The Centre for Business Ethics at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), in partnership with Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA), has published an “Anti-corruption working guide for South African companies”.
The Centre describes the publication as the first attempt to craft guidelines that will assist South Africa’s business sector to counter the epidemic of corruption and crime, which has given companies such as EOH a “starring role” in the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture and thrust firms such as Steinhoff and Tongaat Hulett into the headlines.
It acknowledged the public’s cynicism about anti-corruption discussions and declarations, which do not seem to deliver enough practical change.
“Many people are understandably dismissive of what they regard as ‘meaningless talk shops’ […] Only action that produces tangible results can help to turn the tide and lift South Africa’s gloomy national mood. If this is to be achieved, however, the focus of anti-corruption conversations must shift from the ‘why’ to the ‘what’, and even more importantly, to the ‘how’. This working guide, drawing on extensive engagements with business and civil society leaders, is our contribution to providing the ‘how’.”
The guide cites the results of a study that found that companies with dedicated anti-corruption programmes and strong ethical guidelines suffer up to 50% fewer incidents of corruption than those without such programmes.
The guide draws heavily on the international standard IOS 37001, which is designed to assist companies establish, implement, maintain, and run an anti-bribery compliance programme.
It proposes 38 central principles that can be incorporated into an anti-corruption policy, which companies can adopt to tackle corruption within their ranks and within the wider business environment.
Unless business acts collectively, however, the adoption of such anti-corruption policies will result in only pockets of individualised success, the publication says.
The 44-page guide was written by Financial Mail editor Rob Rose, who has specialised in investigating business corruption.
It includes essays by:
- Rabbi Gideon Pogrund, the founding director of the GIBS Centre for Business Ethics, on why companies need to work together and with government entities to combat corruption.
- Busisiwe Mavuso, the chief executive of BLSA, on public-private anti-corruption initiatives.
- Cas Coovadia, the chief executive of Business Unity South Africa, on the ramifications of the Zondo Commission for business.
- Edward Kieswetter, the Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (Sars), on reparations to Sars for state capture.
- Dr Wendy Dobson, the senior managing director: financial services at FTI Consulting, on how companies can engage in responsible and ethical lobbying.
- Berenice Francis, the group executive: corporate affairs, risk, and sustainability at Motus Holdings, writes about ethical leadership.
- Professor Mollie Painter, the academic director at the GIBS Centre for Business Ethics, who provides a practical guide on how to build a corruption-resistant corporate culture.
