Chamber prioritises integrity in order to fight corruption
"It is not only about raising awareness about corporate social responsibility (CSR), governance and integrity issues, but also to find out what people think about integrity as a realistic concept in today's world."
MBOMBELA – The best way to fight corruption is to work with integrity and thereby strengthen a system from the inside.
This was the ultimate decision by representatives of the Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism (KLCBT) at the launch of the “Hand on my Heart” campaign held at Kuzuri last Tuesday.
The initiative was launched due to a high demand of KLCBT members wanting some kind of solution to corruption. “This inspired us to find an effective way of defeating this animal,” said the KLCBT’s COO, Ms Linda Grimbeek. “Tackling it from an investigative point of view is both extremely costly and deters participation. For this reason we will focus on building integrity rather than trying to fight corruption.
“We would like to start by creating an integrity code from the input participants who are here today. It is not only about raising awareness about corporate social responsibility (CSR), governance and integrity issues, but also to find out what people think about integrity as a realistic concept in today’s world,” she said. “In order to implement the campaign successfully, we are going to explore and promote the profitability and benefits of good ethics and integrity.”
Communication is key, therefore one of the initiative’s chief entailments includes the integrity web platform, “to ensure the campaign stays interactive through ongoing communication with all stakeholders,” said Grimbeek. Elements of the platform include registering for the integrity code, sharing experiences, accessing information and news, knowing which avenues are available to report mismanagement, and participating in workshops and municipal processes. Workshops will assist with topics such as how to implement CSR and integrity strategies into small and medium businesses more easily.
“This is an exciting campaign and I look forward to accompanying its development over the next few months,” said Ms Sonja Berg, KLCBT’s integrity adviser, placed at the chamber by the German International Cooperation’s Governance Support Programme.
To stay updated on the campaign visit the web platform at www.klcbt.co.za/integrity or follow it on Twitter @integrityKLCBT.
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