12th African Governance Forum

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]Public Protector Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane says corruption is a well-orchestrated system from irregular appointments to maladministration and asset misappropriation. She called on the audience of forum of internal auditors from 29 African countries to be watchful. There is an ecosystem that exist within institutions which enable corruption.

[00:00:30]They do not start off and end with the accounting officer.

[00:00:37]Supply chain management practitioners are crucial in this ecosystem.

[00:00:48]It becomes worse if auditors turn a blind eye because internal auditors, it is with you that really the oversight of accountability begins. She says corruption remains a stumbling block for the continent. Africa sits at a governance crossroads.

[00:01:08]We have some of the most progressive constitutions and even structures in the world.

[00:01:15]We have accountability institutions that are the envy of many developed nations.

[00:01:21]We have ratified international anti-corruption instruments adopted by the AU convention and enacted laws on paper which are exemplary.

[00:01:33]And yet corruption continues to cost Africa an estimated 148 billion US dollars annually. She used the South African Police Service as an example reminding the audience of the 1.6 billion rand in irregular expenditure spent on PPEs in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kaleka questioned how many posts could have been filled with that money. She said by the time a complaint reaches her office, it's too late.

[00:02:10]We occupied different positions on the same accountability continuum.

[00:02:17]Internal audit prevents, and there's nothing as important as being preventative. Even in Unkhakh now, the stance in fighting corruption is preventative, which puts auditing central to the fight against corruption. Kaleka also touched on the issue of undocumented immigrants, questioning the root causes. She said data gathering and evidence-based reports, which are actually implemented, are vital to the crisis. Abrahams Barbie, SABC News, Cape Town.