Madam Deputy Speaker, as you have mentioned, the Auditor- General's report on a performance audit of entities that are connected with government employees and doing business with national departments has certainly raised alarming issues. As a Parliament that takes its oversight role seriously, it is proper that we debate the issues highlighted in this report and propose measures to enhance accountability in the Public Service.
Briefly, the report identified 49 employees who were directors or members of entities and doing business with national departments, but failed to declare their financial interests or did not have approval to perform remunerative work outside employment in government. Now, those are the findings.
The rules are quite clear; let's look at that. The code of conduct for the Public Service states:
Employees are expected to place their undivided attention, time and skills at the disposal of the Public Service as employer. The nature and demands of the job in the public sector are such that the interests of both the Public Service and community may be prejudiced by a public servant undertaking remunerative work outside official duties. It is therefore mandatory to obtain prior approval to perform remunerative work outside official hours.
Moreover, the Public Service Act of 1994 states very explicitly that:
No officer or employee shall perform or engage himself or herself to perform remunerative work outside his or her employment in the Public Service, without permission granted by the relevant executive authority or an officer authorised by the said authority.
It is obvious that the conduct of the 49 identified officials is a clear- cut violation of the law. To exacerbate the matter, the report of the Public Service Commission entitled "Overview of the Implementation of the Financial Framework for the Financial Year 2007-08", generally states that the compliance rate for directors-general and their deputies was low. Only 65% of senior officials submitted their disclosure forms after an extended deadline, and only 48% by the due date on 31 May 2008.
Certainly, it then makes sense that the Public Service Commission advises the relevant executive authorities, who are Ministers and MECs, to institute disciplinary action and to charge transgressing heads of departments with misconduct. The Auditor-General echoes these sentiments advocating disciplinary action against officials who violate the rules.
Now, these are the findings and the recommendations of our independent constitutional bodies. The question is: What does the executive say? I only see Madam Minister Motshekga. I would like to hear her response on this, later on. The Minister for the Public Service and Administration, Richard Baloyi - I don't see him here today - addressed the Anticorruption Learning Network in Port Elizabeth last month. He said that this report of the Auditor-General "was the most disturbing news in a long time".
Minister Baloyi further acknowledges that corruption appears to be an entrenched problem. The fact that between 2006 and 2007 reports of corruption to the Public Service Commission's National Anti-Corruption Hotline increased by 46%, supports the Minister's view of the extent of the problem. However, the Minister also said that government needed to fight on and improve its efforts to tackle this problem.
I firmly believe that most members would echo these sentiments. Therefore, the purpose of this debate today is to urge the Minister to fight on. The Public Service will only be able to deliver services effectively and efficiently to all when the executive displays zero tolerance towards corruption, and this was discussed in our Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration. According to my judgment from the discussions, this portfolio committee acknowledges the important oversight work done by other committees, especially Scopa, on this matter.
According to my judgment, the portfolio committee also notes that the Department of Public Service and Administration has already taken steps to enhance accountability of senior officials in national departments and urges the Minister for the Public Service and Administration to ensure that disciplinary action is in fact taken against those officials who fail to declare their financial interests or who did not have approval to perform remunerative work outside their employment in government.
As Minister Baloyi also said at the anticorruption congress in Port Elizabeth, we must raise a hand, raise a finger and do anything, but we must never allow corruption to undermine our hard-won gains. Let us thus heed the call of the Minister and raise a hand, or raise our voices and stop corruption. The battle cry is: Phansi ngenkohlakalo! Phansi! [Down with corruption! Down!]]
HON MEMBERS: Phansi! [Down!]