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and champions within each business unit and enterprise function. The code is communicated through town hall meetings led by top management, who seek to set the example for zero tolerance to unethical behaviour. In terms of the code, every line manager is required to implement internal controls and legal compliance processes in their areas of responsibility. 

During the year, we started a process of engaging our suppliers and service providers on Sasol’s code of ethics. Changes have been made to our contracts to include ethics as a key requirement for doing business with Sasol and, where required, to encourage suppliers to implement their own code of conduct. We plan to extend this to some of our other stakeholders such as labour unions and government. A related development this year has been the implementation of a stricter gifts and entertainment policy, in terms of which employees are required to declare all gifts regardless of their value. The ethics offi ce records gifts above a nominal value for the purposes of monitoring and assessing trends. 

## Fostering accountability through our ethics line 

We have an independently managed anonymous reporting facility (EthicsLine) that is available for whistle blowing. Over the past year, we received an average of 40 ethics-related calls per month; this excludes cases that are reported directly to the group forensic services department. 

All cases are investigated and a formal process is in place to track, report and address all calls received. On average, 20% of the calls relate to fraud, corruption, theft and abuse of company assets and resources. The remaining 80% includes a range of allegations such as unfair or unethical leadership behaviour (Values- driven Leadership), legal non-compliance, safety transgressions, conflict of interest, victimisation and racism. 

These cases are reported on a quarterly basis to governance committees, and on an annual basis to the audit committee. Actions taken as a consequence of investigations and enquiries include termination of employment in respect of employees, and cancellation of contracts in the case of suppliers and contractors. We are currently reviewing the feasibility of introducing an ethics management system to improve the monitoring, 

reporting and analysis of trends arising from calls to the ethics line, and to streamline investigations and follow-up activities. 

## Respecting human rights 

Due to the nature and location of our activities we recognise that we have a particular responsibility to ensure effective management of human rights risks. Our human rights policy is currently included as part of the guideline to the code of ethics and has been in place since 2003. Human rights principles are also incorporated in Sasol’s labour relations policies, SH&E policies and corporate social responsibility policies. Employees are made aware of these policies and trained accordingly. We endeavour to encourage and facilitate human rights in the countries in which we operate by following a risk-based approach and establishing training and education programmes. We are conscious that as we expand our operations globally, it will be increasingly important to retain our strong focus on human rights issues. 

F urther details on our activities and performance relating to legal compliance, ethical practices and human rights are provided in our online sustainable development report. 

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