Tag: Terrance M. Booysen

In the context of the proposed changes set out in the Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorist and Related Activities Amendment Bill (POCDATARA Bill) currently before parliament, if it is passed in its current form, this indeed may become the 'final straw that breaks the camel’s back', and all aspirations of holding the South African government to account for poor or no governance may come to an end.

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.

After a few months of COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa, there is no doubt that somehow all the rules seem to have changed for civil society, and indeed also for the world of business at large. Businesses across the world have had to quickly adapt to their respective COVID-19 regulations with South Africa having become known as a country with some of the strictest Covid-19 regulations in place in an attempt to flatten the COVID-19 curve, and save lives.

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.

Poor governance practices, poor oversight and a lack of accountability lie at the heart of state capture and the large-scale corporate fraud that has dominated newspaper headlines in South Africa over the last three years. It is precisely due to the weaknesses in the governance structures and systems that dishonest and unethical leaders have been able to plunder state resources and commit fraud.

As most South Africans eagerly awaited some reprieve from a year of constant and negative bombardment, be this over matters such as a massively contracted economy, rising unemployment, state capture, rising corruption and the threat of expropriation of property without compensation, many had hoped to return from their annual vacation rested, and hopeful to hear some positive news. This did not happen.

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.

In a world where the interconnected and constantly changing relationships between financial, social and environmental issues are becoming more evident, businesses that remain unaware of their impacts and dependencies on their non-financial relationships attract unnecessary risk. Indeed, these organisations also fail to recognise new opportunities for efficiency, growth, resilience and development.

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.