60-79
High risk
Multiple serious matters or a combination of formal charges and separate adverse evidence.
80-100
Severe risk
Very serious integrity risk, including relevant criminal conviction or multiple severe matters.
Source Categories
Where the information comes from.
Integrity Index relies on verifiable public sources. Source material is classified according to reliability, with official legal, parliamentary and investigative records treated as stronger evidence than media reports, opinion pieces or partisan claims.
Official Government and Parliament Sources
Parliament, the Presidency, Government of South Africa, IEC, ministerial and municipal sources.
Courts and Legal Records
Court judgments, court records, SAFLII and other publicly available legal records.
Investigation and Accountability Bodies
NPA, Hawks, SIU, Public Protector, Auditor-General, Parliament Ethics Committee and similar bodies.
Declarations and Public Registers
Registers of Members' Interests, declarations, company records, procurement information and other public registers.
Reputable Media and Investigative Journalism
Credible South African media and investigative reporting sources where claims are supported by verifiable information.
Civil-Society and Watchdog Sources
Public-interest organisations, research bodies, anti-corruption organisations and civic accountability groups.
Political Party and Public Statements
Official party statements, disciplinary announcements, leadership updates and public responses, treated carefully and verified against other sources where necessary.
Public sources
The site uses publicly available information, with preference for official records, court documents, government sources and reputable reporting.
Neutral language
The website avoids inflammatory wording and separates alleged, investigated, charged, convicted and cleared matters.
Transparent updates
Profiles will show review dates and source-linked evidence so changes can be checked as new public information becomes available.