Page 227 - SAMRC AnnualReport 2025-26

G O V E R NAN C E

FRAUD AND CORRUPTION

SAMRC adopts a zero-tolerance stance on unethical that a fraudulent or corrupt act has occurred, have a
behaviour, prioritising fraud and corruption duty to promptly report any reasonable suspicions.
prevention through a comprehensive strategy
encompassing prevention, detection, investigation, All reported cases are handled confidentially to
and response. The Fraud and Corruption protect whistle-blowers and alleged parties.
Prevention Policy integrates a prevention plan,
response plan, and whistle-blowing policy. The The core fraud risks facing the SAMRC under the
SAMRC has developed an online whistle-blower Fraud Prevention Plan Strategy were revisited
hotline where staff can report fraudulent activities/ during the annual fraud risk assessment. The
incidents anonymously. The webpage, ‘Report identified controls to mitigate these were evaluated
fraudulent activities at the SAMRC’, is available to for effectiveness, and where deemed necessary,
all staff on the SAMRC Intranet home page. Staff action plans to further strengthen certain areas
who have knowledge of an occurrence of fraud or were developed to further strengthen the control
corruption, or who have good reason to suspect environment.

MINIMISING CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The SAMRC maintains high ethical standards will be addressed in accordance with the SAMRC’s
through a Board-approved Code of Business Employment Relations Policy.
Conduct Framework Policy designed to prevent
unethical behaviour and promote integrity among SAMRC employees must annually declare any
internal and external stakeholders. The Code of potential conflicts of interest. Failing to disclose
Ethics and Conduct governs professional behaviour, interests or providing false information may result
embodying core values of integrity, accountability, in misconduct charges. Declared interests are not
transparency, and professionalism. It is regularly automatically conflicts; most employees have a
reviewed and accessible to all employees and professional stake in their work. All external work,
external stakeholders. The Code helps to define financial or private interests, business activities,
the principles guiding the spirit of the SAMRC's and gifts must be reported when completing the
business, research conduct, ethics, and staff’s SAMRC Online Declaration of Interest.
personal ethos.
In addition, a code of conduct for supply chain
The Code is available to all employees on SAMRC’s management (SCM) practitioners and other role
in-house intranet and to external stakeholders on players is in place, whereby conflicts of interest
the SAMRC external website. In the event that an are declared on an annual basis in addition to the
employee breaches the provisions of the policy, this SAMRC-wide annual online declaration process.

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