SAJBD needs forensic audit on country communities

Dennis Wiener, Israel

In Tali Feinberg’s article on the subject in the 13 February 2020 publication of the SA Jewish Report, Cape Director Stuart Diamond explained the reasons for taking this path. The Cape board appreciates its responsibilities to the members of its surrounding country communities, past and present, departed or living, it truly represents all the Jews in its jurisdiction. Bravo to your members for honouring your commitments and carrying out your duties!

Unfortunately, this isn’t the situation with the largest Jewish board in the country – Gauteng – whose country communities department had for decades run the old Transvaal and Orange Free State country communities. Over the past 10 years or so, the wealth of the community trusts under the control of the Gauteng board has been decimated, and only a forensic audit will establish the true extent of the damage inflicted.

When I became aware of this, a few of my Pietersburg colleagues and I had several meetings with the board in an attempt to remedy the situation. At the outset, the board refused to admit its responsibility, compensate the trusts for their losses, or provide any documentation relating to the matter. Notwithstanding its response instructing its attorneys to threaten us with legal action if we persisted with our requests, I made a request in terms of PAIA (Promotion of Access to Information Act), and given the lack of response, instituted a PAIA application in the South Gauteng High Court.

Over the past two years, the Gauteng board has continued to obfuscate and has orchestrated a cover-up in an attempt to prevent the matter becoming public knowledge. Further, it embarked upon a scheme by which it stealthily and deviously amended its constitution by altering the jurisdiction area which it controlled. This enabled it to abandon its country communities department, thereby releasing it from its responsibilities, hence the concept of the Small Jewish Communities Association (SJCA) it advocated. However the trustees of the trusts, the majority of whom are board members, remain in control of the trusts, and I understand that the board is refusing to transfer the full amount of the income to the SJCA. This dooms the SJCA to failure, in which event the board will still retain control of the capital.

The board’s conduct ought to be urgently investigated by way of an independent forensic audit, the results of which must be made available to community members. Donors also need to be aware of how their valuable contributions are being utilised. Already, certain donors have withheld donations with the resultant consequences. The board has shut down departments, retrenched staff, sold off properties, and slashed travelling costs in an attempt to retain some semblance of a financially stable organisation. Its loss of credibility and the reputational damage is incalculable in view of this, as well having lost one of its reasons for being, namely care for country communities which formed part of its slogan of caring for the needs of all the Jews in South Africa.