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Motto | Digging dung, fertilising democracy ![]() |
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Established | 2010 ![]() |
Founders | Sam Sole, Stefaans Brümmer ![]() |
Types | nonprofit organization ![]() |
Country | South Africa ![]() |
Budget | R9.7 million |
Website | amabhungane![]() |
AmaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism is an investigative journalism organisation focusing primarily on exposing political corruption in South Africa and neighbouring countries. They say that their name means “dung beetles” in isiZulu, one of the indigenous languages of South Africa.[1] They claim they are “digging dung, fertilising democracy.”[2]
Their “#GuptaLeaks” investigations have produced many stories over the years that exposed substantive political corruption in the South African government, recognised by several prestigious awards for investigative journalism. These reports suggested that the Gupta family had ”captured the state” through their friendship with then-President Jacob Zuma and seem to have contributed to 2016 electoral defeats by the ANC in South Africa's largest cities, the defeat of Zuma as president of the African National Congress on 18 December 2017, and then to Zuma's resignation as head of state on 14 February 2018.[3] They've also contributed to the Paradise Papers exposé[4] and many other reports relating to the South African political economy.