Statement by the City’s Executive Mayor Patricia de Lille
City observes International Anti-Corruption Day
International Anti-corruption Day is an annual initiative by the United Nations
Convention Against Corruption and the United Nations Development Plan,
and is celebrated on 9 December every year.
Today, the City of Cape Town’s Forensics, Ethics and Integrity Department is
hosting an event in the Civic Centre to raise awareness among staff and
ratepayers about fraud, corruption and maladministration in order to
promote ethical behaviour and an ethical working environment as part of a
corruption-free City.
They are also introducing the newly-appointed hotline operator, Vuvuzela
Hotline (Pty) Ltd. This service provides a safe environment for reporting
unethical and dishonest conduct. We encourage staff and residents alike to
‘resist, refuse, report’ fraud by calling our 24-hour hotline which is monitored
by an independent service provider on 0800 32 31 30.
We engage with the office of the Auditor-General, Mr Kimi Makwetu, four
times a year. During the final meeting with Auditor-General today, we took a
few minutes to view the exhibition on show.
Ethical behaviour starts with visible leadership which is driven from the top. In
continuing to be the leader in the development of institutionalisation of ethics
in local government, the City of Cape Town has an Ethics Function within the
Forensics Function which I established last year. They drive the process of
protecting, nurturing and enhancing the ethical culture of the city.
The Forensics, Ethics and Integrity Department works with three additional
departments in order to ensure that the combined assurance model
adopted by the City of Cape Town is given effect to.
The Internal Audit Department is an independent, objective assurance and
advisory function within the City of Cape Town. They are responsible for
evaluating and improving the effectiveness of governance, risk management
and control processes. Internal Audit strives to be the trusted advisor and
business partner to all line departments.
Our Integrated Risk Management Department is mandated to prompt line
departments about the potential for fraud within their units. Through
collaborative workshops they identify and document the opportunities for
corruption and fraud. What follows is the development of action plans and
enhancement of existing controls to mitigate and minimise the effects of
fraud. This information is then handed to Forensics for further investigation and
constant monitoring.
The Office of the City Ombudsman is an independent office set up by the
City of Cape Town to investigate and resolve residents' complaints about the
municipality, and to facilitate mediation and conciliation between both
parties. They investigate and facilitate the resolution of public complaints as a
last resort so as not to duplicate the work of any other line departments.
Each employee and resident plays a vital role in contributing to the City’s
commitment to the highest levels of good governance. Together, we can
ensure the continued strengthening of Cape Town as a well-run city.