Page 20 - Service Delivery Review

2022 Public Service Ethics Survey

Government’s Anti-Graft

Programme Gains Ground

Similarly, the impact of corruption on service delivery
The launch of the latest Public Sector is well-documented, and the need to ground the
Ethics Survey provides an opportunity Public Service in ethical conduct has been routinely
to share and reflect on the progress recommended.
made in the management of ethics
within Government, reports Dr. Salmon A footprint of ethics officers
Hoogenraad-Vermaak, who heads the
Public Administration Ethics, Integrity and An essential part of the institutionalisation of ethics in
Disciplinary Technical Assistance Unit the Public Sector was the launch in 2015 of the first
(TAU), at the DPSA, in this edited version Ethics Officers’ Forum. The Ethics Officers’ Forum
th
of his speech. marked its 7 anniversary in 2022 and has been
consistently hosted annually, except for 2020, due to
Covid-19 restrictions. To date, there are 159 Ethics
That a whole week of the annual Public Service Officers in 41 National Departments, two government
Month (PSM) programme was devoted to engaging components, and 325 Ethics Officers in 113 Provincial
in ethics signalled the attention that anti-corruption is Departments.
receiving across Government. Around the same time,
the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Ethics Officers are the footprint of the DPSA’s
Advocate Shamila Batohi, made the statement that Technical Assistance Unit (TAU) in departments.
“one cannot investigate and prosecute [one’s way] They are directly responsible for driving the ethics
out of corruption” while speaking at the introduction programmes of the Government. In addition to their
of the Local Government Anti-Corruption Strategy. “normal jobs”, Ethics Officers are also in charge of
In other words, investigations and prosecutions various activities that are aimed at institutionalising
are mere tools in the fight against corruption in the ethics in their respective departments. Ethics Officers
Public Sector. Consequently, the tools should not are, therefore, the first line of defence against the
be misconstrued with systemic and sustainable corroding effects of corruption on the ability to deliver
interventions, such as the institutionalisation of ethics services.
in government.

Ethics matter across the board The critical role that ethics officers play in
implementing the norms and standards set out by TAU
In Advocate Batohi’s words, ethics should permeate is credited for public servants’ uptake and coverage
all aspects of the work of Government and inform of the eDisclosure of financial interests. Currently, the
the kind of ideas generated and the projects and compliance rate for Senior Management Service level
innovations adopted. For example, the need to staff stands at 98%. The process comprehensively
“revise and revitalise” the Batho Pele Strategy includes capturing and verifying resubmitted financial
identified during PSM would come to naught without disclosures, managing remunerative work outside the
a sound ethical foundation in the Public Service.
Public Service and undertaking lifestyle audits.

20 SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW | Volume 15 • No. 2 of 2022/2023