Deepfake Crisis

“The question is no longer whether deepfakes will affect South Africa, but how well we are prepared to deal with them.”
Boland Lithebe, Accenture Africa Security Lead
 
This stark warning from Boland Lithebe comes at a critical time for South Africa, as the country enters a period of staggered municipal by-elections. The rise of deepfake technology presents a chilling new frontier in the fight against cybercrime and disinformation.
 
Click below to read the full article.
https://lnkd.in/dfPbMJzB
 
#deepfake #fake #fraud #corruption #AI #cybercrime #cybersecurity #forensicservices #forensics #forensicinvestigation

Cybersecurity in South Africa: 3 Tipping Point Moves for Big Business

Cybercrime is expected to cost the world $10.5 trillion annually by the end of this year. It’s an almost unimaginable amount of money, and surely not a cost businesses can continue to bear for very long.
In 2023, South Africa ranked in the top three most targeted African countries for cyberattacks, according to a report by Kapersky. Top of the list of crimes was ransomware attacks targeting critical infrastructure and financial services.
The recent declaration from Cell C that data compromised in a cybersecurity incident in January this year has now been unlawfully disclosed by RansomHouse throws into stark relief just how serious the problem is. There is clearly an urgent need for far stronger cyber risk mitigation strategies within all businesses in South Africa.
Click the link to read the full article
https://www.linkedin.com/.../cybersecurity-south-africa-3...
 
 
#cybercrime #cybersecurity #fraud #corruption #forensicinvestigation #forensics #forensicservices

The Clash of Titans" Lessons From The Boardroom

“Let’s do more, together.”
If that sounds familiar, it’s likely because it was the ANC’s 2024 general election slogan. Somewhat ironically, and arguably not in the way they would have wanted, they got their wish.
A failure to secure an outright majority ushered in the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU) - a coalition of 10 of the 18 parties with seats in the National Assembly.
This collaboration between traditionally disparate parties across the political spectrum was unchartered territory; for the first time in 30 years of democracy, the ANC would have to share power.
And yet, despite protracted negotiations over the cabinet formation, and fierce competition for key ministerial positions, initial feelings were that the GNU was a good thing. There was a general, if cautious, joy that the ground-breaking power-sharing agreement would herald the start of true co-operation between our political parties. Surely that could only benefit all South Africans in the long run?
 
Click on the link to read the full article - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/clash-titans-lessons-from-boardroom-jacques-van-wyk-5fo5f/
 
 
#mergers #coalition #worktogether #agreement #GNU #forensics #forensicinvestigation #forensicservices

The Curse of Desperation

Motive. Means. Opportunity.
Anyone who has ever watched a murder detective series on TV will instantly recognise the significance of those three words. They’re the key determinants to rule suspects in or out when it comes to discovering “whodunnit.”
Motive is the “why” – the reason someone commits murder. Means refers to the ability or resources a person has to enable them to commit it, while opportunity is the “where and when”.
Find a suspect with all three in alignment and you’re likely looking at your killer.
Somewhat surprisingly, the path an employee takes on their journey to committing a financial crime is not all that dissimilar.
Click on the link to read the full article - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/curse-desperation-jacques-van-wyk-9iraf/
 
#fraud #crime #desperation #workplacefraud #ethics #integrity

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.
 
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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