Resistance against impunity movement condemns SA banks for discriminatory practices that harm black businesses

The Resistance Against Impunity Movement (RAIM) has issued a resolute condemnation of South African banks for their ongoing practice of arbitrarily closing accounts under the controversial banner of “reputational risk.” This troubling trend has notably targeted Black individuals and Black-owned businesses, serving as a tool of economic exclusion and financial sabotage against those striving for meaningful participation in the nation’s economy.

The disarray within South Africa’s financial sector is starkly underscored by a recent decisive action taken by the United States Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The OCC has eliminated the use of reputational risk as a criterion for banking decisions, highlighting how such a vague and subjective measure can lead to abuse and unjust denial of financial services to legitimate individuals and enterprises. In stark contrast, South African banks continue to utilise this excuse to perpetuate racial and economic discrimination.

This matter transcends banking; it signals a profound political and economic crisis. The unjust closure of accounts belonging to Black entrepreneurs, professionals, and organisations under the guise of reputational risk constitutes a deliberate attempt to stifle economic participation, fortifying structural inequalities and ensuring that wealth remains concentrated among a privileged few. The consequences of this practice are far-reaching and severe:

• Economic Sabotage of Black Enterprise: Arbitrary account closures disrupt business operations, hinder payment of employees, and obstruct contributions to economic growth. This often forces entrepreneurs into informal, cash-based business models, which limits their potential for growth and access to critical financial support.
• Financial Exclusion and Poverty Entrenchment: The lack of access to banking services further marginalises Black South Africans from economic participation, exacerbating poverty, unemployment, and a reliance on exploitative lending practices.
• Destabilisation of Trade Unions and Civil Society Organisations: The selective targeting of organisations advocating for workers' rights, social justice, and economic transformation limits dissent and challenges to the status quo. Such actions represent an assault on democratic values.
• International Reputation and Investment Risk: Continued discriminatory practices could tarnish South Africa's global image as a fair environment for economic participation, resulting in diminished international investment and partnerships, thereby weakening the financial sector further.

In light of these urgent issues, RAIM has called for interventions from the United States government, urging that targeted sanctions be imposed on South African banks engaging in racialised financial exclusion. The proposed actions include:

• Investigations by the U.S. Treasury and State Department into the role of South African banks in economic discrimination, echoing the United States’ stance against unethical corporate conduct.
• Sanctions on South African financial institutions that persist in closing accounts based on arbitrary and discriminatory grounds, imposing restrictions on their international transactions and access to U.S. financial systems.
• Support for regulatory reforms in South Africa to promote financial transparency and accountability, ensuring that banks cannot be gatekeepers of economic participation based on racial or political bias.

Furthermore, RAIM has urged the South African government and regulatory bodies, including the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), to implement immediate policy reforms aimed at eradicating such discriminatory practices, holding banks accountable for their actions. Such reforms are crucial in ensuring that financial services cater to the interests of all South Africans, rather than a select few.

The struggle for economic justice is an extension of the fight against apartheid-era exclusion. Financial institutions must not wield the power to determine economic participation based on biased, subjective criteria. RAIM remains resolute in its commitment to challenging and exposing these injustices until true economic transformation is realised.

RAIM’s concerns resonate in the wider context of the global banking environment. In the United States, the justification for account closures based on reputational risk has often been cloaked in political motivations, notably against former President Trump and his conservative supporters. Yet, in South Africa, the lingering influence of apartheid-era management in banks continues to steer practices that target individuals based on political disagreements, underscoring the twisted application of reputational risk as a modern-day tool of oppression, according to RAIM.

IOL