The Minister for the Public Service and Administration, Ms Ayanda Dlodlo said the reason the Western Cape Provincial Government was able to conduct lifestyle audits within months of announcing the audits during the 2019 State of the Province Address, was because the province appointed a service provider to help them with conducting the lifestyle audits.
In clarifying why the national government should not be blamed for the slow implementation of the lifestyle audits, Minister Dlodlo said the DPSA had to embark on a process of preparing policies and legislation before implementing lifestyle audits.
“The key difference is that the DPSA opted to prepare policies and to develop its own system so that lifestyle audits can sustainably be conducted as part of an integrated departmental ethics management process.
“In order for the public service to be able to conduct lifestyle audits, it had to prepare the legislative environment and adopt the required policies and systems that would make lifestyle audits effective,” she said.
This included the following:
- The setting of clear behavioural standards outlined in a Code of Conduct.
- The adoption of conflict of interest laws for public service employees.
- The adoption of ethics infrastructure at departmental level to support ethics management.
- The adoption of whistle blowing reporting structures and policies and assurance that those who report corruption and unethical conduct will be protected under the law.
- The compulsory disclosure of financial status for public service employees.
According to the Minister, the above elements were provided for in the Public Service Regulations that were amended in 2016 and is regarded as essential for an effective lifestyle audit regime.
After amendment of the Public Service Regulations, 2016, the necessary systems and processes had to be developed and implemented, with some requiring the adoption of directives, determinations and guides.
“The proclamation of the Public Administration Ethics, Integrity and Disciplinary Technical Assistance Unit (PAEIDTAU) by the President in 2019 provided the necessary structure to coordinate, monitor and support the implementation of lifestyle audits on national and provincial level.
With structures, systems and policies in place, the next step was to prioritise the training of role players.
“This required the development of training material. With that completed, the actual training of Ethics Officers started in 2021, with the assistance of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Bank and the Canadian Government funded Strengthening of Ethics and Integrity Project (SEIP).
“Training will continue for Ethics Officers and departmental investigators.
“All of the above activities required time, and as such the Public Service became ready to implement lifestyle audits from April 2021, when the Guide on implementing lifestyle audits in the public service was adopted and implementation of lifestyle audits became compulsory.
“As the system and processes are integrated in the management of ethics, lifestyle audits will become a normal part of the work of departments,” she said.
Number of vacant posts
Minister Dlodlo said as per data taken from PERSAL, the total number of vacancies in the public service stood at 164 661 as at end of quarter 3 of the 2021/2022 financial year (31 December 2021).In terms of section 3(7) of the Public Service Act, 1994, the recruitment and filling of vacant posts within a department is the responsibility of the relevant Executive Authority.
“The MPSA and DPSA continue to support departments through policy and setting of Norms and standards in order to efficiently fill vacancies within the parameters of the legislative framework.
“Regular status reports are also shared with Heads of Department through FOSAD and Cabinet Committees,” she said.
