Wayne Duvenage

Wayne Duvenage is CEO of OUTA (Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse)

The journey he addresses in his talks is how to go from Corporate CEO to Activist.

He asks How was South Africa allowed to rise from the malaise of apartheid and become the darling of the world at the turn of the century, only to slip into a self fulfilling financial crisis a decade later – which took the country to the brink of the economic junkyard.

How close did we really come to this dire situation and why?

Wayne Duvenage reflects on an incident in 2010, which triggered the birth of a cause that developed into a civil action movement. By 2015, OUTA had taken on a new broader mandate and rapidly grew into South Africa’s leading corruption-fighting machine.

Wayne reflects on how OUTA came close to the brink of closure, a few times, and how a resilient and determined focus, combined with a commitment made to South Africans, gave rise to an entity that now commands the respect of business and government alike.

Wayne’s talk highlights the need and role of civil activism, and more so that of active corporate citizenry, which is little understood in society at large. He goes on to show how the trust deficit has grown between the four major institutions of Government, Business, NGO’s and the Media, creating a space for uncertainty and decay to thrive.

The pit of national decay that developing countries so often fall into, is one which South Africa came close to entering, and still teeters on the edge thereof.

This talk shows audiences what is really going on in the dark corridors most of us fear to enter – and way out of the that darkness.

Wayne Duvenage is a BSc. Graduate of KZN University. He has 28 years experience in the travel and tourism industry and six years of social activism in holding Government accountable on matters of abuse of authority and corruption.

During his corporate career, he was Chief Executive at Avis South Africa and chaired the South African Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (SAVRALA). At the same time he was also representing the industry at the Tourism Business Counsel of SA (TBCSA).

Wayne has Chaired and filled the CEO position at OUTA since its inception in 2012, which began as a formal challenge against Government’s e-toll decision, and branched out in 2016 to fulfill a broader mandate to challenge Government on irrational tax policy, corruption and maladministration in the public sector.