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SIU, partners forge data-enabled corruption fight

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 04 Jul 2024
The SIU, GIZ and GIBS delegation at the MOU signing. (Photograph by SIU)
The SIU, GIZ and GIBS delegation at the MOU signing. (Photograph by SIU)

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with key entities, as part of efforts to prevent corruption through data analytics.

The entities are the Gordon Institute of Business Science’s (GIBS’s) Anti-Corruption Coalition unit and the transparency, integrity and accountability programme of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

The signing ceremony took place this week, with SIU head advocate Andy Mothibi, National Treasury’s Valieta Barnard, GIZ’s Valeska Onken and GIBS’s Dr Wendy Orr in attendance.

Mothibi comments this is the first collaboration in the space of digital and artificial intelligence-based anti-corruption interventions in SA.

“Through these partnerships, the SIU will embark on statistical research efforts, proactive strengths and risk exposures, sector-based data analysis, awareness and advisory initiatives, capacity building, and integrating data analytics and predictive analysis into the institutions’ risk management systems,” he explains.

Mothibi adds the SIU aims to take a leading role in SA to prevent and combat maladministration, fraud and corruption, by focusing on societal values and systems that make it difficult to engage in acts of impropriety.

“To achieve this, the SIU must direct strategic decision-making processes and drive prevention activities through data analysis. This will provide the SIU with a competitive market advantage and long-term sustainability.”

Mothibi notes an important enabler for leveraging the power of data analytics to prevent and combat corruption is obtaining meaningful access to as many data sources as possible.

According to the SIU, the MOUs it enters into form part of the implementation of the national anti-corruption strategy.

“Through these collaboration agreements, the SIU seeks to ensure its anti-corruption tools are advanced and enable the SIU to move towards the prevention of corruption.

“The SIU plans to publish sector data intelligence and use a prevention, advisory and awareness capacity to advise stakeholders on systemic measures to proactively identify and prevent maladministration, fraud and corruption.”

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