South Africa has lost R700 billion to corruption over the last 20 years, the Institute of Internal Auditors said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
“The cost of corruption in the last 20 years… we have lost R700bn,” CEO Claudelle von Eck said at the launch of the Anti-Intimidation and Ethical Practices Forum in Johannesburg.<\/p>\n
Von Eck, who is the forum’s chairwoman, said people who tried to report corruption were often muzzled.<\/p>\n
“Members are being intimidated when they try and raise the issue of corruption in an organisation.”<\/p>\n
Von Eck said the forum aimed to educate its members about corruption, advise them how to reveal corruption, and what to do when whistle-blowers were intimidated.<\/p>\n
It was intended to be a professional collective voice which would make pronouncements about the state of governance in the country.<\/p>\n
“We cannot be silent. As professionals we should be able to say this is what the state is, this is what we need to do to rectify things.”<\/p>\n
The forum consists of an executive committee, agencies who can take action, interested organisations, and an evaluation panel.<\/p>\n
“As professionals we have a responsibility, an understanding that our responsibility does not begin and end just at our desk and just at our jobs. We’ve got to carry South Africa,” she said.<\/p>\n
SA has a strong anti-corruption architecture: Zuma<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Dear president Zuma, corruption is not a Western paradigm nor a victimless crime<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Corruption and labour killing SA\u2019s competitive edge<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n