The declarations of financial interests and benefits by Northern Cape minister for transport, roads and public works, John Block, made under the Executive Members Ethics Act, form part of investigations into his alleged corruption.
Such use of declarations, possibly a first among provinces, has emerged in the wake of last week’s Institute for Democracy in South Africa (Idasa) report on government ethics. The report was critical of provinces and the Presidency for failing to consistently implement the 1998 Act and 2000 Code of Ethics.
Northern Cape director general Michael Hendricks this week confirmed the declarations were submitted to the provincial auditor general and the public protector. Both are probing claims that Block has interests in companies that received tenders from his department, and misused government funds.
Hendricks said although anyone could access declarations, Block’s disclosures were temporarily unavailable as they formed part of the current probes.
Earlier this month the Sunday Times reported that a free-spending Block spent state money on luxury hotel accommodation and jazz concerts in Cape Town and that, together with a businessman, he bought a company that later landed a multimillion-rand fleet management tender from Block’s department.
Idasa’s Government Ethics in Post-Apartheid South Africa report noted that officials in charge of declarations never held public enquiries and were unsure how to deal with them.
The Free State insisted that all declarations were confidential — in contravention of the legislation, which allows access to the public section of the declarations.
In the Eastern Cape all inquiries had to be directed personally to the premier.
“There appears to be a growing trend in government departments to withhold information [and] increasing suspicion for what it may be used,” said Lorato Banda, governance researcher at Idasa’s political information and monitoring service.
No province has review mechanisms to check declaration details, according to the report. This is in contrast to the parliamentary code, which allows the registrar of members’ interests to investigate breaches.