FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
Monday, 27 September 2021
The revelation in Parliament that thousands of public servants have been illegally receiving social grants every month shows we still have a long way to go towards instilling a culture of ethics in the public service.
Earlier this year, it was also found that around 16,000 employees on the government payroll were irregularly paid the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress grant. It is common knowledge that applicants with other sources of income do not qualify for this grant. It is also self-evident that those who receive an income from the state are not eligible to apply.
And yet they did. Some 17,000 people employed at national and provincial government submitted applications in a bid to top up their salaries with money meant for the poor. Given the extent of need in the country, one that our public servants know too well, this wilful intent to steal from the public purse is unforgivable.
Government is now stepping up its efforts to prevent this kind of abuse and act against anyone in the public service involved in wrongdoing.
This month, government launched a new Public Administration Ethics, Integrity and Disciplinary Technical Assistance Unit. The unit will build capacity within public bodies to institute disciplinary proceedings in cases of misconduct and cooperate with other organs of state in holding those responsible to account.
The unit will refer corruption cases to government’s Anti-Corruption Task Team and follow up with departments to ensure criminal cases involving public servants translate into disciplinary cases. Working with the multi-agency Fusion Centre, the unit will help identify employees in priority cases investigated by law enforcement authorities.
The unit will monitor the conduct of lifestyle audits of public service employees. Where departments identify corruption and unexplained wealth, the cases will be referred to the South African Police Service.
The new unit has already begun its work in earnest, helping to identify public servants involved in cases related to COVID-19 procurement, the special COVID-19 grant and Unemployment Insurance Fund fraud.
The cases of government officials referred by the Special Investigating Unit for disciplinary action will be monitored by the unit to assess their progress.
Another important aspect of the Unit’s work will be institutionalising ethics and integrity in the ranks of the public service. A few public servants have over the years taken the view that doing business with or unduly benefiting from the State is permissible for them, their friends and their families, provided there has been no illegality. We must do everything we can to change this attitude.
As we work to end corruption, there must be equal focus on inculcating ethical behaviour, because what may not necessarily be illegal can be unethical and unbecoming of a public servant.
The new unit will set norms and standards on ethics, integrity and conduct. It will also build the capacity of departments to discipline officials found guilty of misconduct. Last year more than 200 employees were trained as presiding officers and initiators.
Building an ethical, capable state continues to be a focus of this administration.
As a number of scandals involving public servants illegally benefiting from the state have shown, the process will be difficult and will take some time. We are nonetheless committed to stay the course.
A capable state is the foundation for the attainment of all our national priorities. Without improving accountability and promoting ethical conduct, none can be achieved.
The vast majority of our public servants are committed, law-abiding and ethical.
The task before us is to work together to root out those who are not, and correct the misconception that all those employed in government are either self-serving or corrupt.
As Public Service Month draws to a close, I call on all the men and women who serve our country every day to recommit themselves to the values of selflessness and service, and to recall that their conduct must at all times be both legal and ethical.
The establishment of this unit is another one of the ways that we are working to end corruption in government and indeed in all spheres of South African life.
With best regards,
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
We have just finished the final voter registration weekend ahead of the local government elections on 1 November.
As I met with residents in parts of Gauteng and Mpumalanga over the weekend, what struck me most was the importance of local government being accessible, visible and above all, reachable. This is particularly important when service delivery challenges, disruptions or failures occur.
Citizens often complain that in the lead up to elections, ward councillors, candidates and officials are energetic, interacting with communities and listening to their concerns. However, once elections have passed, they either disappear or it becomes difficult to reach them.
A number of people in the communities I visited told me that municipalities are slow to attend to their problems, don’t keep communities updated about disruptions, and when services are cut off for non-payment, fail to inform them of their options in a manner or language they understand.
A case in point is that of electricity. This has become the foremost pressing issue for communities around the country.
Speaking to people in areas in Soweto, it was evident that anger and frustration over having their electricity cut-off could have been avoided had thoroughgoing interactions with communities been embarked upon around issues such as illegal electricity connections, the vandalisation of electricity substations and the benefits of a prepaid electricity system. Many people also felt that they were being unfairly penalised because of the non-payment of others.
Over the last 20 years, we have provided a set of free basic services to millions of poor and indigent families. But for services to be sustainable, it is necessary that residents pay for what they use above the free basic amount. What I found is that many communities were not aware of exactly how much free water and electricity is provided to poor households.
Following engagement with a number of community leaders on how the challenges that people face with regard to electricity can be resolved and how people can also work with municipalities and Eskom to resolve the problem, I found a profound level of understanding and willingness to pay for services that are utilised.
When people are deprived of the basic services without proper explanation of why this has happened or how it is being fixed, it erodes public confidence in local government. Sometimes people think that the only way to get the attention of those tasked with the provision of services is through violent protest.
The latest data from the Public Violence and Protest Monitor produced by the Institute for Security Studies shows that of the 585 water and sanitation service delivery protests recorded between January 2013 and April 2021, 65% turned violent. The study shows that good and regular communication between municipalities and communities around planned disruptions and when they will be resolved prevented violence in a number of cases.
Our Constitution says that in the provision of services to communities in a sustainable manner, local government must be democratic and accountable.
This means that elected public representatives need to be out in communities, listening to their concerns and resolving their problems. A common refrain from communities, and something I heard again over the weekend, is that engagement with ward councillors starts off well, but diminishes steadily over time.
Accountable local government means maintaining a sustained public presence and an open door policy, not just when election time comes around. Services must be delivered and allocated budgets must be spent. When this does not happen as planned, elected officials must clearly explain why and show how and when problems will be fixed.
Democratic accountability extends to the conduct of citizens as well. During the weekend’s engagement with communities, I called on people not to undermine service delivery themselves by making illegal connections or damaging infrastructure.
Earlier this year, during Freedom Day celebrations, I said that communities must use their vote to deal with councillors with poor track records of meeting their promises.
It is at local government level where our commitment to advancing human rights is measured the most.
Water, electricity, sanitation, housing, education and health care are the things people need most to have a decent quality of life. Where local government fails to meet these needs, the impact is immediate and profound.
But when local government is efficient and well-run, it provides the foundation people need to improve their living standards and find opportunities.
Just as citizens should use their vote to improve their communities, I also wish to encourage those standing for election to listen to what people are saying about engaging with them more effectively and more often.
We share the common goal of a better life for all.
Regardless of which political party we support, belong to or are campaigning for, let us together work to rebuild trust and improve communication.
Let us agree that this election will not merely be about securing the most votes, but will be fundamentally about the people of South Africa and ensuring that their best interests are placed above all else.
With best regards,
President Cyril Ramaphosa
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
Monday, 06 September 2021
Dear Fellow South African,
Over the course of time, public servants in our country have come to be in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.
We have become too used to stories of civil servants involved in maladministration, embezzlement, corruption and other forms of conduct that betray the values of the public service.
While much is made of those that are errant and unprincipled, the vast majority of public servants understand the weight of responsibility their positions entail, and discharge their duties faithfully.
We have set ourselves the challenge of building a capable, ethical state. We remain firmly on course towards professionalising the public service and transforming it into a group of men and women who are able and committed to serving our people and their interests.
During this Public Service Month, we pay tribute to the many public servants who continue to make a positive difference in our country every day, and whose actions and performance embodies the principle of Batho Pele, of ‘putting people first’.
Our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that we do have capable and committed public servants who diligently serve the people of South Africa.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, civil servants have displayed courage and resilience in discharging their duties, often under the most difficult of circumstances. Despite the disruptions caused by the pandemic, they have kept the wheels of our country turning and have ensured that service delivery continued.
Frontline health personnel have made sure that the ill are attended to. Members of the SAPS have continued to serve and protect our communities. Teachers have continued to care for and educate our learners. Officials in government offices have ensured that our people continue to receive services.
We have learned many lessons from the pandemic. COVID-19 has exposed the chasms between the planning and execution of public service delivery; and the reality of government departments still working in silos when they should be working together in a seamless, development-orientated manner. At the same time, COVID-19 has shown us what is possible if we work in a coordinated manner and manage resources effectively and efficiently.
At the launch of last year’s Public Service Month, I made specific reference to the need for a new integrated model for service delivery that is responsive, adaptive and brings development to where it is needed most.
This adaptive service delivery model, or District Development Model, is exactly what the Batho Pele White Paper compels us to do: establish a citizen centred Public Service that is seamless, adaptive and responsive.
We call on public servants to be part of this process by identifying ways in which we can realise a public service focused on meeting the needs and advancing the interests of citizens.
Our commitment to building a state that is ethical, capable and above all developmental necessitates that civil servants see themselves not merely as state functionaries but as development workers.
Though we must continue in earnest with our task of rooting out those whose conduct makes them ill-suited for public service, we must at the same time acknowledge the vast majority are exemplary civil servants. They have kept us going.
One speaks here of the grandmother who is assisted when she receives her grant every month; the critically-ill patient in the public hospital who is nursed back to health by caring staff; the social worker who helps to keep families together; the vulnerable woman who is treated with dignity by a member of the South African Police Service; and the businessperson who receives their documentation at the Home Affairs office on time to travel to expand their business.
The professionalism of these hardworking, ethical and principled public servants keeps our country afloat, and their good work brings hope to our people.
At a time when shortcomings in the public service are amplified and bad news falls like an avalanche, we acknowledge our public servants of South Africa and their service.
It may be said that they are just doing what they are paid to do. But public service is a calling – one to which they have ably responded in order that the rights of all people in this country are fulfilled.
We are grateful to all our public servants and for all that they do.
With best regards,
President Cyril Ramaphosa
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
A year before the first democratic elections, President Nelson Mandela wrote an article in Foreign Policy magazine on the new South Africa’s future foreign policy.
Reflecting on the shifts in global alliances brought about by the end of the Cold War, he wrote that countries would have to “recast their nets” if they were to reap any benefit from international affairs.
Since the tectonic shift of 1994 when we made a decisive break with not just apartheid but the international relations outlook of its architects, South Africa’s foreign policy continues to be characterised by this “recasting the net”.
Our foreign policy priorities are regional political and economic integration, pursing African development, multilateral engagement and the promotion of democracy, peace and human rights.
To this end we have forged strategic alliances with both the countries of the Global South and mutually beneficial cooperation with the countries of the North.
Joining the BRICS group of countries in 2010 was a milestone in our quest to advance our own national development priorities by forging stronger ties with the important emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China.
Put into context, BRICS countries comprise roughly 41% of the world’s population and account for around 24% of global GDP and some 16% of global trade.
We have reaped the benefits of membership of this important bloc, most notably in the area of economic cooperation.
Bilateral trade has grown, particularly with China and India, with commodity exports and manufactured goods imports featuring strongly.
The BRICS countries continue to be important sources of foreign direct investment in key such as mining, automotive, transportation, clean energy, financial services and IT.
A 2018 review of our BRICS membership by professional services firm Deloitte noted that BRICS partners “invested three times more capital in the country compared to the seven years prior to 2011”. These investments and projects have in turn led to significant job creation.
Since the formation of the New Development Bank, whose regional office is located in Johannesburg, South Africa has been a beneficiary of financing and technical support for projects in transportation, clean energy, environmental protection, water infrastructure and greenhouse gas emissions reduction.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, South Africa has received $2 billion in funding from the New Development Bank under the COVID-19 Emergency Loan Programme to fight the pandemic and to support our economic recovery.
There has also been substantial cooperation with our BRICS partners in securing personal protective equipment and cooperation around vaccine access and distribution.
Last week we participated in the 13th BRICS Summit, where BRICS countries agreed to deepen cooperation to fight COVID-19 and mobilise the political support and financial resources needed to respond to future pandemic preparedness.
This includes the establishment of a virtual BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Centre and a BRICS Integrated Early Warning System to forecast future outbreaks of infectious diseases.
Another important area of agreement was on mutual recognition of national documents of vaccination and systems of COVID-19 testing – something that will be vital to cross-border travel in the future.
The concept of mutually beneficial cooperation will be particularly important in the global economic recovery, where unequal development means that some countries will bounce back quickly, while others will lag behind.
In support of economic recovery, BRICS partners agreed to strengthen collaboration in catalytic sectors such as energy, IT, science, technology and innovation, agriculture and the green economy. These are all important sectors identified in our Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan announced last year.
Cooperation with other BRICS countries, particularly in the field of innovation research, will help to accelerate our country’s industrialisation and help us meet our Fourth Industrial Revolution aspirations. In this regard, discussions were held around the creation of formal BRICS platforms to share best practice, knowledge and expertise, including the use of open source technology platforms.
The BRICS partners agreed that developing countries need assistance to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and that donor countries should honour their commitments in this regard.
This is particularly important within the context of climate action. Like most countries, South Africa seeks to move towards a low-carbon development path that is inclusive, sustainable and that takes into account our status as a developing country. The BRICS Energy Research Cooperation Platform will be valuable as we move to diversify our energy sources.
In the eleven years since we joined BRICS, our membership has substantially advanced our national interest. Being a member of BRICS has enhanced our position as an important emerging economy. It has given us access to policy and technical expertise of larger and established economies, as well as access to the support of the National Development Bank. It has strengthened our activism on the global stage, particularly around reform of multilateral institutions.
We have benefitted from being part of a collective voice striving to advance a world order based on mutual respect and the equal sovereignty of nations.
BRICS is of immense strategic importance to our country, and will continue to be so for some time to come.
With best regards,
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
Over the course of the three years since the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture started its work, we have heard of the lengths to which the perpetrators of corrupt acts have gone to conceal their misdeeds.
It has been an extremely complex undertaking to unravel the networks of influence that enabled corruption. Among other things, vast webs of front companies were established to move funds around and disguise payments made to politically-connected individuals.
The same patterns have been seen in a number of investigations into corruption being undertaken by the Special Investigating Unit, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, the NPA’s Investigating Directorate and others.
As these investigations progressed and the net began to close on implicated individuals, we have seen witnesses being threatened, their families intimidated, being forced into hiding, and even killed.
The murder of Babita Deokaran, a senior finance official in the Gauteng health department, is a stark reminder of the high stakes involved in our collective quest to remove this cancer from our society.
While we do not yet know the motive for her murder, she was a key witness in a SIU investigation into the procurement of personal protective equipment in the department.
The SAPS and the private security teams who apprehended seven suspects last week are to be commended for their work. The docket has been transferred to the Hawks, and the investigation will yield further information on why Ms Deokaran was murdered.
Regardless of the circumstances behind this tragedy, Ms Deokaran was a hero and a patriot. As are the legions of whistleblowers who, at great risk to themselves, help to unearth instances of misdeeds, maladministration, cronyism and theft.
Without their brave and principled interventions we would be unable to unmask those committing corruption. Though much focus in recent times has been on whistleblowers in the public sector, we also owe a debt of gratitude to those in the private sector whose actions receive less attention, but are equally important.
Whistleblowers are important guardians of our democracy. They raise the alarm against unethical acts and practices in government and organisations.
They speak out in good faith and with a reasonable expectation not only that action will be taken on their disclosures, but that they will be protected and not suffer victimisation or prejudice.
In South Africa there is extensive legislative protection for whistleblowers, including through the Protected Disclosures Act, Labour Relations Act, Companies Act, Protection against Harassment Act, and the Constitution itself.
In addition the Department of Justice and Correctional Services, working with other law-enforcement agencies, administers the Office of Witness Protection to provide support to vulnerable and intimidated witnesses in any judicial proceedings.
Entering witness protection is voluntary, and neither the SAPS nor the NPA can compel a witness to do so. Should a witness receive threats to their life or feel unsafe, they have to inform investigators and apply for admission to the programme. This successful programme has played a key role in securing successful prosecutions since its inception, particularly with regards to organised crime.
It is clear that as the fight against corruption gathers momentum, we need to urgently review our current approach not only to witness protection, but also to the broader protection of whistleblowers.
While numerous systems are in place to enable whistleblowers to report anonymously, we need to tighten up existing systems and provide greater support to those who publicly come forward with information.
As society, we need to identify where existing laws and policies are inadequate in protecting the livelihoods, reputations and safety of whistleblowers – and work together to address these.
The intent of the criminals who target whistleblowers is not only to silence particular individuals – it is also to send a message to other potential whistleblowers.
Day by day, brave South Africans like Babita Deokaran are standing firm that they will not be party to corruption and they are prepared to bear witness against it.
As the South African people we salute her and all the whistleblowers in the public and private sectors who are exposing corruption to the harshest of glares. They are doing so without expectation of acknowledgement or reward. Theirs is the highest form of public service.
We cannot let them down. We must, and we will, ensure that their disclosures result in prosecutions and do much more to ensure that they are protected from harm.
As South Africans, we want to send a strong a message that we will not be intimidated. Those behind the killing of witnesses and whistleblowers will be arrested and face the might of the law, as will all who are found guilty of the very corruption these assassins are trying to cover up.
With best regards,