The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has congratulated 89 of its officials who have successfully completed the Senior Management Development Programme at the Stellenbosch University.
The entity together with the institution held a graduation ceremony in Pretoria where Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mamoloko Kubayi delivered a keynote address.
The SIU said that the course was a result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that it had entered with the university to build capacity.
The entity’s National spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago told YOU FM Newshour that they signed the similar MoU’s with several institutions of higher learning to create a pool of qualified officials and enhance capacity-building, education, research, and professional development in the fields of accounting amongst others.
These include the Sol Plaatje University in Northern Cape, University of Johannesburg and the campus Protection Society of Southern Africa (CAMPROSA) in Gauteng.
“We have similar agreements with other institutions of higher learning such as Stellenbosch University hence the graduations we had today.
We have also signed with the North West University where we have students who are studying forensic courses and then we are also doing the same with other institutions that are prepared to work with us to make sure that we can collaborate to make this thing happen,” said Kganyago.
Kganyago highlighted that the MoU’s differ with each institution.
“With regards to the CAMPROSA, we signed with them to train security personnel and for investigative powers who are guarding at the institutions of higher learning across the country. While with Sol Plaatje University, we signed the memorandum to work together and create a course around market data analysis and all data analysis courses that we want to as part of our prevention.
“Regarding UNISA, the memorandum is not yet signed because we are still finalising it but there will be a course to enhance the skills of the officials. With the University of Johannesburg, we are looking at the course around the leadership program that we want to do with them,” explained Kganyago.
Furthermore, the spokesperson said that the courses will not only be limited to SIU officials but will also be offered to students who want to study in this field to enhance their capability to fight corruption.
Kganyago highlighted that the aim is to create a pool of qualified personnel in various fields, after they experienced some challenges regarding a lack of certain skills.
“For example, we would want a person who possesses investigative capability, a forensic investigation but also be able to be an accountant.
“But because we do not have such qualifications we enter into an agreement with institutions of higher learning that are able to create a course that will accommodate the needs of the SIU. For those outside the SIU we pay for their tuition, and we guarantee them work once they complete their studies.
“Because these are the skills that we need, sort of the way of saying we are building our own timber instead of complaining that we do not have those skills,” concluded Kganyago.
The entity said that all these agreements represent a significant advancement in anti-corruption collaboration between it and its academic partners, aimed at enhancing capacity-building, education, research, and professional development in the fields of accounting, risk compliance, and data science.
