Transparency in Corporate Reporting 2020: Report Launch

Corruption Watch (the South African chapter of Transparency International) and ODI (an international development thinktank in London), in partnership with the Ethical Leadership & Anti-Corruption Programme of the  National Business Initiative (NBI), are hosting the launch of Transparency in Corporate Reporting: Assessing South African Companies 2020.

This important benchmarking study used an objective questionnaire to score and rank 100 corporations in South Africa on the transparency of their reporting on:

• Anti-corruption programmes;
• Subsidiary and associated companies; and
• Operations outside South Africa.

The Report is based on a close examination of annual reports and other publicly available documentation on corporate websites. The sample includes nearly 70 companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), as well as large privately-owned corporations, state-owned enterprises and foreign multinationals. The average score of 59.5% for the sample reflects some positive signs, but our analysis of the results also suggests some ‘red flags’ which corporates need to address.

The Transparency in Corporate Reporting (TRAC) study will enhance ethics, integrity and transparency in the business sector and strengthen anti-corruption programmes. Transparency of business activities is crucial for good corporate governance, which in turn contributes to improved corporate performance across all dimensions. We believe that peer pressure and competition linked to the TRAC rankings will reinforce better governance. This project builds upon Corruption Watch’s 2016 work on Transparency in Corporate Reporting, which covered 50 companies.

The event will include a panel discussion as well as insights from:

• Nicky Newton-King: former CEO of the JSE
• Nonkululeko Nyembezi-Heita: CEO of IchorCoal & Chair of the JSE Board
• Cas Coovadia: CEO of BUSA & Chair of the NBI Board

Please join us for this online Launch on Wednesday, 2 December 2020 at 11:00 to hear key insights from the research, as well as lessons for companies for their corporate reporting in future.

Please click here to register for this Zoom event.