Question NW558 to the Minister of Public Service and Administration
23 June 2020 - NW558
Clarke, Ms M to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
What number of government officials have not submitted their financial disclosures for the current financial year; (2) what number of government officials have been found in breach with regard to (a)(i) doing business outside the prescripts of the State and (ii) conflict of interest and (b) potential conflict of interest?
Reply:
1. For the current financial year only SMS members have been required to disclose their financial interests. In terms of regulation 18(1) and (2) of the Public Service Regulations, 2016, SMS members are required to disclose their financial interests annually by 30 April. Out of 10 011 SMS members in the Public Service, 309 failed to disclose their financial interests by 30 April 2020 (243 in national departments, 14 in national government components and 52 in provincial departments).
2. a) Doing business outside the prescripts of the State: At the end of February 2020, 1544 public service employees were identified to be possibly conducting business with the State. Of these 1544 public service employees, 1111 were from Provincial Departments and 433 from National Departments. Letters were sent to relevant departments to take action against identified employees and to report investigation and disciplinary outcomes to the DPSA. The DPSA committed to present quarterly reports to the Forum of South African Director-Generals (FOSAD) and Ministers and Members of Executive Councils Meeting (MINMEC) to monitor implementation progress. As it is a criminal offence for Public Service employees to conduct business with the State, the DPSA had interaction with the South African Police Service to investigate confirmed cases with the aim of prosecuting offenders.
|
A |
B |
|
|
Provincial Departments |
Number of Public Servants listed on CSD conducting business with an organ of state as at end of Feb 2020 |
|
|
1 |
KwaZulu-Natal |
357 |
|
2 |
Gauteng |
117 |
|
3 |
North West |
40 |
|
4 |
Eastern Cape |
118 |
|
5 |
Limpopo |
138 |
|
6 |
Mpumalanga |
104 |
|
7 |
Free State |
93 |
|
8 |
Northern Cape |
101 |
|
9 |
Western Cape |
43 |
|
Total Provincial Departments |
1111 |
|
|
Total National Departments |
433 |
|
|
Grand Total |
1544 |
(ii) Conflict of interest and (b) potential conflict of interest: In terms of regulation 18(5) of the Public Service Regulations, 2016, the Head of Department and the Executive Authority are required to submit the disclosed financial interests to the Public Service Commission (PSC) by 31 May 2020. It will only be thereafter that the PSC can determine if there is potential or actual conflict of interest regarding the disclosed financial interests, as per their mandate.