If you live in South Africa you’re doubtless familiar with the word “corruption”. It’s rampant in our little country and while corruption is an issue elsewhere in the world, it’s rather pronounced here. Where we can see it. Knowing this, and prompted by South Africa being ranked 69th out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for 2020, Telkom is taking steps to weed out less-than-honourable employees within the company. To this end, it’s launching a brand new platform for the public to report acts of corruption within Telkom. This seems like an admirable idea to have.

Partnering with Advance Call, a service provider that specialises in safe and secure lines, Telkom has launched the #Vulumlomo/Speak Up campaign against fraud and corruption. The service provider is encouraging folks to report any below-board occurrences related to the company. You’ll be able to reach out via a toll-free hotline, WhatsApp or via a website portal dedicated to the cause. These measures will also cover the telecommunication company’s subsidiaries, including Openserve and BCX.

Telkom wants to weed out crime

Speaking to MyBroadband, Telkom said, “Through this whistleblowing platform we aim to encourage South Africans to take a stand against corruption, fraud, and irregular conduct and to be active participants in the fight against crime.”

Pat Mazibuko, Executive for Safety, Security and Forensics said, “Reported acts will be investigated regardless of any individual’s position within the organisation.”

But the question remains: How effective is an initiative like this? How much corruption is the general public actually exposed to? Sure, it could be the case that a Telkom employee takes a bribe to set up an internet line faster but that’s a small fish in a big ocean. Quelling that doesn’t stop the damage to comes from corruption in higher, executive offices of the company. This solution highlights acts of corruption that aren’t as damaging and feels more like a distraction, if you ask us.

Having said that, you have anything to report you can get in contact with Telkom on these channels: