KDC ropes in audit firm to fight corruption
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Thursday September 18, 2014 12:26
The firm has been roped in on a three-year contract and is mandated with setting up and maintaining an anti-corruption call centre.
During a press briefing held yesterday, council secretary, Wazha Tema, told journalists that Deloitte would play a key role in the establishment of the Tip-Off Anonymous call centre. He noted that the council has in previous years been wracked by corruption, particularly around land allocation, citing that several burning issues continue to dominate newspaper headlines.
“The Tip-off Anonymous Service will provide a platform for stakeholders to make anonymous reports on offensive conduct, breach of law, disclosure related to miscarriages of justice, health, safety risks and other unethical conduct,” he explained.
Tema said the centre would operate from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, with service provision in both Setswana and English. “The call centre will ask specific questions about the organisation involved and gather pertinent information about the relevant incident, staff member, or department involved,” he said.
He said this move was spurred by the need to maintain the highest standard of openness, probity and accountability. The whistle blowing policy also protects employees from making disclosures, while also making it unlawful to dismiss or victimise anyone for reporting corruption.
Deloitte senior manager, Brian Watts, said as a globally reputable company, they are unwilling to align themselves with corruption organisations. He said Deloitte agreed to work with the council as it realised that the local authority is serious about clamping down on corruption. “I assure you that we will deliver the best service and we will protect the whistleblowers. Our staff are highly qualified people who will give the best help they can,” he said.
Watts noted that Batswana are often reluctant to disclose the names of corrupt officials for fear of victimisation. He however, urged everyone to report any individual they suspect of corruption, stressing that the informer would be protected.