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Introduction
Corruption is a worldwide problem that has become endemic in South Africa. It undermines our hard-earned democracy and impacts negatively on service delivery, human and socio-economic development, job creation and public trust in government, as well as investor confidence. Government has committed itself to having zero tolerance for and fighting corruption in all sectors of society.
Over the years in fighting the scourge of corruption, government introduced several initiatives to prevent and root it out. The National Development Plan (NDP) 2030, in Chapter 14, proposed various measures to fight corruption which include, holding leaders to account for the use of public funds, putting in place a legislative framework to fight corruption, and establishment of institutions dedicated to fight corruption. Government has embarked on a process to develop a National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) that meets international standards, that is focused on societal behaviour change and that will contribute to achieving the NDP goal of a resilient anti-corruption system for South Africa. The NACS aims to unify all sectors of society to fight the scourge of corruption, and to align all citizens towards the key values of integrity, transparency and accountability which should guide the actions and behaviour of all South Africa’s citizens.
In the early 2000s, the government adopted a multi-agency model of fighting corruption. This model supports the use of a number of institutions to address corruption from different angles.
What is the Anti-Corruption Task Team (ACTT)?
The Anti-Corruption Task Team (ACTT) is a collective of government stakeholders tasked with implementing the government’s anti-corruption agenda. The multi-agency ACTT was formed in October 2010 to fast track high-priority investigations and prosecutions on corruption-related matters through a multi-disciplinary and integrated operational approach. The ACTT is a sub-committee of the Justice Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster. The ACTT is chaired by the head of the Directorate for Priority Crime and Investigations and co-chaired by the National Director of Public Prosecution (NDPP).
This multi-agency body has been tasked with strengthening and developing anti-corruption policies and legislation; ensuring compliance with bi-lateral agreements with other international law enforcement agencies; and improving the country’s international standing and general public perceptions about corruption.
The ACTT is made up of these agencies:
- Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (Hawks);
- Special Investigation Unit (SIU);
- National Prosecution Authority (NPA);
- Investigating Directorate of the NPA;
- Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU);
- South African Police Service (SAPS);
- SAPS Crime Intelligence;
- State Security Agency (SSA);
- Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC);
- National Intelligence Coordinating Committee (NICOC);
- Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DOJ&CD);
- Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA);
- Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA)
- Government Communication and Information System (GCIS).
Programme of Action
The programme of action of the ACTT includes the following:
Programme 1: Crime Operations and Resolutions – DPCI and NPA
Objectives:
- To deal with criminal investigations and prosecutions in terms of identified national priorities and criminal asset recoveries.
- To ensure coordination of activities of all law enforcement agencies involved in Anti-Corruption criminal investigations and prosecutions.
Programme 2: Intelligence Coordination and Policy Support – NICOC
Objective:
To deal with Anti-Corruption threats through coordination and policy support.
Programme 3: Public Sector Policy, Capacity and Regulatory Development – DPSA
Objective:
To develop policies and strategy in the public sector to support Government’s Anti-Corruption Agenda and to manage and monitor domestic implementation of and reporting on identified international obligations on Anti-Corruption
Programme 4: Vulnerable Sector and Risk Management – SIU
Objectives:
To enforce accountability by inter alia, ensuring the enforcement of the statutory and regulatory framework in government business, systems improvements; litigation where appropriate in order recover government losses and also assist in preparation of criminal
