The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has introduced a national tip-off hotline - Tip-offs Anonymous - to help eradicate corruption and bribery within the authority and the aviation industry.
The hotline enables anonymous members of the public and those involved in the aviation industry to report suspected fraud and corruption or any unlawful activities.
Operational 24 hours a day, the hotline is manned by experts who are able to respond to calls in all 11 official languages. “This hotline is an extension of SACAA's corporate governance practices as well as safety and security monitoring systems,” the authority says.
In addition, it says, the call centre agents are trained to interview callers in a way that can probe for specific facts.
This helps in recording as much information as possible and ensuring the reported cases are understood clearly, so they can be investigated and resolved without much hassle, the authority explains.
Zakhele Thwala, acting director of SACAA, says crime, fraud, bribery and other corrupt activities are societal problems that can hamper a country's growth if left unattended.
“The country can never afford to have that sort of drawback through these unlawful activities that are literally eating away at its treasured growth.” Moreover, he says, the aviation industry is at the heart of economic growth in SA.
Thwala says the public can contact the SACAA's Tip-offs Anonymous via a toll free number - 0800 997 263. They can also fax, e-mail, or post their tip-offs to the authority.
“There is also a Web site that will lead to a page where users are able to report incidents,” he adds.
As e-mails and telephone records can be traced within companies, Thwala advises users of the service to use an external location when contacting the authority, to ensure their anonymity.
“To be safer when sending a tip-off via e-mail, create a temporary e-mail address on Yahoo or Gmail,” he advises.
This service is audited by professional services firm Deloitte and is totally independent of SACAA.
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