Is the civil service wage balloon about to pop?

Earn more, do less…nice work if you can get it!South Africa has the third-highest government wage bill of 20 major global economies when taken as a share of GDP. That’s according to studies by both the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. That means we spend more on paying our civil servants than the UK, US, Australia and Japan, all of which have economies far greater than ours, and infrastructure and service delivery levels many levels higher.Adding insult to injury is the fact that South Africa’s public servants are due to receive a 5.5% salary increase in the current financial year, costing thegovernment (well, actually, the taxpayer) R23.3 billion over the next threeyears. This is just the latest in a long history of salaries that have increased fasterthan headline inflation, putting huge strain on the government’s finances.Click below to read the full article:https://lnkd.in/d5Veuagx

South Africa: A Country of Contradictions

On paper, South Africa is a model country. Our Constitution is widely regarded as one of the most progressive and transformative in the world, noted particularly for its emphasis on human rights and equality. Our Constitutional court is also globally respected, hailed for its robust application of local and international laws to interpret and protect people’s rights.Our Constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and outlaws racism and sexism. In 2006, for example, South Africa became the first country in Africa – and only the 5th in the world – to legalise same-sex marriage.And yet, our own President, Cyril Ramaphosa, recently admitted that “There is a disconnect between the Constitution and the lived reality of South Africans.” He made the remark in a keynote address marking the 30th anniversary of the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg last month.He went on to say, “The reality we must confront is that there are significant challenges with constitutionalism today. The promise of the Constitution is far from fully realised. Persistent inequality, threats to judicial independence, lack of implementation of court orders, and erosion of trust in institutions remain pressing challenges.”Which leaves us asking, “what good is a world-leading constitution if it cannot be implemented?”It’s just one of many contradictions that plague South Africa. Unfortunately, there are many others.Click on the link below to read the full article: https://lnkd.in/dPw3wvnF

Navigating Ethical Issues in Financial Crime Forensics

In today’s technologically driven world, forensic technology plays a crucial role in combating financial crime. These advanced tools enable the detection, investigation, and prevention of various financial offenses, from fraud and embezzlement to money laundering and insider trading

The Power of Seamless Integration

The seamless functioning of an organization hinges on the alignment of its policies and procedures and the consistent and unbiased application of its rules. For CEOs, CFOs, and heads of compliance, this is not just a regulatory requirement but a strategic imperative.

A Call To Action To The New GNU- Get Us Off The Greylist

Being greylisted is killing our country, this is why!
The bottom line is that staying on the grey list hampers economic growth and deters foreign investment, making it imperative for both the government and businesses to intensify compliance efforts.

Our Business Depends On You To Survive and Thrive: A Letter to Employees

Dear Team,
In our volatile economy, doing the right thing matters more than ever. Our success doesn’t just depend on what we do; it’s about how we do it. That’s why ethical behaviour and following company rules isn’t a just a nice thing to do, it is a MUST—it’s a way to keep our jobs safe and our company strong. Each of us plays a crucial role, so we need to do the right thing, every day.

Compliance Culture: Your Shield Against Economic Crime

In the bustling arena of South African business, the fight against economic crime is a relentless battle that requires more than just legal adherence; it demands the cultivation of a robust culture of compliance. This culture, rooted in integrity and ethical conduct, serves as a shield against the threats that businesses face. 
 

The Many Faces of White-Collar Crime

South Africa’s history abounds with fraudulent and exploitative practices by those in positions of power abound. In the 1870s as diamond mining gained momentum in Kimberley, the so-called ‘diamond fields’ fraud’ saw ‘dodgy’ characters "salting" diamond mines, which involved planting diamonds in low-yield mines to deceive potential investors and buyers. Here are a few familiar faces of white-collar crime in South Africa.

When Tragedy Becomes Triumph

In the middle of June, after a massive search and rescue operation involving over 200 military and Indigenous rescuers with search dogs, four children, aged 13, nine, four and just 11 months, were found alive in the dense Amazon jungle in Colombia. They had survived on their own for 5 weeks after the plane in which they were travelling crashed.
 

The Collapse of South Africa – The Zondo Chronicles

Don’t hold your breath for prosecutions emanating from the Zondo Commission, and certainly not from that little matter of millions of dollars under Cyril’s mattress, in contravention of forex rules. You’ll just turn blue and pass out.
South Africa is, frankly, a failed state just 28 years after the dawn of democracy.