The Washington-based Centre for Public Integrity’s Global Integrity Report has listed South Africa’s electoral and political process as ”weak”, the Department of Public Service and Administration said in Pretoria on Tuesday.
This was because of the African National Congress’s overwhelming majority at the April polls.
Minister of Public Service and Administration Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi said the report, although not openly critical, hinted that if the gap between the ruling and opposition parties were smaller, the electoral and political process would have carried more integrity.
”But generally we are happy with the report,” she said.
For the study, an on-the-ground team of more than 150 social scientists, journalists and analysts collected or reviewed data.
On many issues South Africa compared well with the best in the world.
The report described the country as a ”vibrant and active civil society” and praised the ”progressive” and ”diverse” media for ”keeping vigilant watch over those in power”.
”With the right of access to information assured by the Constitution and the Promotion of Access to Information Act, the safeguards to secure an open society in which all citizens can enjoy their rights of freedom of expression and association are guaranteed in law, and exercised in practice,” the report said.
Overall, South Africa ranked sixth out of 25 countries on the Public Integrity Index, falling into the ”strong” tier.
The report included assessments and peer reviews in areas of civil society public information and media (strong, ranking fifth); electoral and political process (weak, ranking 18th); branches of government (strong, ranking third); administration and civil service (weak, ranking fifth); oversight and regulatory mechanisms (very strong, ranking second) and anti-corruption mechanisms and rule of law (strong, ranking sixth in its respective category).
The Public Integrity Index — measuring the existence, effectiveness and accessibility of institutions that hold the government accountable to its citizens — listed South Africa sixth in the ”strong” category where it shared the podium with the United States, Portugal, Italy, Australia and Germany.
Moleketi said that while the government agrees with most of the findings it disagrees with its sometimes ”anecdotal” perception of the country.
She explained that in the public service category South Africa received poor marks because servants found guilty of corruption are allowed to find work within the sector after being dismissed.
She said this will be rectified with the implementation of the new Public Service Act, which is currently being overhauled and is expected to be implemented later this year.
Professor Stan Sangweni said specific points of the Act are also being ”tinkered with”.
”We are experimenting with certain issues in a monitoring and evaluation project that is currently only a pilot project,” he said.
The report found that in 18 of the countries there were no laws to protect civil servants who report corruption.
In 15 of the countries, journalists investigating corruption had been imprisoned, physically harmed or killed and in three countries — Guatemala, Mexico and Zimbabwe — both journalists and judges had been physically harmed in the past year.
In 14 countries the head of state could not be prosecuted for corruption and in six countries the ruling party controlled two-thirds or more of the seats in the national legislature, reducing the opposition parties’ ability to enhance government accountability.
In seven of the countries, the top executive branch official was not required to file a personal financial disclosure form, preventing the public from seeing what private interests its leader had. — Sapa