BUSINESS SECTOR AGAINST CORRUPTION

The business sector is represented by 10 delegates from Business Unity South Africa (BUSA). The work of BUSA on the NACF is co-ordinated  by Business Against Crime South Africa (BAC).

Business Against Crime South Africa and Business Unity South Africa signed an agreement in the furtherance of the objectives of the partnership between business and government in the fight against crime.

This agreement was extended to be implemented, including the fight against corruption. It then lead to the establishment of the Forum for the Alignment of Industry Body Crime Combating Initiatives by Business Against Crime and various industry bodies which provides a platform for the exchange of information and best practice management by forum members in the fight against crime.

Business Against Crime South Africa is the convenor and coordinator of this forum. The alignment of crime combating initiatives will maximise the impact towards crime reduction. The main objectives of the Industry Alignment Forum (IAF) are:
 To provide leadership for, and alignment of, the industry bodies’ crime combating initiatives to optimise the collective effort to reduce crime across all sectors;
 To involve all major players in anti-crime initiatives;
 to co-ordinate and align initiatives and optimise collective anti-crime initiatives;
 To provide a forum for the exchange of information and knowledge between participants and government where appropriate;
 To interact with government at the required levels in order to achieve their goals;
 To apply effective operational protocols; and
 To develop benchmarks for measurement of performance.

The industry bodies which have signed the Statement of Purpose include:
 Consumer Goods Council of SA (CGCSA);
 National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA
(NAAMSA);
 South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC);
 South African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS);
 South African Insurance Association (SAIA);
 Life Offices’ Association of SA (LOA);
 Chamber of Mines (COM);
 Security Industry Alliance (SIA);
 JSE Securities Exchange (JSE);
 South African Post Office; and
 Retail Motor Industry (RMI).

In addition to these members, further representation to the forum which convenes once a month for a formal meeting includes:
 Business Unity South Africa (BUSA);
 Chambers of Commerce and Industry South Africa (CHAMSA);
 SA Petroleum Industry Association (SAPIA);
 Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC);
 Road Freight Association (RFA).

The Business Sector is represented by 10 members from BUSA; i.e. 6 members from Business Against Crime and 4 industry body members from IAF, the Industry Alignment Forum.

In the coming financial year, the Forum for the Alignment of Industry Body Crime Combating Initiatives under the leadership of Business Against Crime is expected to implement the National Programme of Anti-Corruption adopted by the NACF in line with the Summit resolutions.

Some of the issues raised by the Business Sector to Parliament in 2003 include:
 54% of all stolen vehicles are re-registered through corrupt officials at the local licensing departments.
 The insurance industry pays out an estimated R3 billion annually in “fake dead” claims.
 According to an ISS study, an estimated 35 tons of gold is stolen from SA mines annually. This translates to US $ 400 million.

Some of the major initiatives against fraud and corruption launched by business include:
 The launching of the second King Report (King II) on governance, an instrument well respected internationally.
 The establishment of an information sharing data-base by the short-term insurance industry. Clients who have been found guilty of fraud and or corruption will find it difficult to repeat similar offences at different institutions.
 An insurance fraudline was introduced in October 2002. This has led to the uncovering of large-scale organised fraud scams.
 The mining industry has taken various measures, in conjunction with the South African Police Service, to combat the theft of gold and other precious metals.
 Partaking in various projects to improve the capacity of the SA Police Service.

If you would like to find out more about the Business Against Crime Industry Alignment Forum (IAF) projects please go to:
www.bac.org.za/Page_IAF_Projects.htm

If you would like to find out more about Business Against Crime please go to:
www.bac.org.za