Guidance | Integrated Reporting SA

Guidance in South Africa

In March 2014, the IRC endorsed the International <IR> Framework, released by the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) in December 2013, as guidance on good practice on how to prepare an integrated report. On 19 January 2021, the IIRC released the revised International <IR> Framework (2021), which was subsequently endorsed by the IRC as guidance on good practice on how to prepare an integrated report in South Africa on 24 February 2021. (For a marked-up version of the International <IR> Framework (2021) which shows the new content and deletions, click here)

The International <IR> Framework offers guiding principles for the preparation and presentation of an integrated report, as well as content elements of information that should be included. The Framework sets out 19 requirements that must be met in an integrated report that is in accordance with the Framework.

The IIRC website has a number of FAQs on integrated reporting, for more information click here.

South African organisations should also refer to the principles and recommended practices of the King IV Code on Corporate Governance for South Africa 2016 (King IV) released in November 2016 by the Institute of Directors in South Africa (IoDSA) (effective from 1 April 2017). The 1st April 2017 is the effective date of King IV. The Report highlights the importance of integrated thinking, integrated reporting and value creation and uses the definitions contained in the International <IR> Framework.

South African institutional investors, and their service providers, should also be aware of CRISA, the Code for Responsible Investing in South Africa, released by the IoDSA on 19 July 2011. The Code’s principle 1, recommended practice 1 b, states that investors should assess the quality of a company’s integrated reporting and if integrated reporting is not applied due enquiry should be made on the reasons. The updated CRISA Code is expected to be released in 2021.

Since 2014, and following the finalisation of the International <IR> Framework, the IRC of South Africa has released technical Information Papers and FAQs aimed at assisting the preparers and users of integrated reports in applying and understanding the International <IR> Framework. The Information Papers and FAQs are developed by the Working Group after research and analysis of South African integrated reports, and contain excerpts from reports as examples of format and connectivity.