Fear and loathing at audit watchdog Irba

It’s an organisation that sounds as stuffy and bloodless as any in SA. Yet it’s no exaggeration to say that the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (Irba) is one of the country’s most vital watchdogs, responsible for holding to account those auditors who gave us SA’s growing list of accounting scandals, from Steinhoff to Tongaat Hulett to EOH.

When Irba stops working, investors stop coming...