Message of support by Deputy Minister for Public Service and
Administration, Ayanda Dlodlo for the International
Anti-corruption Day
Date: 10 December 2012
Programme Director Chairperson and members of the National Anti-Corruption
Forum Chairperson of the Public Service Commission Regional
Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime; Vice Chancellor of the University of South Africa
Ladies and Gentleman All protocol observed
It is my pleasure and honour to address you at this
important event as we celebrate the International
Anti-Corruption Day.
On 31 October 2003, the UN General Assembly adopted the
United Nations Convention against Corruption and requested
that the Secretary-General designate the United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime as secretariat for the
Convention’s Conference of States Parties.
The Assembly also designated 9 December as International
Anti-Corruption Day, to raise awareness of corruption and of
the role of the Convention in combating and preventing
corruption. The Convention entered into force in December
2005. South Africa signed the convention on 09 December 2003
and ratified it on 22 November 2004.
The ratification of the Convention meant that South Africa
as a member State is responsible for the obligations to:
• Promote and strengthen measures to prevent and combat
corruption;
• Promote, facilitate and support international cooperation
and technical assistance in the prevention of and fight
against
corruption, including in asset recovery; and
• Promote integrity, accountability and proper management of
public affairs and public property.
These obligations are not the responsibility of government
alone. The entire society has a role to play in the fight
against corruption. We have come together as the National
Anti-corruption Forum, representing different sectors of
society to fulfil the obligation to combat corruption in our
society. Central to the fight against corruption is a strong
commitment by all stakeholders. The concept of a
collaborative mechanism is not a bad idea at all. Let us
recommit ourselves as the NACF to work together to eradicate
corruption in our country.
We acknowledge that corruption is a global phenomenon that
basically affects all of us. We can no longer remain silent
about the threat posed by corruption on humanity. If it
means that every year we have to remind ourselves of the
problems caused by corruption, we shall do so with the hope
that the message will be heard by everyone and people will
change their attitude towards corruption.
Our country has lost an unquantifiable amount of money due
to corruption. This is money that could have been utilized
in programmes targeting poverty alleviation, service
delivery and the general upliftment of our people. Although
all of us are affected by corruption, the impact falls most
heavily on the poor who get deprived of their basic rights
and access to quality services. Therefore, it is the
responsibility for all of us to fight corruption.
When it comes to efforts to eradicate corruption, we have
had successes and failures. We shall not loose courage to
strengthen our measures to eradicate corruption. I am deeply
encouraged that despite a few setbacks here and there, we
have not retreated and hid(den) in despair. We are not going
to be despondent at the face of challenges we are
experiencing in the war against corruption. We all accept
that it is a difficult terrain of the battlefield but
nonetheless, it is not an insurmountable problem.
Corruption is compromising the gains we attained in our
endeavour to build a national democratic society. For us to
overcome corruption, we need to display the following
attributes at all levels of society:
- A collaborative approach cemented by will and commitment;
- A visionary leadership with a strong decision-making
acumen
- Honesty and integrity
- Fostering team work
- Intellectual stimulation
- Inspiring others to accomplish important tasks
- Creativity and innovation
Government is pleased to work with both local and
international partners in the fight against corruption. We
acknowledge the work done by the business sector,
particularly the initiatives to raise awareness about the
harmful effects of corruption in the business sector. I am
told that about 1500 business officials have undergone
training on anti-corruption and that young business
professionals are going through a mentorship programme on
business integrity. We also acknowledge the work done by the
Civil Society in their efforts to combat this scourge. We
are pleased by the establishment of the Corruption Watch
which is an important initiative to encourage whistleblowing.
The information portal on corruption by the Institute of
Security Studies is yet another progressive measure towards
ensuring clean and transparent governance. We urge and
support both business and civil society to continue in their
efforts to fight corruption in their respective sectors.
As government we still maintain that we have sound
anti-corruption framework inclusive of both strong
legislative and institutional mechanisms. It is important to
emphasize that the fight against corruption is ongoing and
as new manifestations of corruption are revealed it shows
gaps in the application of existing legislation and
policies.
As part of the UN Convention review process, South Africa
underwent a review in September 2012 on the on the
implementation of the Convention. The aim of the review was
to evaluate the progress made in implementing both Chapter 3
and 4 of the UN Convention. These chapters deal with
criminalization and law enforcement; and International
cooperation. The executive summary report has been released
by the UNODC and is now available. The report highlights the
following successes and best practices in the implementation
of the convention:
- South Africa has a detailed mechanism to facilitate
investigation of suspected cases of illicit enrichment by
public officials;
- The country has comprehensive conviction-based and
non-conviction-based forfeiture mechanism;
- South Africa has an established Committee on Extradition
to improve the effectiveness of extradition mechanism; and
- South Africa has utilized the UN Convention as a legal
framework to enforce law.
It is important to note that as nation we have achieved some
milestones in the implementation of United Nations
Convention against Corruption. This achievement
unfortunately is overshadowed by stories of corruption that
we often hear about on a daily basis. These stories
contribute towards the creation of a strong perception that
South Africa is very corrupt country. I must indicate that
this perception is based on real experiences. The evidence
gathered by the National Planning Commission demonstrates
high-levels of corruption that continue to undermine the
rule of law and hinder the state’s ability to achieve
development and socioeconomic transformation.
As we observe the International Anti-corruption Day here
today, every one of us must see the need to take action
against corruption. On behalf of government, I would like to
deliver this message of support for the joint international
campaign spearheaded by the United Nations Development
Programme and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The
Government of South Africa is in agreement with the UN that
we have to “ACT against corruption today”. In supporting
this campaign, this is what we have done:
• The Department of Public Service and Administration has
published the campaign banner on its website;
• The North West and Gauteng Governments have conducted
various activities in their communities to observe the
International
Anti-corruption Day;
• The ACT against corruption logo can be seen in various
publications and materials designed by government;
• The DPSA has also broadcasted a message on radio and
television to support this campaign.
Programme Director, we are aware that these are just
symbolic gestures by nonetheless they represent a strong
spirit against corruption. We shall continue in various ways
to curb corruption. Because we know that we do not have the
monopoly of wisdom on anti-corruption, we invite anyone to
assist us as we seek practical solutions to uproot
corruption in our society.
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