Cape Town The government outlined
far-reaching steps yesterday to tackle
corruption in the public sector, amid shock new
evidence showing that efforts to roll back the
tide of graft are failing to deliver on the
promise of clean administration.
So deep-rooted is the problem that Public
Service and Administration Minister
Richard Baloyi told
Parliament yesterday that the R25bn worth of
cases cited by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan
last week could be
just the tip of
the iceberg of the malfeasance taking
place.
Parliament heard that between September 2004 and
March 2008, for example, of the 4202 cases of
corruption referred to national and provincial
departments, feedback was received in only 1292
cases (31%) and only 335 cases were finalised.
Disciplinary action was taken against only 13%
of the 3134 public servants identified by
auditor-general Terence Nombembe as doing
business with the government. Not identifying
business interests and moonlighting were rife.
This is despite a plethora of anticorruption
efforts, including the Public Service
Commission’s anticorruption hotline; an
interministerial committee on anticorruption
established last year by President
Jacob Zuma to ensure
co-ordination and policy coherence; and a
multi-agency working group established by Mr
Gordhan last year to investigate potentially
high-risk irregularities in procurement.
The government also participates in the flagging
National Anti-Corruption Forum with business and
civil society.
Mr Baloyi said legislative and regulatory
amendments are in the pipeline to centralise
enforcement of anticorruption measures, and the
management of investigations in the special
anticorruption unit he announced recently.
Amendments to the Public Service Act and
regulations to prevent suspected officials being
paid on suspension are among measures being
considered.
A public sector integrity framework to manage
ethical conduct in relation to financial
interests, gifts, hospitality and other
benefits, as well as post-employment issues and
moonlighting, is also being drawn up.
And it emerged in Parliament yesterday that
departments would also be checking the business
interests of prospective candidates for senior
posts before taking them on.
Mr Baloyi said one of the unit’s functions would
be to co-ordinate all anticorruption efforts,
both within and outside of the government, and
to work with the Special Investigating Unit.
“There is great frustration about the delayed
response of departments in fighting corruption,
especially in managing conflicts of interest and
tender irregularities,” the acting
director-general of the Department of Public
Service and Administration, Kenny Govender, told
Parliament’s public service committee.
“In cases where wrongdoing is identified,
sometimes it takes several months for
disciplinary processes to be initiated.
“Officials are suspended on full pay for months
and sometimes for years. There are significant
inconsistencies in the type of sanctions applied
for similar offences and allegations of
corruption reported to the anticorruption
hotline are also referred back to departments
for follow-up, but because departments do not
have sufficient investigative capacity, initial
investigations are never completed,” Mr Govender
said.
The two main culprit departments in this regard
were health and education.
By the end of September, 7922 cases had been
reported to the hotline, but Public Service
Commission director-general Mashwahle Diphofa
said departments had “poor or no investigative
capabilities” and few had agreements with
anticorruption agencies to assist with complex,
syndicated crime.
ensorl@bdfm.co.za
With acknowledgements to
Linda Ensor
and Business
Day.
More evidence of
the one way ticket to the failed state.
That's the way they want it.
Because that's the way they like it.
My own efforts, although gigantic for a dwarf,
are only considered with amusement by the
Society of Clenched Testes.
Which is not surprising seeing that the current
president and most of his predecessors were
criminals.