Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille and Special Investigating Unit (SIU) head Advocate Andy Mothibi on May 24 launched the new Infrastructure Built Anti-Corruption Forum (IBACF).

They were joined by Public Prosecutions Deputy National Director Advocate Rodney De Kock and Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) head Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.

The IBACF is an initiative of the Anti-Corruption Task Team, government and civil society, together with the built environment sector.

It will monitor infrastructure projects more effectively and put systems in place to detect and prevent corruption.

The initiative comes at a time when South Africa has embarked on the implementation of the Infrastructure Investment Plan approved by Cabinet in May 2020. Cabinet also approved the establishment of ISA as the administrative arm responsible for monitoring the implementation of the plan.

The establishment of the IBACF is in line with the National Anti-Corruption Strategy, which was approved by Cabinet in November 2020 to help step up the fight against corruption and fraud in the country.

The forum is aligned with one of the seven key priorities of the sixth administration, which is to build a capable, ethical and developmental State.

“Corruption within the built environment has run rampant for too long. The State has structures in place but government cannot do this work alone and that is why we have brought the private sector, public entities and civil society together in this forum so that we can work on more effective ways to detect, prevent and act against corruption,” De Lille said.

“Anyone involved in corrupt activities and found guilty of such must face the consequences. They must face the full might of the law. We must work together to put an end to this scourge because corruption steals from the poor

.”

Mothibi said that, based on the SIU’s investigations under various proclamations over the years totalling over R10-billion, it is apparent that the construction sector is vulnerable to, besides others, price fixing, high Construction Industry Development Board gradings being issued to undeserving contractors, and the issuing of illegal environmental permits for large developers to develop infrastructure in environmentally sensitive areas.

There is also the issue of defrauding the State through the use of substandard construction material to make huge profits and the use of fees, bribery or kickbacks to secure work, besides others.

ISA has in the past year, upon request, worked with the SIU on some cases.

The IBACF is led by the SIU and the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, and includes representatives from a number of other industry bodies.

The role-players have specifically been approached in consultation with the SIU to ensure inclusive and widespread oversight.

The mandate of the forum is to collaborate, consult and support and cooperate with one another to fight fraud and corruption in the sector through criminal prosecution and civil litigation, as well as through preventive initiatives such as corruption risk assessments, awareness programmes, identification and detection of corruption, systemic recommendations, monitoring and reporting.

The forum will have oversight of investigations and will see various agencies working together to investigate any reported and alleged corruption so that accountability in the implementation of Infrastructure Investment Plan projects is enhanced.

The forum members have agreed that one of its main and immediate areas of focus will be to look into how whistleblowers can be incentivised and rewarded for coming forward with information on corruption that leads to successful prosecution.

The forum has a steering committee that manages its day-to-day operations.

This committee will receive information about allegations of fraud and corruption in the infrastructure and/or construction sector and assess the information based on objective criteria that have been developed.

This process will determine which entity is best suited to investigate the matter.

Entities such as the South African Police Service, the SIU and the National Prosecuting Authority have statutory powers which will be invoked in dealing with the allegations reported to the forum.