What is a Politically Exposed Person (PEP) or a Prominent Influential Person (PIP)?

While registering you will encounter a section asking you to identify if you are a Politically Exposed Person (PEP), a Prominent Influential Person (PIP) or a family member or known associate of such persons.

If you’re not entirely sure what these terms mean, we’ve unpacked the definitions for you below. 

A DPEP (Domestic Politically Exposed Person) is any person who holds, or has held, (including in an acting positionfor more than 6 months) any of the below prominent public roles/functions in South Africa:ng the definitions of DPEPs, FPEPs & PIPs 2

The President or Deputy President e.g. Cyril Ramaphosa (President of South Africa) or David Mabuza (Former Deputy President of South Africa)

A Government Minister or Deputy Minister e.g. Enoch Godongwana (Minister of Finance) or Phumulo Masualle (Former Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises)

The Premier of a province e.g. Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane (Premier of the Eastern Cape)

A Member of the Executive Council of a province e.g. Saki Mokoena (MEC of Agriculture and Rural Development - Free State)

An Executive Mayor of a municipality e.g. Geordin Hill-Lewis (Executive Mayor of the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality)

A leader of a political party e.g. John Henry Steenhuisen (Leader of the Democratic Alliance)

A member of a royal family or senior traditional leader e.g. Makhosonke Enoch Mabena (King of the AmaNdebele nation)

The Head Accounting Officer or Chief Financial Officer of a national or provincial department or government component e.g. Gavin Pratt (Head of Limpopo Department for Provincial Treasury)

The Municipal Manager or a Chief Financial Officer of a municipality e.g. Sibusiso Mkhize (Former Municipal Manager of OR Tambo District Municipality)

The Chairperson of the controlling body, the CEO, or a natural person who is the accounting authority, the CFO or the Chief Investment Officer of a public entity listed in schedule 2 or 3 to the Public Finance Management Act, 1999

(Act No. 1 of 1999e.g. André Marinus de Ruyter (Former Chief Executive Officer of the public entity Eskom)

The Chairperson of the controlling body, CEO, CFO or Chief Investment Officer of a municipal entity e.g. Tshifularo Mashava (Chief Executive Officer of the municipal entity City Power)

A Constitutional Court Judge or any other Judge e.g. Owen Lloyd Rogers (Justice of the Constitutional Court)

An Ambassador or High Commissioner or other senior representative of a foreign government based in the republic e.g. Paolo Cuculi (Ambassador of the Italian Republic to South Africa)

An officer of the South African National Defence Force above the Rank of Major-General e.g. Rudzani Maphwanya (Chief of the South African National Defence Force)

 

An FPEP (Foreign Politically Exposed Person) is any person who holds, or has held, any of the below prominent public roles/functions outside of South Africa, i.e. in any foreign country:

Head of State or Head of a country or government e.g. Joe Biden (President of the United States of America)

Member of a foreign royal family e.g. William Arthur Philip Louis (Prince of Wales - United Kingdom)

Government Minister or equivalent senior politician or leader of a political party e.g. Eric Molale (Minister of Infrastructure Development - Botswana)

Senior judicial official e.g. John Glover Jr. Roberts (Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court)

Senior executive of a state owned corporation e.g. Puleng Lebitsa (Chairperson of the board of directors of Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA)) 

High-ranking member of the militarye.g. Mojalefa Exavery (Lieutenant General of the Lesotho Defense Force)

 

A PIP (Prominent Influential Person) is any person who holds, or has held in the previous 12 months, the position of a Chairperson of the board of directors/audit committee, Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer of a company, if the company provides goods or services to an organ of state and the annual transactional value of the goods or services exceeds an amount determined by the Minister of Finance by notice in the Gazette. This would include companies having government contracts and tenders.

Please note: The people in the various positions detailed above, held those positions at the time of writing this FAQ article, and so the personnel in those positions will change over time.

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