By Mpolai Nkopane, Acting CEO at the Social Housing Regulatory Authority
As a steward of public funds, accountability and ethical standards have long been a cornerstone of the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA).
Credit by: IvelinRadkov
We recognise the importance of protecting public funds with which SHRA is entrusted from fraud and corruption so that all our available resources are used for the purposes for which they are intended.
SHRA, an agency of the Department of Human Settlements, is tasked with providing good quality, subsidised rental accommodation to the upper end of the low-income market.
Late last year, the SHRA registered as an official supporter of International Fraud Awareness Week, and we will continue to play our part to promote anti-fraud activities on an ongoing basis.
The SHRA has always adopted a culture of integrity, openness, and fairness. Similarly, we expect our Council and all our employees at all levels to adopt the highest standards of honesty, propriety, personal integrity, and accountability and to be vigilant in ensuring that any irregular transactions or behaviour are immediately reported.
We also have a zero-tolerance policy regarding fraud and corruption. The organisation’s Fraud and Corruption Prevention Policy, first introduced in 2016, details the SHRA’s approach to the prevention, detection and management of fraud and corruption and includes a code of conduct, human resources policies and procedures, whistle blowing policy and risk management policy, amongst others.
The policy also details the environment and culture that the SHRA Council and management are encouraged to create. This includes providing training around how to detect fraud and corruption, awareness of the internal controls in place and where to report suspected fraud and corruption.
Our efforts to control fraud and corruption is focused on three areas: structural strategies, operational strategies and maintenance strategies, and these strategies are regularly reviewed and updated, and all employees and stakeholders are made aware of its overall Fraud and Corruption Policy and Strategy through various awareness and training initiatives.
One of my goals while at the helm of SHRA is to foster a culture of accountability. There is a great deal of good we can do through our social housing initiatives. Fraud and corruption, however, is a risk that we make every effort to guard against as it threatens to undermine the positive impact, we can have.
SHRA’s anti-fraud hotline number is a toll-free line. Members of the public are encouraged to report any incidences of fraud and corruption relating to SHRA on Anti–Fraud Hotline: 0800 111 670 e-mail: shra@tip-offs.com
