Question NW734 to the Minister of Public Service and Administration

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05 May 2017 - NW734

Profile picture: Vos, Mr J

Vos, Mr J to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration

Whether any government employees in (a) each national and (b) in each provincial department have been implicated by the Auditor-General’s financial year reports for (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16 which revealed that employees and spouses of employees were conducting business with the departments that employ them through companies and close corporations in which they are directors or members; if so, (aa) what positions did each employee hold at the time and (bb) what action has been taken against each official?

Reply:

(a)(b) No central information repository exists to identify those government employees (or their spouses) in national and provincial departments conducting business with the departments that employ them (i)(ii)(iii)(aa). Departments may be approached for such information.

(bb) Regulation 13 (c) of the Public Service Regulations, 2016 (which came into effect on 01 August 2016) prohibits public service employees from conducting business with an organ of state. In terms of regulation 13 (c) provided public service employees with a period of six months (which ended on 31 January 2017) to relinquish their interests in business that are conducting business with an organ of state, or else to resign from the Public Service. In January 2017, a letter was addressed to my colleagues requesting them to bring Public Service Regulations, 2016 and the transitional arrangements to the attention of public service employees registered on the Central Supplier Database. They were also provided with the guideline on sanctions that may be imposed as an outcome of the disciplinary process, when an employee is in breach of Public Service Regulations, 2016. Currently the DPSA is monitoring the implementation of regulation 13 (c), which includes employees conducting business with their departments. We therefore do not as yet have information on action that has been taken against officials.

The requirements for public service employees to disclose the financial interests of their spouses is still to be enacted through the adoption of regulations in terms of the Public Administration Management Act, 2014.

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