Ntsebeza inquiry is not a disciplinary process

Johannesburg - Members of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) may not plead ignorance at the Ntsebeza inquiry, SAICA’s project director Juanita Steenkamp said on Monday.

The Ntsebeza inquiry is an investigation into the alleged misconduct of SAICA members involved in the KPMG saga.

Steenkamp made reference to SAICA’s code of professional conduct in her testimony at the inquiry. The code of professional conduct doesn’t prescribe what members should do. “Members should use their own judgement,” she said.

Steenkamp said chartered accountants are guided by five principles - “integrity, objectivity, professional competence, confidentiality and professional behaviour”.

• READ: Ntsebeza Inquiry into individuals involved in KPMG saga on track
  

Members of SAICA are encouraged to do the right thing, Skeenkamp said. 

Ethics form part of SAICA members' training. Steenkamp said, “chartered accountants are trained to identify threats in their work”. 

Steenkamp made reference to different ways members of SAICA could deal with threats.

The inquiry’s panel includes Dr Claudelle von Eck, Freeman Nomvalo, Vuyani Ngalwana, Malcolm Robert Johnston and is chaired by Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza.

Ntsebeza said the inquiry will not be used as a disciplinary process. However, the findings can be used in the disciplinary hearing. He said the inquiry is not a look at KPMG as an institution, but looks at the SAICA members that work at KPMG.

SAICA's CEO, Terence Nombembe, said “the role of the inquiry is to determine whether the members of SAICA contravened the code of conduct”. The inquiry will speed up the disciplinary process, he said.

Nombembe further said that the inquiry was of public interest and that “no stone will be left unturned”.