How to help Knysna Muni bust corruption

KNYSNA NEWS - The municipality in Knysna has called on the community to help root out any possible corruption within the organisation, and vowed that allegations of corruption will be taken seriously.

Any suspicion of noncompliance with any law, rule, policy or value applicable to Knysna Municipality qualifies, said acting municipal manager Dr Michele Gratz.

So do any suspicions or instances of fraud, corruption, financial misconduct, waste of resources, misuse of municipal assets, sabotage, danger to public health or safety, sexual exploitation and abuse and serious malpractice.

Anonymous reporting
"We need the community's assistance to ensure that we can thoroughly investigate any reported instance or suspicion and resolve it effectively," Gratz said in a statement released in the past week. She added that people who report instances of fraudulent or illegal activity may do so anonymously – and that includes municipal employees.

"It is also important to keep in mind that agencies of government – also Knysna Municipality – must follow strict procedures when investigating allegations of corruption," she said.

The process begins with reporting a suspicion or incident. "There are always rumours about corruption within organisations. Sometimes these are unfounded, malicious lies, but they often hold some truth," said Gratz.

"We cannot, however, investigate a rumour or a vague statement. Incidents, suspicions and allegations of corruption must be lodged formally and correctly and include specific details."

Use the cellphone app
An easy and effective way to do so, the acting MM suggested, is by using the municipality's cellphone app. A new development on the app includes a "Governance" tab with a "Report Corruption" functionality. This links to an independently managed anti-fraud and corruption app. Here members of the public, municipal employees and other stakeholders can anonymously report suspicions of corruption.

"As the app works on non-smart phones too, it really is the easiest, most efficient way to report your suspicion," Gratz explained.

But, she said, there are other ways in which residents can blow the whistle:

Other avenues to report to
Suspicions of transgressions may also be reported to:

the National Anti-Corruption Hotline on 0800 701 701;
tip.offs@westerncape.gov.za;
the Provincial Forensic Services on 021 483 0931; and
employees may choose to report directly to their line manager.

"When lodging your report, be sure to provide us with concise, yet precise information," she urged. "Another good reason to make use of the app to do this, is that it prompts you to provide the necessary information every step of the way.

Eradicating malpractice
"We are committed to ensure that Knysna Municipality functions as a corruption-free organisation, serving its customers with efficiency, integrity and transparency," she concluded. "You can assist us in achieving that ideal by promptly and correctly reporting issues through the correct channels."

The Knysna Municipality mobile application is available from iOS and Android app stores, as well as from http://knysna.comunity.me