Page 30 - IRMSA Risk Report 2023

6.3 THE SPECTRES OF THE PAST AND THE PRESENT

Christopher Palm, IRMSA’s Chief Risk Advisor, said during the March 2023 webinar
that corruption and a lack of ethical and visionary political leadership are the main
barriers to moving forward on the country’s systemic problems.

As far as corruption is concerned, how our leaders view and treat whistleblowing
and whistleblowers will be instrumental in providing a clear message around
whether we have become desensitised to white-collar crime. Specific to South
Africa’s political relationships with China and Russia, it is anticipated that the
international community will demand clarity on these alliances. Depending on
the outcome, it is expected that the country and organisational risk profiles would
have to anticipate the impact of the global response manifesting itself directly in
international confidence and its impact on investment, products and srvices.

Palm added that, further to the power of political will, the outcome of the 2024
national elections and the possibility of South Africa being governed by national
coalition begs the timeous building of scenarios. We will need to role-play the
potential outcomes specific to opportunities and threats that this presents.
Together with this is the need to reflect and reassess our strategies. Stakeholders
are changing, their objectives will be different, and it will impact on the direction
and strategies that organisations may have set.

CHRISTOPHER PALM

I am hoping that

sketches the picture

that we are indeed

in a big hole and

our job is to stop

digging.

30 IRMSA RISK REPORT 2023/24