Cape Town - The former chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC), Ben Mthembu, who is the frontrunner to retain the position, has told MPs that the implementation of a law banning public servants from doing business with the state would reduce corruption in the public service.
At its peak, corruption hit the R1 billion mark in government in 2012.
Mthembu, who was on Tuesday interviewed for the position of chairman of the PSC, said corruption had reached alarming proportions in government and it needed to be reduced drastically.
Mthembu was one of five candidates interviewed by the portfolio committee on public service and administration for the position he left vacant in October last year when his first five-year term ended.
The former PSC chairman said the introduction of the Public Administration Management Bill was one of the tough measures intended to curb corruption in government.
The bill was conceived by the PSC, and the commission submitted its recommendations to the cabinet on it.
This led to the bill being tabled in Parliament in October 2013 by former public service and administration minister Lindiwe Sisulu.
Parliament discussed and approved it after the 2014 elections, leading to President Jacob Zuma signing it into law in December last year.
In a report submitted to the portfolio committee on public service and administration three years ago, the PSC found that corruption had reached close to R1bn.
The PSC report found that 838 public servants had been charged with financial misconduct.
The commission said at the time that corruption had been escalating over a period of time.
Replying to MPs on his desire to be reappointed to the position, Mthembu said corruption was a real problem in government.
He said that in 2012, they posed a serious question on whether it was desirable for senior managers in government to do business with the state.
They found it was wrong and not morally or politically defensible.
“The PAM (Public Administration Management) Bill will put an end to or minimise the conflict of interest. We are looking forward to the effective implementation of this bill so that we can put an end to managers doing business with the state,” Mthembu told MPs.
He said only tough action would save the state hundreds of millions of rand lost through corruption.
The government had, for a number of years, been under attack for failing to act decisively on corruption.
Mthembu also warned on Tuesday that the slow pace on the introduction of e-disclosure would derail the process of getting more officials to disclose their financial interests.
Senior officials in government are required by law to disclose their financial interests to prevent a conflict of interest.
However, Mthembu pointed out that the reason there was lack of full compliance by senior managers working for the state was the non-implementation of e-disclosure.
The e-disclosure system would make it quicker for senior officials to disclose their financial interests.
Political Bureau