Johannesburg, 8 August 2019 – SA must deconstruct rewire and reconstruct in the fight against state capture, corporate malfeasance and corruption.
This, in order to strengthen its institutions and enhance its regulatory and legislative frameworks in order to build a thriving economy and improve the lives of all its people. These are just some of the themes to be discussed and debated at the 22nd Annual Southern African Internal Auditors Conference, hosted by the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA SA) to be held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg from 12 – 14 August.
The internal audit sector has been at the forefront of the national narrative for some time now and its national conference has proven to be a bulwark against a litany of evils bedevilling the ills that the country has to confront.
The theme of the conference is Deconstruct Rewire and Reconstruct and will be attended by leading Chief Audit Executives, Internal Auditors, Risk Management Specialists and Forensic Experts, from both the private and public sectors who come together to discuss the state of the industry and how it can make a meaningful impact in improving the fortunes of the country. Speakers and panellists include industry executives, politicians, academics and corporate governance practitioners.
Some of the interesting topics include How SA can be Rewired, Deregulating the Current System, Cannabis in the Workplace, Dealing with Untouchable Executives, Data Analytics and Blockchain, The Impact of Corruption and The Next Generation of Internal Auditing.
The new chairman of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) Mkhuleko Hlengwa, will open the conference where he will speak on South Africa Rewired. Director in the Office of the Accountant-General, Siphiwe Ndlovu, will talk on The Impact of Bias on Audit while Oupa Mbokodo of Grant Thornton will talk on Weather-Proofing an Organisation. Other speakers will include Chief Audit Executive of First Rand, Jenitha John who will talk on The Face of the Future Internal Auditor, Rimo Benjamin of Forensic Investigation Exactech who will speak on Early Indicators of Corruption while an executive session will also be held on Robotic Audits and Its Challenges. IIA SA executive and spokesperson, Moshe Kola, said the advent of the 4th Industrial Revolution in conjunction with the current socio-economic conundrums facing SA necessitated debate on how business is now conducted.
“In addition, the institute has always been a strong proponent of ensuring the elimination of corruption and corporate malfeasance in both the public and private sectors through constant engagement with our members while upskilling them on issues such as Ethics, Governance and doing the right thing.”
He added that this years’ conference was crucial given where SA finds itself in and reiterated that most South Africans were unaware of the impact of internal audit on our everyday lives.
“From the Listeriosis outbreak to the state capture scandals and the litany of corporate corruption shenanigans and governance failures, all have shown that we need to improve as a sector and play our part in rebuilding this country. Internal Audit is not just about number crunching but enhancing the moral and ethical fibre of an organisation and to a greater degree, society at large,” he concluded.