KNOW YOUR CHAPTER
South Africa Chapter
O
ur mission is to “support the international ACAMS mission, advance
the knowledge of local AML/CTF
specialists, and provide a vehicle through
which all local members can network and
improve the level of AML/CTF understanding
and effectiveness.”
ACAMS South Africa chapter —
news and updates
Academics from various universities, South
African reserve bank, audit firms including
KPMG, Deloitte, E&Y and PWC, the national
prosecuting authority, The South African
revenue service, insurance companies and
many others.
Background to the chapter and launch:
Key messages:
The ACAMS South Africa chapter was officially launched in Johannesburg on the
3rd of November 2010 and sponsored by
PWC. The South Africa board got together
initially during February 2010 and started
the process and discussions to launch by the
end of 2010. With the assistance of various
chapters, ACAMS U.S. and a tremendous
amount of work and effort by the entire
board the launch was a huge success. We
also had the pleasure of having the ACAMS
executive vice president John Byrne and
Jose Lewis the regional manager Africa, Asia
and Middle East at the launch. From a South
Africa perspective we had Murray Michel the
director of the Financial Intelligence Centre
and various representatives from local law
enforcement, the local and international
banking sector, independent board of regulatory auditors, casino association of SA,
Murray Michel, director of the Financial
Intelligence Centre
78
John and Murray delivered the key messages
during the launch attended by approximately
sixty delegates. The following is an extract of
the key comments:
• How does ACAMS fit into the local environment and the impact it could have.
• The global threat of drugs, terrorism,
human trafficking, weapons smuggling,
counterfeiting, fraud and corruption.
• The flow of illegal funds throughout the
global environment via various institutions.
• The South African government and stakeholder’s commitment in the fight against
money laundering and related offences.
• Interdependence and cooperation required
between the private and public sector in
the fight against organised crime.
• Enhanced identification, monitoring and
prosecution abilities.
John J. Byrne, ACAMS executive vice president
ACAMS.ORG | MARCH–MAY 2011 | ACAMS TODAY
• Launch of ACAMS SA chapter is a milestone in the fight against crime in South
Africa and greater AML compliance in all
businesses will be accomplished through
the CAMS certification process.
• Sharing of international best practice and
intensive interaction with FATF.
• ACAMS SA will be the vehicle to attract
AML experts from various and diverse
industries.
Growth of the chapter since the launch:
The ACAMS South Africa chapter is pleased
to announce that the membership applications received from the launch on the 3rd of
November 2010 until the end of January 2011
has reached 73. The board members have
been inundated with requests for membership and additional information. The chapter
has also committed to hosting learning and
networking events throughout the year in
both Johannesburg and Cape Town — see
the chapter web site for more information.
Recent developments include an ACAMS
Africa conference to be hosted in Johannesburg during July 2011.
For more information on the ACAMS SA
chapter including details on their mission,
board composition, upcoming events
and general information please visit their
webpage at http://www.acams.org/ACAMS/
ACAMS/Communities/Chapters/SouthAfrica/
Default.aspx or send an email to [email protected]
Chris Steyn, communications director,
ACAMS SA Chapter