Author: Colette Symanowitz

Dreading his wellbeing, top cop skips parliament hearing on Eskom

Posted on by Colette Symanowitz

The claims of fraud and corruption made by former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter, in which at least one ANC politician is alleged to have been involved in directing criminal cartels, are thought to be integral to Burger’s investigations.

At De Ruyter’s request, the national police commissioner, Fannie Masemola, assigned Burger as the primary officer with whom De Ruyter could communicate regarding the data gathered by the privately funded intelligence operation carried out by the George Fivaz Forensic and Risk company. Read more on: https://mg.co.za/news/2023-06-07-fearing-his-safety-top-cop-skips-parliament-hearing-on-eskom-graft/

Calls to protect South African whistleblowers following deaths

Posted on by Colette Symanowitz

Between 2000 and 2021, there were 1,971 assassination instances reported in South Africa by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, with whistleblowers making up a large portion of the victims.
On one of South Africa’s major highways, two shooters killed an accountant (Cloete Murray) who was working on a high-profile corruption investigation along with his son. An employee of the government’s health department (Babita Deokaran) who reported unlawful transactions was shot 12 times in her driveway.
Anti-corruption organizations are pleading with the South African government to give whistleblowers stronger protection in light of the murders and other incidents. They have also increased resentment about pervasive corruption associated with public contracts, which has long plagued the most developed economy in Africa. Read more: https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-whistleblowers-corruption-killed-03d4e5aa116b2acd9562b50c25289491

Former Absa workers sentenced to 15 years in prison for JSE and Samanco Foundation fraud

Posted on by Colette Symanowitz

The Mokopane regional court this week convicted three former Absa bank workers who worked at its Limpopo and Gauteng branches to 15 years in prison each for fraud.
The three defendants, Motsiri Peter Ramahlarerwa, 58, Seatile Pauline Senoamadi, 44, and Dimakatso Prudence Ramokgole, 34, worked for Absa in Naboomspruit, Lephalale, and Sandton, Johannesburg.
As a result, between July and September 2019, the JSE trustee and Samanco Foundation lost R1.91 million. Read more: https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2023-04-15-former-absa-employees-jailed-for-15-years-for-jse-samanco-foundation-fraud/

South African corruption investigator Cloete Murray shot and killed

Posted on by Colette Symanowitz

A South African accountant who was looking into high-level corruption issues was shot and killed along with his son. The liquidator for Bosasa, a business involved in multiple scandals involving government contracts, was Cloete Murray, 50. Also, he served as a liquidator for businesses connected to the powerful Gupta family, who reject allegations of bribery. As a court-appointed company liquidator, Mr. Murray’s duties included investigating bankrupt companies’ accounts, recovering assets, and reporting any illegal activity. It is while traveling in Johannesburg with his 28-year-old legal advisor son Thomas, that Murray was shot by unidentified attackers on Saturday. Read more on: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-65007942

Spine surgeon found guilty of receiving over $300,000 in kickbacks

Posted on by Colette Symanowitz

In exchange for doing spine procedures at a now-defunct Long Beach hospital whose owner was imprisoned for committing a massive workers’ compensation insurance fraud, an orthopedic physician was found guilty of taking more than $315,000 in bribes and kickbacks.

After a six-day trial, Dr. David Hobart Payne, 65, of Irvine, was ruled guilty late on Friday afternoon. The jury found Payne guilty of two counts of honest services wire fraud, one count of conspiracy, and one count of making bribes more easily obtained by exploiting an interstate facility. Read more on:https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/surgeon-convicted-federal-charges-accepting-over-300000-illicit-payments-perform

The interview with De Ruyter was a form of “whistle-blowing,” says Yelland

Posted on by Colette Symanowitz

Former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter’s appearance with a private TV station last Tuesday, in the opinion of energy expert Chris Yelland, was a kind of whistleblowing. A top African National Congress (ANC) minister is allegedly engaged in illegal activity at the electricity company with the knowledge of other senior party figures, according to charges made by the former CEO.
De Ruyter joined Eskom three years ago, but immediately encountered serious procurement irregularities, poor management, and corruption among many other issues. In ten years, De Ruyter was Eskom’s thirteenth CEO. Read more on: https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/de-ruyters-interview-was-an-act-of-whistle-blowing-says-yelland/

Why is Gen Z the generation least likely to report workplace wrongdoing?

Posted on by Colette Symanowitz

Despite claiming to be eager to report misbehavior, a survey found that 38.9% of Gen Z respondents indicated they did not report it when they saw it. Comparatively, 27.6% of both Gen Xers and baby boomers and 31.8% of millennials did not report observed wrongdoing.
Participants responded to the following question: “When you saw misconduct, did you report it?”
But why is Gen Z the generation least likely to report wrongdoing among all the generations? According to Ethisphere, younger generations are less likely to trust their employer’s anti-retaliation policies and practices. Read more on: https://www.fastcompany.com/90834160/gen-z-workplace-misconduct-report-boomers-x-millennials

Durban lawyer receives a three-year sentence for fraud

Posted on by Colette Symanowitz

The Durban Regional Court imposed a five-year prison term on 41-year-old Shameer Goolabjith. According to the National Prosecuting Authority, the first two years of the sentence were completely suspended. The sentence for Goolabjith will be three years in prison in actuality. Natasha Kara, a representative for NPA in the province, claims that Goolabjith fabricated an allegation in July 2015 when suing the Minister of Police ostensibly on behalf of a complainant. Read more on: https://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-and-courts/durban-lawyer-jailed-for-3-years-for-fraud-18fae582-f6e3-41e7-a72f-f54dc15c159e

“No bodyguards or hiding for me.” NLC fraud whistleblower

Posted on by Colette Symanowitz

Arthur Mafokate’s old business partner Brian Mokoena has admitted that he is not terrified of the kwaito legend, according to the Daily Sun. Mokoena said that others are concerned for his wellbeing but he does not believe that getting any protection will be necessary, though.
This comes after City Press reported that the National Lotteries (NLC) got a tip in the form of an affidavit signed by Mokoena at the Midrand Police Station in 2019 about Mafokate allegedly misusing Lottery cash intended for the poor.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) announced on Friday, January 13, that it had seized Mafokate’s R7.5 million property in Midrand. One of five assets, including two opulent homes, a piece of land, and a farm belonging to former NLC staff members, is the 999 Music boss’ guesthouse. Read more on: https://www.thesouthafrican.com/lifestyle/celeb-news/safety-arthur-mafokate-whistle-blower-nlc-fraud-corruption-property-brian-mokoena-lotto-16-january-2023/

Keeping an eye out for hybrid workers: indicators of employee fraud and precautions for the company

Posted on by Colette Symanowitz

While there are many well-known advantages of hybrid working, there are also substantial ongoing obstacles for companies. In light of the current economic crisis, the popularity of hybrid working has given certain employees who are motivated to act dishonestly better options. A dishonest employee may feel encouraged and anticipate their dishonest behaviour to go unnoticed if an employer adopts a “out of sight, out of mind” mentality regarding those employees who frequently work from home under a hybrid working strategy. For further information on factors that can be cause for concern and ways to lower the risk of fraud, click here: https://www.foxwilliams.com/2022/11/17/keeping-up-your-guard-employee-fraud-warning-signs-and-steps-to-protect-the-business/

Attention: South African insurance scams are on the rise.

Posted on by Colette Symanowitz

Insurance company Hollard has issued a warning that fraud involving insurance sales, claims, and recruitment is becoming more prevalent in South Africa, putting tourists in particular danger because they often let their guard down during the holiday season.
Hollard asserted that the Covid-19 outbreak led to an increase in fraudulent activities and stated that this time of year is always marked by an increase in shady schemes as people let their guard down due to their hectic schedules during the holiday season. Read more on: https://businesstech.co.za/news/finance/652537/beware-these-insurance-scams-on-the-rise-in-south-africa/

Don’t be a money mule this festive season

Posted on by Colette Symanowitz

The holiday season is a time to relax, spend time with family, and demonstrate love and charity to others. However, the South African holiday season is regrettably also associated with fraud. Many South Africans are anticipated to become victims of fraud during this time if history is any indication. For advice on how banking clients can better protect themselves, see: https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/budget/dont-be-an-ass-mule-this-festive-season-c56ffc16-3531-49a4-942b-44224b789a7d

Employer-friendly guide to whistleblowing

Posted on by Colette Symanowitz

Cases involving whistleblowers can be financially and reputationally harmful to the organizations they are brought against. Therefore, it’s crucial that businesses make every effort to foster a work environment and culture that reduces their vulnerability to legal action. The actions that organizations can take include demonstrating best practices, ensuring that procedures and policies are impenetrable, having an organized system for reporting difficulties, being impartial and treating all complaints with respect, among other things. Read more on: https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1804087/whistleblowing-guide-employers

Fleet manager for NDPP is given R3000 bail after being charged of R100K fuel card theft.

Posted on by Colette Symanowitz

Jim Mohau Ntsasa, a worker for Bloemfontein’s Director of Public Prosecution, was detained for exceeding the R100,000 limit on his state fuel card.
Captain Christopher Singo, a spokesman for the Hawks Free State, stated that the suspicious transactions were found in April during a preliminary audit carried out at the DPP offices in Bloemfontein.
“Transactions were processed at a filling station in Bloemfontein. Investigations discovered that the suspect was using the petrol card to refill diesel in his private vehicle.” said Hawks Free State spokesperson Captain Christopher Singo. Read more on https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/free-state/ndpps-bloem-fleet-manager-accused-of-r100k-fuel-card-fraud-granted-r3000-bail-25a0679a-f03c-4cde-8f27-21e56be9bf89

To combat corruption, whistleblowers need additional assistance.

Posted on by Colette Symanowitz

Busi Mavuso, CEO of Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA), believes South Africa needs more support for whistleblowers if it is to make meaningful progress in fighting corruption. This is because the BLSA is working with the Zond Commission’s recommendations to identify mechanisms and structures to combat future corruption and help other role players meet their responsibilities. Read more on: https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/whistleblowers-need-more-support-in-fight-against-corruption-2022-09-19

Victory for whistleblower as court orders reinstatement

Posted on by Colette Symanowitz

A woman received compensation for the “punishment” she suffered after bringing attention to attempted nepotism in the department. The whistleblower must be returned to his previous position in the district office, according to a labour court’s order to Eastern Cape Healthcare MEC. When she reported the event, she was even demoted. She will also receive 10 months of income as compensation. Read more on: https://allafrica.com/stories/202209130191.html

Zondo advocates for the protection of whistleblowers

Posted on by Colette Symanowitz

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has stated once more that his commission of inquiry found evidence of state capture. During a speech at News24 On the Record summit, Zondo said that whistleblowers won’t be around the next time if they aren’t safeguarded during state capture. After seeing how whistleblowers were punished, other people won’t come forward. Since there have been several reports of corruption, it is critical that they are properly protected. Read more: https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/if-we-dont-look-after-whistleblowers-they-wont-be-around-for-the-next-state-capture-zondo-20220901

5 Most Important Findings of Twitter Whistleblower

Posted on by Colette Symanowitz

The former security head of Twitter is raising awareness of business practices that he claims have compromised US national security and deceived investors and authorities. Peiter “Mudge” Zatko is the most recent whistleblower from the tech sector, providing the US government with a nearly 200-page report. He was renowned for hacking. He is now outlining his main issue with Twitter. Read more on: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/24/tech/twitter-whistleblower-takeaways/index.html

IMPROVED PROTECTION PROPOSED FOR WHISTLEBLOWERS?

Posted on by Colette Symanowitz

Deokaran’s murder revealed the holes and flaws in the procedures and policies now in place in South Africa to safeguard whistleblowers, leading to demands for greater safety and security from members of the general public, civil society, and even President Cyril Ramaphosa. A new strategy to improve the way the government treats whistleblowers is set to be presented to Cabinet, according to the presidency, a year after Babita Deokaran’s murder. Read more on: https://ewn.co.za/2022/08/23/new-plans-headed-to-cabinet-to-protect-whistleblowers-but-will-they-work

According to a recent study, male whistleblowers experience less backlash than female whistleblowers do.

Posted on by Colette Symanowitz

Employees who observe unethical behavior at work are unwilling to report it out of fear of reprisal. According to recent studies, women may experience more retaliation when they raise concerns than their male counterparts. A modest rephrasing of the message, however, can lessen the likelihood of revenge for both men and women. Read more on: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimelsesser/2022/08/09/female-whistleblowers-face-more-retaliation–heres-how-to-avoid-it-according-to-a-new-study/?sh=339ee8f2d77f