The Zero-Sum Game: When Your Sustainability ‘Credit’ is a Systemic ‘Debit’
Beyond the Surface Gain In the global push for a greener future, the Electric Vehicle (EV) is often hailed as the ultimate symbol of progress. On paper, the transaction looks simple: you stop using fossil fuels as petrol. In accounting terms, that is a clear Credit to your environmental balance sheet. However, in the South […]
The Standard of Stewardship: Lessons in Professional Devotion
Driven by Duty: Why 200% Commitment is the Only Baseline In a world of rapidly shifting priorities and short-term goals, the concept of a “life of service” can feel like a relic of the past. Yet, when we observe exemplary leadership-characterized by being “driven by faith and propelled by duty”-we are reminded of the true […]
The Prosperity Paradox: Navigating the New Corporate Tax Landscape
Beyond the One Percent Reduction In 2022, a significant shift occurred in the South African corporate tax environment. President Ramaphosa signed laws aimed at broadening the tax base by curbing the use of assessed losses by companies. The stated goal was clear: enable a reduction in the corporate tax rate from 28% to 27%. On […]
The Math of Accountability: Putting the “Count” Back into “Account”
Calculating the True Cost of Deadlock In the world of governance and leadership, figures and calculations never lie. However, when sentiment and rhetoric override basic arithmetic, the consequences are felt far beyond the boardroom. The 2022 Sibanye-Stillwater strike serves as a sobering example. After two months on strike, Category 4 workers had lost over R33,000 […]
The King Maker: When Accounting Entries Mask Operational Reality
Paper Profits vs. Mandate Performance In 2022, Transnet released financial results that seemed to signal a massive turnaround: a R5 billion profit following a R9 billion loss the previous year. On the surface, it appeared the SOE was back on track. However, a deeper look into the “King Maker”-the accounting-revealed a different story. The swing […]
The Integrity Equation: Why Duty and Ethics Are One and the Same
Moving Beyond the “Halfway” Leadership Model In the world of high-stakes governance, a dangerous narrative occasionally surfaces: the idea that exceptional service or “working hard” can somehow offset a lapse in ethical conduct. We see this when leaders are praised for their output despite being implicated in oversight failures or conflicts of interest. At Altimax, […]
The High Cost of the Basics: The Role of Deep Technical Knowledge in Governance Oversight
When Elementary Errors Lead to Multi-Billion Rand Failures In any large-scale infrastructure project, the concepts of height and width are foundational-taught in primary school and applied throughout professional life. Yet, as the case of PRASA has demonstrated repeatedly, failing to get the “basics” right can lead to the squandering of billions in taxpayer funds. From […]
The Governance Paradox: Why Replicating Entities Replicates Failure
Breaking the Cycle of Institutional Disarray In recent high-level policy discussions, a familiar narrative has resurfaced: the idea that the solution to a failing state-owned monopoly-such as our power supply-is the creation of a second state-owned entity to provide competition. However, as any specialist in governance or audit quality will observe, the “Two or More” […]
The Ethics of Excellence: Why Integrity is Your Greatest Strategic Asset
Rebuilding Trust in a Climate of Complacency In recent years, the headlines have been filled with stories of “beating the system”-from minor tax deduction discrepancies to significant lapses in public sector accountability. While these events are often viewed through a political lens, for the specialist in governance and risk, they signal a deeper, more technical […]
The Cost of Silence: What the Voter Turnout Means for Governance
Beyond the Ballot: Understanding the “69% Gap” in Local Accountability In the wake of local government elections, the headlines typically focus on which party secured a council or where the next coalition might form. However, a deeper look at the numbers reveals a far more pressing concern for the future of South African governance: the […]
