JGL Forensic Services - Where Integrity and Business Meet

Do You Know Where Your Tax Rands Actually Go?

In the coming financial year, the South African government will pay R1.1 billion every day to service its debt.
R1.1 BILLION!!!!!!!
Every. Single. Day.
But wait, there’s more…
This will increase to R1.3 billion a day by the 2027/28 financial year.
I for one, however, am not convinced that paying 15.5% less for edible offal and tins of beans and peas is going to soften the overall effect of the VAT increase to any great degree for the majority of South Africans, especially when debt servicing costs remain the fastest-growing expenditure item in the budget.
Numerous economists warn that increasing spending on servicing debt will have dire consequences for our country. It will overshadow desperately needed expenditure on critical sectors such as healthcare, infrastructure and healthcare.
Click on the link to read the full
article - https://lnkd.in/dtWn--SR
 
#budget #budgetspeech #VAT #VATincrease #debt
#southafrica

Turning Compliance on its Head

Compliance training. Just two words, but they have the power to fill employees with dread and loathing every time they hear them.
Not because they’d prefer to behave unethically, but rather that the way the training is delivered is often tedious, confusing and unmemorable.
Studies clearly show that, although the global compliance training market was worth over $6 billion in 2024 – and is expected to hit over $14 billion by 2029 - companies are still struggling.
After over two decades in this industry, we know that the secret to effective compliance training is to deliver it in a way that aligns with your employees’ psychology and culture. Because when you help your teams connect with your compliance message in way that’s meaningful for them, behavioural change comes naturally and authentically.
 
Click the link below to read the full article - https://lnkd.in/dmdP99zv
 
#compliance #ComplianceTrainingg #riskmanagement #riskmitigation #ethics
#integrity #anticorruption #forensics #forensicservices
#forensicinvestigation

Lies, Damned Lies, And Statistics

It was Mark Twain who famously popularised the saying, “There are 3 kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
He was not wrong.
Got a weak argument? Find a stat and present it craftily to strengthen your point. Struggling to persuade someone? There’s always a way to use a stat inappropriately to create influence.
Here’s an example: Your sales manager tells you, “We’ve seen a 100% increase in sales this week.”
You rub your hands together in glee, mentally planning that holiday by the coast you’ve been wanting to take for ages.
But then you realise…
Last week you made one sale, this week you made two.
Statistically, that’s a 100% increase. In real terms, it means you made R20 instead of R10.
You sadly shelve your beach holiday plans. Again.
 
Click below to read the full article:
https://lnkd.in/dVVCwbv6
 
#statistics #data #datamanipulation #stats #integrity #ethics #forensicservices #forensics #trailblazers

Troops in Trouble: Why Are Our Soldiers Dying in the DRC?

“Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it."George Santayana, philosopherMany incidences in South Africa’s recent past bring this wise quote to mind, but perhaps none so starkly as the tragic deaths of 14 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers who were killed in the latest action against M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).After protracted negotiations, their bodies were repatriated to South Africa, and I know I’m not the only one who’s found the news footage of their funerals haunting to watch.The tragic loss of life has spawned anger and outrage from grieving relatives, the South Africa public in general, and SANDF general, Rudzani Maphwanya, among many others. Many pointed questions are now being asked, not least of which is why did South Africa have troops in the DRC in the first place?It’s a well-known fact that, especially given the apparently unchecked influx of people across our northern and eastern borders, we don’t seem able to defend our own country against unwelcome visitors. Why then are we spending resources we clearly don’t have on helping far away countries defend theirs?Click on the link to read the full article - https://lnkd.in/dS-C_WX4

Born Free, Taxed to Death

The 11th-hour postponement of last week’s budget speech arguably caused more drama and consternation than any of the speech’s content was likely to. The official line was that “some of the government of national unity partners were not happy with a proposal to increase VAT from 15% to 17%.”From what I can see, the Democratic Alliance is claiming somewhat smug responsibility for this. A Bloomberg report states, “The Democratic Alliance (DA) defended its decision to obstruct a surprise plan to hike value-added tax, forcing an unprecedented delay in the presentation of the annual budget.”“Unprecedented” is exactly the right word. This is the first time a budget speech has been postponed since the end of apartheid in 1994, possibly even longer.The article also quotes DA leader John Steenhuisen as saying, “It prevents the implementation of a 2% VAT increase that would have broken the back of our economy. “For the first time ever, the ANC was prevented from tabling an anti-growth budget. We will now fight with the same vigour to introduce a new budget that is anchored in growing the economy, rather than increasing taxes or debt.”Click below to read the full article.https://lnkd.in/d_CGpb8Xhashtag#budget hashtag#budgetspeech hashtag#VAT hashtag#VATincrease hashtag#growth hashtag#fraudhashtag#corruption hashtag#forensicservices hashtag#forensics hashtag#Forensicinvestigationhashtag#trailblazers

Are We Learning To Love Corruption?

Do South Africans have a weird version of Stockholm Syndrome? For those unfamiliar with the term, it’s used to describe the psychological coping mechanism people can develop during prolonged periods of trauma or abuse, where they actually start to feel sympathy or even affection for their captors or abusers.
It takes its name from a bank robbery in Stockholm in 1973. During a 6-day standoff with police, many hostages started to feel sympathetic towards their captors – to the point where some refused to later testify against them in court and even raised money for their defence!
So, why do I think some South Africans might have developed this strange but somewhat understandable trait? Because we’ve lived with the fallout from corruption for so long, we’re starting to make it work for us.
 
Click the link to read the full article - https://lnkd.in/d3FZCAkc\ #stockholmsyndrome
 
#southafrica #corruption #fraud #forensicservices #forensicinvestigation #trailblazers

Are you hearing voices?

Is honesty always the best policy?
That might seem like a strange question coming from someone for whom ethical leadership and good governance are always going to be hills worth dying on.
Of course, we’ve always known that the odd, well-intentioned white lie, “No, those jeans do not make your bottom look big,” is generally harmless, but is there ever a point when complete and total honesty are actually dangerous?
It’s a contentious issue, and one which the multi-award-winning 2014 short film, The Gunfighter, highlights superbly.
If you haven’t ever watched it, do yourself a favour and take a look – just make sure anyone watching with you is over 18, as there are a couple of lines that might have a few sensitive people clutching their pearls.
 
 

Knowledge Alone Is Not Power

In a world where information is at our fingertips, it's easy to assume that simply acquiring knowledge is the key to success. However, especially in fields like South Africa’s financial sector, knowledge alone is not enough. To truly empower oneself, it’s the application of that knowledge—often in the form of wisdom—that drives meaningful results. From detecting tender fraud to combating cybercrime, the real strength lies in how knowledge is applied to solve complex financial issues and bring accountability.Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom: Understanding the Core Differences.To appreciate the importance of applied knowledge, it's vital to distinguish between information, knowledge, and wisdom.

Johannesburg: Has The City Of Gold Finally Lost Its Shine

In a world where information is at our fingertips, it's easy to assume that simply acquiring knowledge is the key to success. However, especially in fields like South Africa’s financial sector, knowledge alone is not enough. To truly empower oneself, it’s the application of that knowledge—often in the form of wisdom—that drives meaningful results. From detecting tender fraud to combating cybercrime, the real strength lies in how knowledge is applied to solve complex financial issues and bring accountability.Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom: Understanding the Core Differences.To appreciate the importance of applied knowledge, it's vital to distinguish between information, knowledge, and wisdom.

Organisational Growth in 2025. This year, it's learn or burn

There’s no shortage of articles and reports on the pros and cons of AI adoption in organisations, and the subject is not typically one we would choose to focus on here at JGL. At first glance, AI has little to do with helping our country’s political and business leaders create a culture of integrity, and bake ethical, sustainable practices into everything they do.