Johannesburg -
Public Protector Thuli Madonsela has expressed concern about the instability in state institutions, especially the crisis-ridden law-enforcement agencies.
She said the seemingly perpetual crisis gripping the institutions was undermining investment in the country.
Madonsela said that while she could not make a determination about whether the state institutions have degenerated, she, “like any other citizen, is concerned about their instability”.
“It is important that when people have five-year contracts, they serve their five-year contracts, unless there are dramatic reasons why they should not proceed,” Madonsela said on Thursday.
She was speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the SA Board for People Practices breakfast seminar on ethical practice at the workplace in Joburg.
“If consistently we are not able to have people who serve their full terms, it brings into question our recruitment vehicles. Either way, we have to try to improve so that there is stability.”
Madonsela’s statements came amid concerns of increasing politicisation of law enforcement institutions seen to be used to protect the allies or persecute opponents of powerful factions within the government.
Many security and justice institutions, among them the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the Hawks, SAPS, National Intelligence Agency and Special Investigating Unit (SIU), have struggled to shake themselves off from the clutches of factional battles within the government since the late 1990s.
Recently, the Hawks and SIU were plunged into a further crisis because of the controversy around the suspension and resignation of their heads, Anwa Dramat and Vas Soni. National police commissioner Riah Phiyega and the head of the NPA, Mxolisi Nxasana’s positions remain precarious.
Madonsela appealed for stability.
“It’s not just about stability for staff. Some of the investors have raised questions about our capacity to attract and retain the right people in state institutions. I hope the government looks at the process in its entirety to find what went wrong.”
“It doesn’t matter who the leader of the institution is, the institution is timeless, but it is important to assure and create that environment that assures staff that the institutions are timeless. It helps, though, if the leadership is stable.”
Madonsela expressed concern about rampant corruption and incompetence in the government.
“What we have picked up in some of our investigations is procuring things that we don’t need, what we call ‘impromptu procurement’. That depletes (public) funds… Overpaying and overspending (is another problem),” she said, adding that poor planning was particularly costly.
The Star