No, it didn't discuss the arms deal, the Schabir Shaik trial or even the Travelgate scam, but last week's national anti-corruption forum made a number of key resolutions that must be translated into action within three months.

One of the key discussions was that of whistle-blowing. The summit resolved to strengthen measures to protect whistle- blowers and requires the Law Commission to resolve the shortcomings in the existing Protected Disclosures Act and report to Parliament by the end of 2005. There was also commitment that awareness about corruption must be included in school curricula in order to build a culture of good ethics in South Africa.

The summit heard calls for improved coordination among anti-corruption agencies and sectors, as well as for the implementation of anti-corruption legislation, particularly at local and provincial level. The summit supported the need for national government to intervene in departments and councils where corruption has become endemic.

Delegates avoided the contentious area of regulating party funding, but the resolutions do require South Africa to comply with the United Nations and African Union anti-corruption conventions. The latter calls for the regulation of party funding — and this commitment is an important one as transparency in party finance is now firmly on the policy agenda.

While we look forward, South Africa should also look backward and although the summit did not make recommendations to investigate crimes of corruption under apartheid, it has mandated civil society to present a research report to the forum within six months so that this matter can be further debated. This is an important first step to ensuring that any potential plundered wealth can be returned to the country's people.

The last decade of apartheid rule, with the corrupt system in terminal decline, provided the perfect environment for large-scale corruption. Lack of transparency, sanctions busting and secret defence and oil funds are conduits for grand corruption the world over.

Corruption takes place at the intersection between money and power — shining the light on the past will highlight the linear nature of corrupt activity in South Africa and reinforce the need to ensure that mistakes are not repeated. This is the greatest challenge facing South Africa's National Integrity System in the years ahead.

Hennie van Vuuren is a senior researcher (anti-corruption strategies) at the Institute for Security Studies in Cape Town

With acknowledgements to Hennie van Vuuren and the Mail & Guardian.