Virgil James
Recently, the City of Johannesburg hosted an educational awareness workshop on ethical leadership in Braampark, Johannesburg.
The event, led by Advocate Mlandu Kona from the City’s Ethics Office, brought together heads of departments and CEOs of municipal-owned entities. Key presentations were delivered by prominent figures, including Sagren Reddy, Provincial Head of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) in Gauteng, Advocate Lelethu Jobela-Ramahlaha from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Specialised Crimes Unit, Priscilla Brown from Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), and representatives from the Hawks and the South African Local Government Association.
Mutenda highlighted that ethical leadership is fundamental to good governance as it fosters fairness, transparency, and accountability, essential for sustainable and responsible management. The City has worked tirelessly to uphold high ethical standards, promoting integrity, trust, and transparency within its executive and administrative branches.
Despite these efforts, Johannesburg has faced recurring allegations of fraud and corruption involving councillors and officials. Ethical leadership directly impacts the City’s ability to secure clean audit reports, which bolster investor confidence and public trust. Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleka’s recent report indicated that many municipalities failed to achieve clean audits due to weak leadership and poor implementation of anti-corruption measures.
Elphas Ndou from CoGTA stated that corruption in government has become institutional, structural, and systematic. He emphasised the Local Government Anti-Corruption Strategic Objectives, which focus on community ownership, strengthening municipal resilience against corruption, and building trust through effective investigations and resolutions.
The workshop stressed the importance of preventative measures, such as compliance checks, pre-employment screening, lifestyle audits, and leveraging technology for fraud detection. Ndou revealed that a code for ethical leadership is being developed to guide leaders in establishing clean governance.
Reddy of the SIU outlined their work in Johannesburg since January 2023, involving 27 whistleblower reports on procurement irregularities, financial mismanagement, and abuse of power. He expressed concerns over the lack of cooperation from the City.
Mutenda concluded by calling for the City’s Ethics Office to be adequately resourced to effectively promote ethical conduct and collaborate with law enforcement agencies. He emphasised that ethical behaviour begins with individuals, rather than relying solely on policies.
SOURCED FROM THE CITY OF JOBURG WEBSITE.
