Purpose
This page sets out the baseline source list that should be reviewed when applying the Integrity Index scoring criteria. It supports Section 5 of the website build instructions by identifying official, civic, media, political-party and advocacy sources that should be checked during each review cycle.
Core rule
This list is a minimum source set, not a closed list. Integrity Index may add additional relevant sources discovered during research, but no score should be changed without a traceable evidence item linked to a source URL, source type, date, category, confidence level and review status.
1. Review Frequency and General Process
- Run a full review cycle for every listed public figure at least once every 30 days.
- First verify whether the person still holds the relevant office or role.
- Then review official sources, accountability bodies, courts, Parliament, political-party websites, reputable media, civic-data sources and advocacy sources.
- Treat social media, opinion articles and partisan claims as leads only unless they link to verifiable primary or reputable secondary sources.
- Record all new evidence in the evidence table before changing any score.
- Maintain an audit trail showing what changed, why it changed, which source was used, and when the profile was last reviewed.
Master Identity and Office-Holder Sources
| Source / Website | Website / Search Target | Purpose in Scoring Review |
|---|---|---|
| Parliament of South Africa | https://www.parliament.gov.za | Primary source for MPs, parliamentary roles, committee information, parliamentary notices and public parliamentary records. |
| Parliament - National Assembly / Members | https://www.parliament.gov.za/national-assembly | Use to verify the 400-member National Assembly structure and identify current Members of Parliament. |
| Parliament - Ministers | https://www.parliament.gov.za/ministers | Use to verify national Ministers and their portfolios. |
| Parliament - Deputy Ministers | https://www.parliament.gov.za/deputy-ministers | Use to verify Deputy Ministers and portfolios. |
| South African Government / Gov.za | https://www.gov.za | Use for Cabinet, executive authority, official government profiles, ministerial announcements and official government context. |
| The Presidency | https://www.thepresidency.gov.za | Use for President, Deputy President, Cabinet announcements, proclamations, speeches, statements and executive changes. |
| IEC Results Portal | https://results.elections.org.za | Use to verify parliamentary representation, party-seat allocation and election outcomes. |
| Electoral Commission of South Africa | https://www.elections.org.za | Use for political party registration, election reports, election rules and official election information. |
| GCIS / Government Communication and Information System | https://www.gcis.gov.za | Use for official government communication, biographies, media statements and government structure information. |
| SALGA | https://www.salga.org.za | Use as a starting point for municipal leadership and local-government structures. |
| Department of Cooperative Governance / CoGTA | https://www.cogta.gov.za | Use for municipal structures, local-government updates and municipal governance information. |
| Individual municipal websites | Official website of each municipality | Use to verify current mayors, council leadership and municipal executive roles because mayoral data changes frequently. |
Official Accountability, Investigation and Enforcement Sources
| Source / Website | Website / Search Target | Purpose in Scoring Review |
|---|---|---|
| Special Investigating Unit | https://www.siu.org.za | SIU investigations, proclamations, litigation, referrals, reports and parliamentary appearances. |
| National Prosecuting Authority | https://www.npa.gov.za | Charges, prosecutions, corruption cases, withdrawals, convictions and official prosecutorial statements. |
| Hawks / DPCI | https://www.saps.gov.za/dpci/index.php | Priority crime investigations, arrests and corruption-related enforcement statements. |
| South African Police Service | https://www.saps.gov.za | Criminal investigations, arrests and official police statements. |
| Public Protector South Africa | https://www.pprotect.org | Findings, reports, remedial action, executive ethics matters and public-protector investigations. |
| Auditor-General South Africa | https://www.agsa.co.za | Audit outcomes, material irregularities, municipal and departmental findings. |
| Parliament Ethics / Members Interests | https://www.parliament.gov.za/ethics-and-members-interests | Ethics rules, members interests and related parliamentary accountability information. |
| Register of Members Interests | https://www.parliament.gov.za/register-members-Interests | Financial interests, gifts, directorships, interests and potential conflicts of interest. |
| Zondo Commission / State Capture Commission Archive | https://www.statecapture.org.za | State Capture reports, commission material and persons/entities named in the official record. |
| Financial Intelligence Centre | https://www.fic.gov.za | Relevant public material on money laundering, financial intelligence and financial crime context. |
| Companies and Intellectual Property Commission | https://www.cipc.co.za | Company directorships, business interests and entity verification. |
| National Treasury | https://www.treasury.gov.za | Procurement, restricted suppliers, public finance, tender context and official notices. |
| eTender Portal | https://www.etenders.gov.za | Tender notices, procurement records and tender-award context. |
| Municipal Money | https://municipalmoney.gov.za | Municipal financial data and governance context. |
| SAFLII | https://www.saflii.org | Court judgments involving public figures, parties, corruption, governance and public law. |
| Constitutional Court | https://www.concourt.org.za | Constitutional Court judgments and public-law matters involving political figures or parties. |
| Supreme Court of Appeal | https://www.supremecourtofappeal.org.za | Appeal judgments involving public figures, governance matters or corruption-related cases. |
| Office of the Chief Justice / Judiciary | https://www.judiciary.org.za | Judicial notices, court-related information and links to court structures. |
Parliamentary and Civic-Data Sources
| Source / Website | Website / Search Target | Purpose in Scoring Review |
|---|---|---|
| Parliamentary Monitoring Group | https://pmg.org.za | Committee meetings, attendance, oversight records, parliamentary questions and parliamentary activity. |
| ParliMeter | https://www.parlimeter.org.za | Parliamentary performance and civic-data indicators. |
| OpenUp | https://openup.org.za | Civic-data resources, parliamentary-data work and transparency tools. |
| OUTA | https://www.outa.co.za | Accountability reports, maladministration claims, corruption-related investigations and litigation. |
| Corruption Watch | https://www.corruptionwatch.org.za | Corruption reports, campaigns, public-interest investigations and governance issues. |
| Open Secrets | https://www.opensecrets.org.za | Investigative research into economic crime, state capture and corruption networks. |
| amaBhungane | https://amabhungane.org | Investigative journalism and documentary evidence on corruption and abuse of power. |
| My Vote Counts | https://myvotecounts.org.za | Political funding, transparency, party-finance information and accountability litigation. |
| Dullah Omar Institute | https://dullahomarinstitute.org.za | Local-government and governance research, especially municipal accountability context. |
| Public Affairs Research Institute | https://pari.org.za | Governance, corruption, state capacity and public-administration research. |
| Institute for Security Studies | https://issafrica.org | Crime, corruption, policing and governance analysis. |
| Good Governance Africa | https://gga.org | Governance, election and accountability research. |
| Africa Check | https://africacheck.org | Fact-checking and verification of public claims. |
Reputable South African and International Media Sources
| Source / Website | Website / Search Target | Purpose in Scoring Review |
|---|---|---|
| News24 | https://www.news24.com | General political, investigative and corruption reporting. |
| Daily Maverick | https://www.dailymaverick.co.za | Political reporting and Scorpio investigations. |
| amaBhungane | https://amabhungane.org | Investigative reporting and source-rich corruption investigations. |
| Mail & Guardian | https://mg.co.za | Political and investigative reporting. |
| Business Day | https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd | Government, policy, business and political-economy reporting. |
| TimesLIVE / Sunday Times | https://www.timeslive.co.za | Political, legal and investigative reporting. |
| City Press | https://www.news24.com/citypress | Political and governance reporting. |
| The Citizen | https://www.citizen.co.za | Political and government reporting. |
| IOL | https://www.iol.co.za | Political and government reporting. |
| EWN | https://ewn.co.za | Breaking political and legal news. |
| SABC News | https://www.sabcnews.com | Public broadcaster reporting on politics, courts and government. |
| eNCA | https://www.enca.com | Broadcast and online political news. |
| Newzroom Afrika | https://www.newzroomafrika.tv | Broadcast and online political news. |
| GroundUp | https://groundup.org.za | Public-interest, court-related and governance reporting. |
| Moneyweb | https://www.moneyweb.co.za | Governance, SOEs, finance and business-government overlap. |
| Fin24 | https://www.news24.com/fin24 | Business, finance and governance reporting. |
| SowetanLIVE | https://www.sowetanlive.co.za | Political and public-affairs reporting. |
| Netwerk24 / Rapport | https://www.netwerk24.com | Afrikaans political and investigative reporting. |
| Maroela Media | https://maroelamedia.co.za | Afrikaans public-affairs reporting. |
| Politicsweb | https://www.politicsweb.co.za | Political commentary, statements and public political documents; verify claims before scoring. |
| BusinessTech | https://businesstech.co.za | Business-government, policy and public-sector reporting where relevant. |
| Daily Investor | https://dailyinvestor.com | Business-government overlap and public-sector finance context where relevant. |
| Reuters | https://www.reuters.com/world/africa | International wire coverage of major South African political/legal developments. |
| Associated Press | https://apnews.com/hub/south-africa | International wire coverage of major South African political/legal developments. |
| BBC Africa | https://www.bbc.com/news/world/africa | Major international coverage of South African political/legal events. |
| Al Jazeera Africa | https://www.aljazeera.com/where/africa | Major international coverage of South African political/legal events. |
Political-Party Sources
| Source / Website | Website / Search Target | Purpose in Scoring Review |
|---|---|---|
| African National Congress | https://www.anc1912.org.za | Official party statements, leadership updates, disciplinary/integrity announcements and public positions. |
| Democratic Alliance | https://www.da.org.za | Official party statements, leadership updates, accountability claims and corruption-tracker material. |
| uMkhonto weSizwe Party | Official party website / verified official channels | Official statements, leadership updates and disciplinary announcements. Verify official source before relying on it. |
| Economic Freedom Fighters | https://effonline.org | Official party statements, leadership updates and public positions. |
| Inkatha Freedom Party | https://www.ifp.org.za | Official party statements, leadership updates and public positions. |
| Patriotic Alliance | https://www.patrioticalliance.co.za | Official party statements, leadership updates and public positions. |
| Freedom Front Plus | https://www.vfplus.org.za | Official party statements, leadership updates and public positions. |
| ActionSA | https://www.actionsa.org.za | Official party statements, leadership updates and public positions. |
| African Christian Democratic Party | https://acdp.org.za | Official party statements, leadership updates and public positions. |
| United Democratic Movement | https://udm.org.za | Official party statements, leadership updates and public positions. |
| Rise Mzansi | https://www.risemzansi.org | Official party statements, leadership updates and public positions. |
| Build One South Africa | https://www.bosa.co.za | Official party statements, leadership updates and public positions. |
| Al Jama-ah | https://www.aljama.co.za | Official party statements, leadership updates and public positions. |
| Pan Africanist Congress of Azania | https://www.pacofazania.org.za | Official party statements, leadership updates and public positions. |
| GOOD | https://forgood.org.za | Official party statements, leadership updates and public positions. |
| African Transformation Movement | https://www.atmovement.org | Official party statements, leadership updates and public positions. |
| National Coloured Congress | Official party website / verified official channels | Official statements and leadership updates. Verify official source before relying on it. |
| United Africans Transformation | Official party website / verified official channels | Official statements and leadership updates. Verify official source before relying on it. |
Civil-Society and Advocacy Sources
| Source / Website | Website / Search Target | Purpose in Scoring Review |
|---|---|---|
| AfriForum | https://afriforum.co.za | Legal actions, corruption complaints, local-government issues and public-interest litigation. Treat as advocacy source and verify primary evidence. |
| Solidarity | https://solidariteit.co.za | Public-sector accountability, labour, litigation and governance-related matters. Treat as advocacy source and verify primary evidence. |
| The Common Sense | https://thecommonsense.co.za | Use as commentary or lead source only; verify against primary or reputable secondary evidence before scoring. |
| Helen Suzman Foundation | https://hsf.org.za | Constitutional, governance and rule-of-law research/litigation. |
| Freedom Under Law | https://freedomunderlaw.org | Rule-of-law litigation, statements and public-interest accountability issues. |
| CASAC | https://casac.org.za | Constitutional accountability and governance issues. |
| Section27 | https://section27.org.za | Public-interest litigation where relevant to public officials or governance. |
| Equal Education Law Centre | https://eelawcentre.org.za | Education governance litigation and public-interest cases where relevant. |
Required Search Terms for Each Public Figure
For every public figure, run searches using the person's full name, known aliases, former names, portfolio title and party together with the following terms:
corruptionfraudbriberytheftmoney launderingracketeeringtenderprocurementconflict of interestundeclared interestethicsinvestigationchargedarrestedconvictedcourtjudgmentSIUHawksNPAPublic ProtectorAuditor-GeneralZondoState CaptureParliament Ethics Committeedisciplinarysuspensionresignationscandalclearedwithdrawnacquitteddismissed
Source Reliability Ranking for Scoring
| Source / Website | Website / Search Target | Purpose in Scoring Review |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1: Highest confidence | Court judgments, official conviction records, official charge confirmations, NPA statements, SIU reports, Public Protector reports, Auditor-General reports, Parliament Ethics Committee findings, Zondo/commission reports. | May support high-impact score changes when clearly linked to the person and the relevant conduct. |
| Tier 2: Strong confidence | Parliament records, registers of interests, official government statements, municipal council records, official party disciplinary statements, CIPC/National Treasury data. | May support score changes, especially for conflicts, role verification, declarations and official administrative findings. |
| Tier 3: Medium confidence | Reputable investigative media, including amaBhungane, Daily Maverick/Scorpio, News24 investigations, Mail & Guardian, GroundUp, Reuters and similar sources. | May support credible allegation categories, especially where linked to documents or official statements. |
| Tier 4: Lead-only / verify before scoring | Political-party claims, advocacy-group claims, opinion articles, social media posts, anonymous claims, blogs, YouTube commentary and similar material. | Do not score directly unless the item links to verifiable primary evidence or reputable secondary evidence. |
Standard Review Process
Integrity Index aims to maintain a recurring 30-day review cycle for every listed public figure. For each person, the review should first verify their current office or status from official sources. It should then check the baseline source list, official accountability bodies, courts, Parliament, party websites, reputable media, civil-society sources and targeted search terms. New relevant sources discovered during research may be added to the review record. Unsourced claims should not be scored. Social media, opinion pieces and partisan allegations should be treated as leads only unless they link to verifiable primary or reputable secondary sources. Every score change should be tied to an evidence item with source URL, source type, date, category, confidence level and review status.
Evidence Record Requirements
- Person name and unique profile ID.
- Source title and source URL.
- Source type: official, court, parliamentary, watchdog, media, advocacy, party, municipal or other.
- Evidence category: conviction, charge, investigation, official adverse finding, ethics breach, credible allegation, conflict of interest, cleared/dismissed/corrected matter, or other.
- Date of source publication and date of review.
- Short factual summary of what the source says.
- Confidence level and source reliability tier.
- Points added or subtracted, if any.
- Reviewer status: draft, needs human review, approved, published, corrected or archived.