Day: September 20, 2021

Special Investigating Unit (SIU) head, Advocate Andy Mothibi, says whistleblowers remain an important aspect to combatting corruption.

He was speaking during the first webinar in a five-part series, which will explore the importance of whistleblowing and the challenges that whistleblowers experience.

“More often, corruption goes undetected until a whistleblower comes out. To bring any successful litigation and prosecution, you need credible evidence, and evidence doesn’t just flow from nowhere.

“It’s given by people, and those people have to be assured that the framework of the witness protection and whistleblower protection functions, such that they are protected,” he said.

Mothibi explained that in the case of Personal Protective Equipment corruption cases, for example, the SIU has ensured that those coming forward with information are not put in any danger.

“We’ve got an independent company that’s running our whistleblower hotline. We do that to ensure that there’s confidentiality [and] it is also to ensure that there is anonymity. Almost 90% to 95% of our PPE investigations are procurement based and that’s simply because that’s where all the money is.

“More often, it is officials who become aware of this corruption and maladministration around procurement processes, and we have seen that officials do come out in many instances. Then it becomes very important that the… Protected Disclosures Act really kicks [in], so that those officials are protected.”

Mothibi said the death of Gauteng Health Department Chief Director of Financial Accounting, Babita Deokaran, spurred the unit to raise awareness on the legal options that whistleblowers have in order to receive protection.

Deokaran was killed in an alleged hit after she exposed potential corruption within the department.

“It is so important for would-be witnesses and would-be whistleblowers to understand… the legal framework [to protect them]. But we as law enforcement agencies… are really geared up to ensuring that when matters and cases are reported to us, we put in place measures that will make sure that the whistleblowers and witnesses are protected,” Mothibi said.

The legal framework includes the Protected Disclosures Act – also known as the Whistleblowing Act – which protects workers from civil or legal liability after they have disclosed information to law enforcement about unlawful acts committed by their employer.

Witnesses also have protection through the Witness Protection Act.

Mothibi acknowledged that both of these Acts needed to be broadened to include those who witness corrupt acts while not necessarily working for government.

The SIU will hold the second whistleblowers webinar on October 3, which will unpack whistleblower legal frameworks and regulations.

Source: South African Government News Agency

With no education in cosmetology, somatology or cosmetic formulations, Shantelle Booysen used her love for pedicures to formulate products that are now being exported to 34 destinations and on top of that, this inspiring entrepreneur directly employs about 2 500 people in the country.

Her multimillion-rand company was one of the first South African companies to successfully register its skin care range with the United States of America Food and Drug Administration Agency, the Ministry of Health in India and the European Union (EU).

Using active ingredients in the Elim Spa Products for hands, feet and body, Booysen has designed and formulated innovative systems that guarantee results.

“I developed a new system for pedicures. At the time and still today we have been copied nine times in South Africa, which is a good thing because when people copy you it means you are doing something right. When people pick up my product, I want them to know the product works and can be trusted,” says the founder and CEO of Elim Spa Products, in an interview with SAnews.

Elim Spa Products was established in 2004 when Booysen wanted to solve a problem she experienced after getting a pedicure.

“I loved a pedicure; the thing that irritated me was my feet were slippery in my shoes afterwards. I didn’t like that so I went to a cosmetic formulator and I asked them to create a heel cream that would stop my feet from being slippery,” she says.

Working with the cosmetic formulator, they produced a heel cream that guaranteed no slip after a pedicure, had a pleasant scent and softened the heels.

Seeing the amazing results from using the product, the entrepreneur sold it to a company, which at the time had 27 spas in the country. It did not take long for the company to introduce the product to its branches on the continent.

In the early days of her business, Booysen was assisted by the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) with the development of her website and marketing material. She also received financial training.

Later on through the agency’s Technology Transfer Fund, the business was able to purchase a sophisticated machine that could package individual sachets of the products.

Finding its footing

In addition, SEDA assisted the company with access and the support to export freely to Europe particularly Germany, as well as Greece, Spain and Holland.

The regulatory process that the Western Cape based company underwent in order to export to Europe was a costly exercise, as the company was required to change its formula to adjust to EU regulations, appoint a responsible person to act as a representative for the company and pay for toxicology tests.

“For instance, they did label reviews and if there was an ingredient in one of the products they didn’t ‘approve, you had to change your formula and dump 10 000 boxes [and] reprint those boxes with the correct ingredients on them.

“SEDA came in with a massive financial investment. It is extremely expensive export to Europe. There was no way I could afford to do that in the beginning without their assistance,” Booysen says.

With the many obstacles that entrepreneurs face when establishing a business, government has committed to support small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and cooperatives through funding initiatives, business development and support services.

Government continues to demonstrate its support to SMMEs and cooperatives through entities such as SEDA, Industrial Development Corporation, Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA), National Empowerment Fund (NEF) as well as Finfind.

This forms part of government’s effort to create jobs and an inclusive economy in a country that has a challenge with unemployment.

When starting her business, Booysen was a former journalist, employed by the International Colleges Group doing curriculation and course development.

During the first three years of the business, she worked part-time on the business with the assistance of her family and friends.

“When I started my business, I started small; I packed my own boxes; I did my own deliveries and I saw the clients myself. It was a challenge in the beginning. My husband had to sell his car twice; we took out a loan and had to scale down on our cost of living to make this business work,” she recalls.

Booysen credits the growth of her business to word of mouth and staying connected with her clients.

She also believes that there is a solution for every problem. This mentality has helped her to save her company during the most uncertain times in the history of the business.

When the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic last year, South Africa went into a nationwide lockdown on 26 March in an effort to curb the spread of the virus and save lives.

At the time, salons had to close their doors and sectors that were identified as essential services were the only ones allowed to operate.

Staying afloat

To make up for the money the business was losing while salons were closed, Booysen focused on earning foreign currency to pay service providers, ensure the company’s supply chain and salaries.

“Everyone came together because they wanted to have a job after the pandemic. We have an overcomer mentality in the organization and we always make a plan. My team worked from home and we sold to countries that were open,” Booysen says.

As an incentive, the company has a profit sharing scheme and the employees work on a 10% growth bonus.

Prior to the pandemic, Booysen had taken up a role as a public speaker where she talks about her journey.

Her accolades include being awarded the Western Cape Entrepreneur of the month award in 2015. In the same year, she also won the National Gazelle Award, which is an award for the 40 most promising, high-potential entrepreneurs in South Africa.

Elim Spa products is also part of the National Gazelles programme, receiving constant mentoring and interventions from SEDA.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister, Patricia de Lille, has announced the opening of the Request for Information (RFI) process for the Photovoltaic and Water Savings on Government Buildings Programme.

The programme aims to save government billions of Rands in water and electricity consumption costs through the procurement and use of renewable energy and resource efficient measures for public buildings.

“This programme will be largest… for the procurement of renewable energy and resource efficiency for public facilities.

“The RFI is aimed at testing the market for additional ideas and information which comprehensively looks at ways to deliver mutual values to through strong partnerships between government and the private sector,” she said.

The request for information process will also allow the department to obtain a high-level understanding of optimal technical solutions that are available in the market in relation to the capacity of private sector to deliver such solutions.

Minister de Lille said with this programme, government aims to be a “champion for innovation and new technologies” while expanding government’s energy use mix.

The programme is part of government’s infrastructure investment plan and is expected to involve national, provincial and local government buildings across the country for the next 30 years.

The Minister said the first phase of the programme has received approval from the National Treasury with the private sector responsible for “both the technical and financial aspects of implementing the programme”.

“To help spur on South Africa’s private sector investment, government is also currently engaging with a number of local and international partners on various funding mechanisms that will be identified as potentially catalytic,” she said.

According to the Minister, the projected benefits of the outcome will be:

Savings and revenue worth over R401 billion by 2050

Over R253 billion direct contribution to the GDP

3 800 new small businesses will be developed, the majority being black-owned

Skills development opportunities for more than 117 000 people

An estimated 146 000 jobs created

A reduction in energy use of between 22% and 45%

A water use reduction of between 30% and 55%

A reduction in waste and diversion of 50% of current waste from landfill sites, saving 12m tons

A reduction in carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions by over 54.5 megatons

“We are very excited about the possibilities presented by [the request for information] phase in our quest to scale up innovation in government. The programme is also an example of putting the Infrastructure Investment Plan in action and contributes to our goals of achieving the reconstruction and recovery plan to the revival of our own economy,” she said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Technical Assistance Unit is an integral cog in the anti-corruption machinery of government and an important instrument to address corruption, fraud and unethical conduct in the Public Administration.

These were the remarks of Public Service and Administration Minister Ayanda Dlodlo at the launch of the Public Administration Ethics Integrity and Disciplinary Technical Assistance Unit (PA-EID-TAU) on Monday.

The unit is aimed at addressing issues related to ethical conduct and corruption in the public service.

Addressing the launch, Dlodlo said that government is committed to eradicate corruption and has put several programmes in place for this purpose, directed by the National Development Plan.

“This plan envisages a South Africa with reduced levels of corruption by 2030, to be achieved through the National Anti-Corruption Strategy that serves as South Africa’s blue print to tackle corruption,” Dlodlo said.

Dlodlo said that in discussions with the Steering Committee of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy, she has encouraged the team to interrogate the real cost of corruption to the State and our people.

“One of the vehicles identified in the plan to address corruption is a resilient anti-corruption system, which will successfully detect and investigate cases of corruption, with a view to prosecute, convict and incarcerate perpetrators.

“By utilizing this system to coordinate our anti-corruption efforts, significant strides were made, amongst others, to address those public service employees involved in corrupt activities,” Dlodlo said.

The Minister emphasised that the newly established Unit has no criminal jurisdiction or investigative mandate, but as part of the Anti-Corruption Task Team, it collectively contributes to the fight against corruption.

She said that the Unit plays a critical role to follow up with national and provincial departments on criminal cases reported to the Police, and to ensure that the necessary disciplinary steps are taken.

“When the DPSA first started to monitor this in 2017, approximately 8 500 employees were listed as suppliers on the Central Supplier Database. As the end of July 2021, this amount stands at 96, and is interrogated to ensure no contracts are concluded with these employees,” Dlodlo said.

Dlodlo added that the South African Police Service, National Prosecuting Authority and DPSA team, whilst working on this issue, identified 17 priority cases for investigation, of which one case is already enrolled to court.

Awareness on whistleblowing

The Minister said that the Unit has a critical role to play in terms of reaching the objectives stated in the National Anti-Corruption Strategy.

“This is to contribute to the building of an ethical leadership, to professionalise the public administration, and to establish a culture of reporting and whistleblowing,” Dlodlo said.

Dlodlo said that any anti-corruption and professionalisation initiative must allow employees to blow the whistle on corruption and for the protection of whistle-blowers.

“The death of Ms Babita Deokaran highlights the imperative to increase awareness amongst employees on whistle-blowing, to bolster early detection of corruption and criminal conduct.

“It is time that we revisit South Africa’s whistle-blowing regime and examine it vigorously, not only the legislation and its effectiveness, but also the lack of a single repository that can be used for research to strengthen the system and practice,” Dlodlo said.

Dlodlo added that: “We also need to interrogate the lack of cooperation across government to protect whistle blowers and we have to identify the bullies abusing their power to stop whistle-blowing from happening”.

In her closing remarks, Dlodlo said that the establishment of the Unit is an important step in addressing corruption and to encourage workplace ethics.

“Section 195 of the Constitution requires the maintenance and promotion of a high level of professional ethics in the Public Administration. This not only speaks to the role of public servants performing their work in an efficient and ethical way, but also for those in leadership positions to act ethically at all times,” Dlodlo said.

Source: South African Government News Agency