The lack of a coordinated anti-corruption strategy and a dearth of political will to go after offenders are just some of the reasons the state is failing to battle corruption in its ranks, according to experts.
Despite a raft of measures intended to curb corruption within government, the Public Service Commission revealed in a report last week that cases of financial misconduct within the state had risen.
The report noted finalised cases of financial misconduct in the public service — including fraud, theft, gross negligence and misappropriation and abuse — had risen by 28% in the 2008/2009 financial year.
The cost of this graft to the public purse — 22% of which occured at national level and 78% at provincial government level — soared to over R100-million, or a 78% increase on the previous year.
While more employees were found guilty of financial misconduct, infractions by senior management doubled from the previous year, and fewer civil servants found guilty were fired for their wrongdoing.
New broom
Earlier this week minister for Public Service and Administration Richard Baloyi announced the creation of a new unit within his department bent on fighting corruption with the civil service.
So too did the Congress of South African Trade Unions, when its leader Zwelinzima Vavi stated Cosatu’s intention to set up a civil society institution “with a team of lawyers, accountants and auditors to conduct preliminary investigations, and process these with the relevant authorities”.
These will add to the already extensive network of institutions that undertake anti-corruption efforts, as well as provide broad oversight of the public service and relate institutions.
The country has law enforcement bodies such as the Special Investigations Unit, the Asset Forfeiture Unit and the Hawks to deal with criminal corruption cases.
These are complimented by statutory bodies such as the auditor-general, the public service commission and the public protector, which are all meant to provide oversight and combat administrative abuses.
Last month the president announced a raft of investigations by the SIU into various government departments and entities — including the department of public works, the South African Social Security Agency and the police.
Derek Luyt of the Public Service Accountability Monitor at Rhodes University said there was very little coordination of the various anti-corruption efforts.
No overarching strategy
“There is no overarching anti-corruption strategy, which approaches corruption along various arms — including building the capacity of the various agencies and coordinating endeavours by the likes of government, civil society and the media,” he said.
In addition, the pursuit of corrupt activities should translate into the dismissal and prosecution of officials deemed guilty of corruption, he said. This was hampered by a lack of skilled investigative and prosecutorial staff able to uncover instances of fraud, mismanagement or financial misconduct.
“There also appears to be a lack of political will to act, and initiate prosecution,” he argued.
The government was certainly making the connection between corruption and its impact on good governance, said Collette Schulz-Herzenberg of the Institute for Security Studies.
She said political rhetoric needed to be matched by real sanction for crooked officials.
“We hear of reports by the auditor general, even in some cases by government departments identifying corruption, but heads don’t roll,” she said.
“Unless we turn the rhetoric into practice, corruption will fester.”
‘Grey zone’
There was for instance, an “insufficiently regulated gray zone” where the public and private sector interests intersect that requires greater understanding and oversight she said.
Financial disclosure laws for public and elected officials needed to be beefed up; to prevent cases where individuals could use their public position for personal enrichment said Schulz-Herzenberg.
“We are seeing a lack of disclosure and lack of oversight in this respect,” she argued.
While she welcomed Baloyi’s announcement she stressed the importance of any such institution being seen to be wholly independent, non-partisan and free of political influence.
DA shadow minister of public service and administration Anchen Dryer argued that South Africa had the technical capacity to counter corruption.
She said the failure by the government to act against corrupt officials undermined any gains in this battle.
“Bodies like the SIU are doing good work. We don’t need yet another body or commission to deal with corruption, we need heads to roll. Disciplinary action should not be a corrective measure, it should be a punitive measure,” said Dryer.