The Titanic's Smartest Passenger

Jenny the cat was the Titanic's mascot, brought on board to help control rodents. She lived in the ship's galley and was cared for by a labourer named Jim Mulholland.During sea trials, Jenny gave birth to kittens and Jim found them a cosy spot next to the ship's galley. Caring for the mother cat and her kittens broke the monotony of Jim's work preparing the Titanic for its maiden voyage. Jenny seemed content with her warm spot near the boilers, her babies, and the scraps from the galley that Jim brought her. However, soon after the ship docked at Southampton, England, just before embarking on its maiden voyage (to New York), Jenny took a good look around and quickly started grabbing her kittens by the neck and carrying them off. One by one, down the gangway she took them off the ship. Jim watched her carefully and realized that "this cat must know something others don't!" He then quickly gathered his belongings and left the ship as well. Click the link to read the full article - https://lnkd.in/ducCvT76

Fort Hare: Forensic Investigators Under Fire

Sanity (and justice) have prevailed! At the end of last month, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) withdrew controversial fraud charges against forensic lawyer Sarah Burger, the former lead investigator who uncovered evidence of massive wrongdoings at the University of Fort Hare.
Sarah and her colleague, Bradley Conradie, are directors at Horizon Forensics, the company appointed by the University in 2018 to investigate suspected incidents of academic fraud and financial mismanagement.
Since then, they’ve launched multiple investigations (many alongside the Special Investigations Unit – SIU) that have exposed syndicates involving university staff, politically connected individuals, and local businesses.In the wake of their findings, about 40 University employees have either been dismissed, or have resigned, and 20 cases have been referred to the Hawks for further investigation.
Despite all their efforts, however, they received a frustrating lack of support from the police, saying it was “incomprehensible” that not a single arrest has been made relating to any of the cases they’d referred to the SAPS in the past six years.
Click below to read the full article:https://lnkd.in/dMz8jXWg

When Donald Says Jump, Should South Africa Duck?

The decision that will define South Africa's future isn't being made in Cape Town. The US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act would give President Trump power to sanction government leaders deemed corrupt or too cosy with China and Russia.
President Ramaphosa and other senior ANC figures are reportedly in the crosshairs.
The irony is stark: sanctions once used to topple apartheid could now target the very party they helped elevate. Whether you view this as foreign interference or legitimate anti-corruption pressure, one thing is certain – the implications stretch far beyond individual politicians to the entire US-South Africa relationship and if passed, the fallout could impact all South Africans.
 
Click below to read the full article.
https://lnkd.in/gAvcSrYP

Whistleblowers: The Unsung Heroes In The Fight Against Fraud

Whistleblowers—those individuals brave enough to speak up against wrongdoing—are a critical yet vulnerable element in the chain of accountability. Without them, many of the most consequential fraud cases would never come to light.Fraud and corruption continue to pose serious threats to the integrity of public and private institutions across South Africa. While internal controls, audits, and compliance frameworks play a role in mitigating this risk, one of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal is often overlooked: the whistleblower.According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, over 40% of all fraud cases are detected through tip-offs—far surpassing any other method. These insiders see what others cannot. They witness misconduct firsthand, and they often have access to documents and communications that are pivotal in proving wrongdoing.Click below to read the full article
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whistleblowers-unsung-heroes-fight-against-fraud-jacques-van-wyk-kojqc/?trackingId=oEudzLVf2K7QdIM7TYfe%2FA%3D%3D

The Cost of Corruption in South Africa

As far back as 2015, an article in respected publication The Daily Maverick estimated that South Africa had lost R700 billion in public money to corruption since the advent of democracy in 1994. 
We’re now almost a decade down the line and I shudder to think what kinds of figures might now be in the frame.

From Boxing Ring to Boardroom – Why the Fight for Fairness Shouldn’t Only be Fought in Sport

From the rain-soaked opening ceremony to the awarding of the very last medal, the 2024 Paris Olympics had its fair share of controversial moments – but perhaps none more so than the women’s boxing match between Italy’s Angela Carini and Algeria’s Imane Khelif.
After only 46 seconds – and two sickening head blows - Carini abandoned her fight, saying she had been hit so hard she “couldn’t breathe anymore” and feared for her life.
 

In The Line of Fire - When Investigators Become The Targets

In the past 10 years, targeted killings in South Africa have increased by 108%. This staggering statistic is quoted in a recent report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC).
Perhaps even more concerning is how brazen these killers are becoming. Assassins appear indiscriminate about the time and location of their hits. Targets are frequently gunned down in broad daylight, in public places, and in some cases, horrifically, in front of children.

Is Cybersecurity the Achilles Heel for South African Law Firms?

In South Africa, poverty, corruption, and racial injustice overshadow the critical need for robust cybersecurity. Despite being Africa's top target for cyber criminals, underfunding and neglect persist. Human error, particularly through email vulnerabilities, plays a significant role in data breaches, making law firms especially vulnerable.

Freedom of the Press vs Freedom to Oppress: Protecting the People’s Right to Know

Africa has a dismal press freedom record.Thankfully, although South Africa can never pretend to be the poster child for democracy, press freedom is one thing we seem to have got right in our post-Apartheid years – it’s even enshrined in our constitution.However, we all know that it’s one thing to set down these ideals on paper, and another thing entirely to ensure they’re upheld in practice.

Youth Dividend or Ticking Time-Bomb

Many wave the entrepreneurship flag as the miracle cure-all for our unemployment crisis, but in South Africa, we have one of the highest start-up failure rates in the world, with 70 – 80% of start-ups failing in the first 5 years.
So, here’s the all-important question:
What do our failing education system, lack of employment opportunities and dismal entrepreneurial record have in common?
They are all symptoms of a serious disease – corruption.