Every year, approximately 40 000 cases of commercial crime are reported in South Africa. Crimes like fraud, corruption, theft, and bribery that cost our economy up to R80 billion a year.
Of all commercial crimes, fraud is one of the most widespread and challenging to combat. In simple terms, fraud is the crime of gaining a financial benefit by lying or through dishonesty. What makes identifying and stopping fraud challenging is that it can take many different forms and the line between what is legal and what is illegal is not always clear.
Exxaro is a company known for conducting business with honesty and integrity, a non-negotiable for all their employees and business partners. To create awareness around fraud and corruption, the company is rolling out a campaign both internally and externally, that encourages people to speak out should they become aware of any crimes being perpetrated in business operations.
“Through our ‘Don’t support it! Report it!’ campaign, we are taking a stand against corruption by making it clear that we have zero tolerance for crime,” said Exxaro CEO, Mxolisi Mgojo.
Because fraud can be particularly difficult to detect, Exxarohas made it clear that it is up to everyone in Exxaro to identify and report suspected fraud. To enable this, Exxaro has subscribed to Tip-offs Anonymous, an independent, confidential whistle-blowing hotline service that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year.
“Tip-off information can be provided to us through various contact mediums, and it doesn’t matter whether you are an employee, customer, supplier, manager or shareholder – everyone can now report fraud and inappropriate activities in a safe, confidential and secure way,” continued Mgojo.
Contact Tip-offs Anonymous using the following channels:
FreeCall: 0800 203 579
FreeFax: 0800 00 77 88
FreePost: KZN 138, Umhlanga Rocks, 4320
Email: Exxaro@tip-offs.com
Website: www.tip-offs.com
According to the 2018 Association for Certified Forensic Examiners (ACFE) Report to the Nations, South African businesses lose an estimated 5% of their revenue annually due to fraud. It is further estimated that more than 30% of all business failures in South Africa are caused by commercial crime. In a time when our economy is particularly strained due to the recession and the global COVID-19 crisis, it is more important than ever that we detect and stop fraud as quickly as possible.
“We are committed to doing everything we can to Power Possibility for our staff, our communities and importantly, our nation,” added Mgojo. “Together, we can send a strong message that no crime, big or small, will ever be tolerated at Exxaro.”