State officials doing private gigs, deals with government must face action: PSC

Public Service Commission calls for disciplinary action against senior managers with proven conflicts of interest

30 March 2021 - 12:56 By aphiwe deklerk
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The Public Service Commission (PSC) wants disciplinary action against senior managers with conflicts of interest. Stock photo.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) wants disciplinary action against senior managers with conflicts of interest. Stock photo.
Image: 123rf/ bacho12345

The Public Service Commission (PSC) says it wants disciplinary action to be taken against senior managers who it has identified as having conflicts of interest.

Addressing the media on Tuesday, PSC commissioner Michael Seloane said they have identified 11 cases of actual conflict of interest in one national department and three cases in provinces.

His address was part of the release of the latest edition of the quarterly bulletin "The Pulse of the Public Service", covering the period October 1 to December 31 2020.

Seloane said two heads of department in Gauteng and the Northern Cape were among senior managers found to have conflicts of interest.

“The relevant [executive authorities] must initiate investigations, for purposes of disciplinary inquiry in terms of the directive on conducting business with an organ of state, which was issued by the minister for public service and administration in January 2017,” he said.

“Disciplinary action should also be taken if it can be established that [senior management service] members intentionally ignored the call by the minister for public service and administration to cease conducting business with organs of state; or to resign as directors of companies that are conducting business with organs of state.”

He said particular focus should also be placed on determining how companies that are linked to public servants were able to conduct business with organs of state.

“This should assist in identifying gaps that are there in the system and measures to address them.”

Seloane did not give the names of the national or provincial departments.

Side jobs

He revealed that a total of 382 senior managers were doing paid work outside their main jobs.

“Only 52% (199) of these [senior manager service] members provided proof that they obtained prior permission to do so in terms of section 30 of the act,” said Seloane.

“The [executive authorities] were advised, in their discretion, to recoup from the officials who contravened section 30 of the act, the amounts generated through unapproved work done outside the public service or to ratify such in terms of section 31 of the act.”

Gifts

Seloane said in the 2019/2020 financial year, senior managers had received gifts and sponsorship with a combined value of R4,631,314.

He said disciplinary action had been taken against 128 senior managers who failed to make disclosures of their financial interests.

TimesLIVE


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