Corruption fighters out in full force to send a zero tolerance message
09 December 2025
World Anti-Corruption Day, celebrated on 9 December annually, continues its youth theme focused on ‘Uniting with Youth Against Corruption: Shaping Tomorrow's Integrity’. The City’s Ethics and Forensics Department gathered internal and external corruption fighters from across public and private entities in a show of force to illustrate the City’s proactive zero tolerance approach to corruption.
The City has a proactive approach to fighting corruption and it prides itself on its highly specialised Ethics and Forensics Services Department that investigates allegations of City corruption without fear or favour. It is also a valuable proactive and supportive partner to other government investigative authorities.
‘The City administration is dedicated to fighting corruption and fraud and to protect public funds and service delivery at all costs. Over the years, digital and technological innovation has become increasingly key for investigative authorities. The department has expanded its capabilities to undertake digital forensic investigations and data analytics and increased the group of specialist service providers it has access to. Forensic investigations employ digital forensic experts, even handwriting experts, and tools to secure and analyse digital evidence. As a City, we continue to evolve our accountability mechanisms and the political and administrative leadership remains absolutely committed to clean governance.
‘The City’s record of clean audits reflects our commitment to transparency, accountability, and sound financial management and our robust internal controls are continuously monitoring our culture of compliance. This ensures that all public funds are managed responsibly and that services are delivered where needed. Our internal forensics and investigative teams go above and beyond to ensure that we live our commitment to zero tolerance of corruption, often at great personal cost and under strenuous conditions,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Finance, Councillor Siseko Mbandezi.
Other focus areas as part of the pro-active stance
Lifestyle assessments
LEAP officer induction: Workshops with new LEAP officers
Stakeholder engagements to discuss matters under investigation, new trends as well as corrective actions.
Ethics and Forensic Services Policies
Council Oversight Committees
Reporting allegations of fraud and corruption
-
City Fraud Hotline: 0800 32 32 30 (toll-free)
Anonymous reporting is encouraged on incidents relating to any person at the City, or dealings with the City, irrespective of position or seniority (employee, client or supplier) or department or directorate.
When reporting an incident, members of the public should remember to mention the following: who, what, where, when, how and estimated value, if known.
When a member of the public submits information, they get a reference number for any follow ups. They are advised to keep this confidential.
Watch out for scams
To verify the legitimacy of City officials or contractors as well as offers or communications alleging it is from the City, contact the City’s Call Centre on 086 010 3089. Pause and verify first. Avoid becoming a victim of the festive scams.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
