Keynote address by the Minister for Public Service and
Administration, Mr Senzo Mchunu at the Commemoration of
International Anti- Corruption Day, Held at UNISA Senate
Hall, Pretoria
09 December 2019
Programme Director, Professor Somadoda Fikeni
Chairperson of the Public Service Commission, Advocate
Richard Sizani
United Nations Resident Coordinator, Ms N Bekele-Thomas
Unisa Principal and Vice Rector, Professor Mandla Makhanya
Co-Chairperson of National Anti-Corruption Strategy, Messrs
Robert McBride and D. Lewis
Introduction
The commemoration of International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD)
takes place at an appropriate time in our country as we are
recommitting ourselves to fighting corruption, which is fast
becoming one of the impediments to our march towards
consolidating and basking in the glory brought about by
democracy in 1994. The IACD is celebrated annually on 9
December in recognition of the United Nations Convention
Against Corruption (UNCAC), which was signed in Mexico in
2003. South Africa is one of the signatories to the
Convention and ratified it in 2004. Basically, this means
that all our anti-corruption legislation must fall in line
with UNCAC. This year’s theme is ‘United Against
Corruption: Building a Culture of Accountability for
Sustainable Development.’
Impact of corruption
Transparency International describes corruption as ‘the
abuse of entrusted power for private gain.’ It further
states that corruption:
- is a major obstacle to democracy and the rule of
law, as offices and institutions lose their legitimacy
when they are misused for private advantage
- depletes national wealth
- corrodes the social fabric of society
- results in environmental degradation
Sustainable Development Goal 16 commits government to
substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their
forms. Chapter 14 of the National Development Plan (NDP)
commits the country to a set of nation building goals to
engender the knowledge of the Constitution and foster
the values contained in it.
Our drive towards cleansing the State off
corruption
In his State of the Nation Address, President Cyril
Ramaphosa outlined seven priorities for this Sixth
Administration, which are:
- Economic transformation and job creation
- Education, skills and health
- Consolidating the social wage through reliable
and quality basic services
- Spatial integration, human settlements and local
government
- Social cohesion and safe communities
- A capable, ethical and developmental state
- A better Africa and World
The NDP provides a renewed impetus to corruption
fighting efforts. The fight against corruption
started occupying a prominent space on the country’s
agenda in 1997, with the adoption of the Code of
Conduct for the Public Service that serves as a
guideline to Public Service employees.
The reality of the matter is that fighting
corruption is one of the most daunting tasks, as it
manifests itself in different forms. We therefore
need to have a dynamic and continuous approach.
Corruption affects all sectors of society, hence the
Government invited the business sector and civil
society to the first National Anti-corruption Summit
in 1999, which led to the formation of the National
Anti-Corruption Forum (NACF) in 2001. The NACF is a
coalition formed between civil society, business and
government with the aim of driving the national
anti-corruption campaign, whose obecjtives, among
others, are to contribute towards the establishment
of a national consensus through the coordination of
sectoral strategies against corruption and to advise
government on the implementation of strategies to
combat corruption.
It is concerning though that the intended good work
of the NACF has not been executed since 2012, which
is a period within which we have seen the marked
increase of corruption in our country. The
Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA)
and the Public Service Commission (PSC), from the
side of Government, are the drivers of the NACF. The
rationale for an overarching National
Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) is to rejuvenate a
national dialogue and direct energy towards
practical mechanisms to reduce corruption and
improve ethical practice across sectors and amongst
citizens in South Africa.
We also need to support coordination between
government, business and civil society efforts to
reduce corruption and improve accountability and
ethical practice. Former Minister in the Presidency,
Mr Jeff Radebe, launched the NACS Discussion
Document in May 2017. This was followed by extensive
public participation campaign in 2018 and 2019 with,
among others, consultation sessions held in all nine
provinces. Among other roleplayers consulted
included Nedlac, business and civil society. Written
inputs were also received from Corruption Watch (CW),
Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) and Open
Democracy Advice Centre (ODAC). Draft NACS comprises
a strategy document, implementation plan and
monitoring and evaluation framework.
The development of the NACS has since generated a
lot of interest and support from all sectors,
including the UN, which provided funding thereof.
We are so determined to ensure that we fight
corruption with all our resources and might. Already
we are beginning to see some arrests and
prosecutions, including that of people holding
senior positions in Government. This is a result of
the hard work done by our law enforcement agencies
to ensure that all those who broke the law do
account for their actions. We owe it to the millions
of South Africans who feel cheated and treated with
disdain. The outcry among citizens is that nothing
is being done and, as a people-centred Government,
we cannot ignore such perceptions. I want to assure
them that a lot is being done and results thereof
will soon be visible as most of the investigations
currently happening will be put on the court roll.
There is also a lot of good work done by commissions
of inquiry into the affairs of the Public Investment
Commission (PIC) and Commission on State Capture,
chaired by Deputy Chief Justice, Raymond Zondo,
among others. We just want to ensure that we leave
no stone unturned in uprooting corruption in our
country.
In that vein, one welcomes the picket by mainly
civil society organisations to voice their
unhappiness about the perceived slow pace of dealing
with state capture and corruption. Such activism is
necessary to ensure that we good jealousy our
hard-won democracy and constantly conscientise those
in authority that they are not serving themselves,
but the people.
We need to improve our standing globally
According to Transparency International’s Corruption
Perceptions Index 2018, South Africa scored 43
points out of 100 in terms of public sector
corruption, with 0 indicating highly corrupt and 100
very clean. This is very worrying, hence President
Ramaphosa declared in SONA that:
‘We need to ensure that public money stolen is
returned and used to deliver services and much
needed basic infrastructure to the poorest
communities.’
Fighting corruption is not an easy task, as those
who are beneficiaries are also fighting back and
will do anything possible to ensure that they do not
account for their actions. Sometimes whistleblowers
are victimised, with some losing their jobs,
business contracts and, in certain instances, their
lives. However, we should not be deterred, but form
a united front, working with law enforcement
agencies. We must forge a partnership of
anti-corruption crusaders and reclaim our country
from greedy, self-serving individuals. We cannot
allow a minority of criminals to dictate the agenda
of multitudes of good-willed South Africans.
In the words of former President Nelson Mandela:
‘Those who conduct themselves with morality,
integrity and consistency need not fear the forces
of inhumanity and cruelty.’
16 Days of No Violence Against Women and Children
On the 25th of November, President Ramaphosa
launched the 16 Days of No Violence Against Women
and Children campaign, which ends on the 10th of
December. As a society, we should make this a 365
days campaign. This period is just for highlighting
the campaign’s importance. As a country, we are not
doing well in ensuring that women and children are
safe. As Government, we are issuing a stern warning
and have demonstrated our resolve to punishing this
abhorrant behaviour of ill-treating the vulnerable.
We are handing down heavy sentences to
transgressors, but we encourage communities to work
with us by helping in curbing the behaviour. We must
socialise our boys and make them understand that
women are human beings like them, deserving of human
rights as well. Communities must also understand
that domestic violence is not a private matter. It
must be prevented, stopped and reported to
authorities.
Festive season
Very soon, we will be entering the festive season.
There is a lot of anti-social behaviour that gets
associated with this period. It is against this
background that one implores all of us to be
considerate on the roads. Please do not drive under
the influence of alcohol because you will cause
accidents that could result in loss of lives and
serious injuries. However, our law-enforcement
agencies are ready to ensure that those who
trangress receive the punishment they deserve.
People must also not abuse alcohol, even if they are
not driving. Let us have fun, but not at the expense
of human lives and morality.
Conclusion
I therefore take this opportunity and congratulate
the PSC for holding such an important occasion. The
fight against corruption should be carried out
tirelessly, as criminals are always plotting new
ways of carrying out their evil deeds.
Let me also wish you all the best during the festive
period and a Happy New Year. May you use this period
to strengthen relations with families and all your
loved ones and come back next year rejuvinated to
continue with the tasks of making our country a
better place to live in.
I thank you!
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