The CGISA is pleased to publish the latest edition of our best practice guide series – The Role of the Company Secretary in State Capture and Corruption: Red flags and Lessons Learned.

The Zondo Commission has been one of the most defining features of our country for the past two years. State capture and corruption have become parts of our everyday conversation. We listened to witnesses giving testimony in excruciating detail on how money was stolen to line the pockets of rent seekers. This all happened while the majority of people in our country continue to live in conditions of abject poverty. Money that was meant to provide services to our people was siphoned off, institutions were hollowed out and corporate governance went out of the window.

While we all know that the Zondo Commission is a vast undertaking, this best practice guide homes in on only one aspect – the role of the company secretary. If you have ever entertained notions that this was an unimportant position, you may need to re-evaluate your perspective. Company secretaries are where the action is. They serve on the board and board committees where most of these activities surface in some form or other. In the context of state capture and corruption, enormous pressure is brought to bear on company secretaries to not get in the way of those with devious intentions.