/ 7 October 2003

E Cape depts fail to provide corruption data

Most Eastern Cape provincial departments have not responded to a request in May from the Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM) to provide it with information on disciplinary action taken against those allegedly involved in 409 reported cases of misconduct, corruption and maladministration.

The PSAM is an independent monitoring unit dedicated to strengthening democracy and transparent and accountable governance.

According to a press statement released by the PSAM on Tuesday, only the provincial treasury, safety and security and health departments — three out of the 12 provincial departments — have responded to its request.

PSAM case monitoring researcher Dr Neil Overy criticised the remaining nine departments and the provincial legislature, which had also been included in the request, for not doing so.

He said the three departments that have responded ”have given the PSAM the chance to begin transforming the current negative perception of government’s approach to corruption and maladministration”.

Those that have not are failing in their duty ”to uphold the key principles of transparency and accountability”, he said.

”By failing to supply the PSAM with information they have been unable to prove to the public at large that they are serious about tackling the problems of corruption and maladministration.”

”The PSAM calls on all departments to respond in a positive manner to its requests so that public trust in the government can be strengthened and democracy consolidated in the Eastern Cape.”

Overy said the PSAM is committed to working with the Eastern Cape provincial departments to promote accountability and improve service delivery in the province, which has been plagued by corruption scandals.

The PSAM promotes accountability and improves service delivery in several ways, including case monitoring, which involves tracking reported cases of public sector misconduct, maladministration and corruption, as well as any corrective action initiated in response to it.

All government departments are constitutionally and legally obliged to deal effectively with cases of corruption and maladministration in terms of public finance legislation.