Everyone in your company has the duty to report corruption. However, in a workplace environment, reporting such activities can be tricky if not handled properly.

Minimise your risk when reporting workplace corruption by taking these steps:

    • Gather as much evidence as possible. The more proof you have of the corruption that is taking place the better, but don’t break regulations yourself to obtain the evidence.
    • Store all the verifiable evidence in a place that is least accessible to the person in question.
    • Keep up normal appearances until you’ve taken all the proper steps.
    • Ask someone who has nothing to gain to be a witness. If you’ve had an ongoing feud or have knowledge that the person who’s corrupt is getting a promotion over you, for example, your motivation for reporting will come into question. Having a second witness can back up your case and give you much-needed support.

In some cases, reporting corruption is more than just a duty. The Guide to the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act No.12 of 2004 requires people in positions of authority in the public and private sectors to report corruption and other crimes listed in the Act involving more than R100 000, to the police. If they don’t, they will be guilty of a crime.

Who needs to know?

    • Go to an uncorrupted source such as the human resources department. Most organisations will have a structure in place to handle these situations. Enlist the help of trustworthy people to reduce the likelihood that they’re participating in the corruption themselves.
    • Report the corruption to someone who can make a difference. While a witness can be of a lower, higher or even rank to you, go to someone within the workplace who has the power to make a change to ensure a quicker resolution with the least obstruction.
    • Present all the evidence in a professional manner. Express your concern but don’t go overboard. Showing too much emotion in your report can be a mistake that may effectively refocus the attention on your reaction instead of the corruption.
    • Because corruption is a crime, you can report it to the police on 08 600 10 111.
    • In extremely serious cases, especially where organised crime might be involved, you can report corruption at the Hawks Head Office on 012 846 4202 (www.dpcijudge.gov.za).

Will I be protected?

Many people do not report corruption for fear that they will be transferred, disciplined or even dismissed. To deal with this, the government passed the Protected Disclosures Act of 2000 to protect “whistle blowers” in both the private and public sector from being victimised as long as they follow the procedures in the Act.

 

Sources

http://work.chron.com
http://www.nacf.org.za