Tag: Jene’ Palmer

A paradigm shift is necessary to ensure that shareholders, customers, employees and society benefit from good governance outcomes. The introduction of the King V Code on Corporate Governance for South Africa 2025 (King V) marks a clear turning point. Governance no longer functions as a simple administrative task.

The publication of the King V Code on Corporate Governance for South Africa 2025 (‘the Code’) marks more than just an update - it signals a profound philosophical shift. This new Code is engineered to restore and solidify stakeholder trust by providing verifiable assurance that companies are led with integrity and are effectively managed. It is a powerful move designed to drive transparent, long-term governance impacts and fundamentally end the era of "tick-box" compliance.

Authentic leaders embrace honesty and truthfulness as core principles of their leadership style. They strive to build trust, inspire their teams and foster an environment of openness and integrity. This approach appears to be cut-and-dried. However, in reality, being honest and truthful can be rather tricky.

With the dust of the recent Local Government Elections (LGE) now settled and still no consequences against the July rioters in KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng; one has to question if South Africans deserve the real benefits of proper governing as a foundational basis that underpins our constitution, especially when citizens “turn a blind eye” or are part of the problem themselves?

During the years of President Jacob Zuma’s leadership, the country experienced many great governance challenges which played out in the courts and the public domain. The Public Protector at the time  - Ms. Thuli Madonsela - appeared to be winning the battle against corruption, notwithstanding the great odds that she was facing.

The times we are currently living in are unprecedented. Covid-19 has once again highlighted the reasons why governance - good governance - is a critical function in a democratic country.

If we have both internal and external auditors, we have combined assurance, right? Wrong! For the board of directors to claim that they have discharged their obligations to implement a Combined Assurance Model requires much more than just the appointment of internal and external auditors.

A plethora of corporate governance codes has been written across the world, and in spite of their recommendations which inter alia seek to protect stakeholder interests and shareholder value, many governance failures and organisational collapses continue seemingly unabated.

The recent resignations of the CEOs of Eskom and South African Airways have again focussed the spotlight on board performance and effectiveness. Inevitably, the critical question arises: why are these CEOs really leaving? In considering the answer to this question one must include a review of the board’s composition and the extent to which the overall ‘health’ of the board may have influenced any decision to leave or not leave the organisation.