In the media

The podcast highlights widespread corruption in South Africa’s education system, where the Education Labor Relations Council (ELRC) has launched an investigation into ghost teachers and the sale of teaching posts. Flawed hiring practices—especially the failure to advertise many entry-level positions—have enabled bribery and manipulation by principals and officials. This erodes trust, prevents qualified graduates from securing jobs, and wastes public resources. The ELRC, together with unions and the Department of Education, is developing measures to strengthen transparency and accountability.

South Africa’s Academy of Science has released a revised 2025 Code of Best Practice in Scholarly Journal Publishing, addressing AI misuse, peer-review ethics, open access, data transparency, and diversity. The code strengthens editorial independence, accountability, and integrity, aiming to curb predatory publishing, plagiarism, and unethical authorship. Stakeholders describe it as a blueprint for credibility and a safeguard for research trust.

The Southern African Development Community encourages higher education institutions to strengthen research ethics. An online seminar hosted by the Southern African Regional Universities Association (SARUA) gathered African academics to discuss vital research ethical frameworks, emphasizing review processes to protect participants and uphold research integrity.

In an analysis carried out jointly by the Publications Ethics Committee and the International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers, over half of the 3,440 articles submitted over a two-year period were found to be fake. Open science practices, such as pre-registration of study plans and registered reports could promote transparency and accountability. Recognizing the importance of peer review and rewarding reviewers can also strengthen academic integrity and reduce the proliferation of suspect articles.