Top officials fail to disclose interests

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Published Sep 19, 2014

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Cape Town - Hundreds of senior officials including directors-general are in hot water with their bosses for failing to disclose their financial interests.

The Public Service Commission (PSC) did not say what action would be taken against directors-general for non-disclosure of their financial interests as this was in the purview of ministers.

The PSC released its annual report containing the conduct of government officials with more than 1 400 senior managers, including directors-general, not revealing their business or financial interests.

It was expected that ministers would take action against their directors-general for this failure.

The PSC would next week give more details on the officials who had not disclosed their financial interests, and possible action against the officials concerned.

The report, tabled in Parliament on Thursday, showed that 7 930 senior managers at national level and in the nine provinces disclosed their financial interests for 2013/14.

But in the same vein 1 497 senior managers, including some DGs, did not meet the deadline for submitting their interests.

It is in the regulations of the public service that senior managers must make full financial disclosure to avoid a conflict of interest.

The PSC did not indicate which officials failed to make disclosures.

The release of the commission’s report came a day after the Ethics Committee made public the register of members’ interests.

In the report the PSC warned that some senior officials did not make full disclosure while others had more than three companies registered in their name.

Others ignored the implications of failing to disclose their interests.

The warning by the commission comes as President Jacob Zuma is yet to sign into law the Public Administration Management Bill, which will prevent government officials from doing business with the state.

The bill was tabled late last year and Parliament approved it before the May 7 provincial and national elections.

Recently, the president said measures would be taken in Parliament to prohibit politicians from doing business with the government.

Two years ago the commission revealed in Parliament that graft in government was at its peak with R932 million in public funds lost through corruption.

This was an increase from R346m in 2010.

The PSC had called for the government to charge officials who failed to make full disclosure with misconduct.

The Auditor-General also found at the time that many officials were doing business with the state.

This included officials who give tenders to close family members.

Political Bureau

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