richard baloyi


State officials in legal trouble resign for better posts

Thursday, August 25, 2011 No Comments by Zelda

Laws governing the employment of municipal officials should be tightened to prevent the government from rehiring people accused of fraud, corruption, maladministration and mismanagement, according to Minister of Public Service and Administration Richard Baloyi.

Minister of Public Service and Administration, Richard Baloyi. Image courtesy of The Times.

Baloyi told The Times yesterday that he was concerned about the number of public servants hired by government departments after being suspended, fired or resigning from their government jobs after fraud and corruption accusations were made against them.

His comments follow an investigation by The Times that found that a number of government officials hopped from one department to another despite having left their previous job under a cloud.

The investigation revealed a trend: once an official is fingered for corruption, he is suspended pending an investigation and/or a disciplinary hearing. To avoid being found guilty, the official resigns and seeks another job in another department.

Said Baloyi: “The law should be tightened at local level.

“At provincial and national level, the law doesn’t allow people with a cloud hanging over their head to move.”

He said the Public Service Act had been amended to close these loopholes.

“Cadre deployment” has been used by the ANC to reward supporters and allies irrespective of their suitability for their position.

Spokesman for the Co-operative Governance Department Vuyelwa Qinga said: “In instances where there were unproved allegations, the view of the department would be that every citizen is regarded as innocent until [he has] been found, through a formal, legally permissible process, to be guilty.”

The Municipal Systems Amendment Act, she said, was a practical demonstration of the government’s resolve to prevent municipal employees who committed criminal offences in one municipality from being hired by another.

Paul Hoffman, director of the Institute for Accountability in Southern Africa, said the defence that people were “innocent until proven guilty” was nonsense.

Credit to: Times Live

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No pay for suspended officials, says Baloyi

Friday, December 10, 2010 No Comments by Zelda

Public Service Minister Richard Baloyi on Thursday criticised the practice of suspending officials suspected of wrongdoing on full pay, saying this needed to be stopped.

He said gone were the days when public servants only recited their code of conduct without internalising and making it their way of life.

Public servants needed to remember that their code of conduct made no room for corruption, he said at an International Anti-Corruption Day summit in Pretoria.

Three key things that needed to be addressed to ensure the government won the war against corruption included the manner in which cases were being investigated, discipline and strategic information management, he said.

Referring to the suspension of officials, he said: “We’ll make sure that it is taken care of and becomes a thing of the past.”

Baloyi said if need be they would go to Parliament to ensure that legislation to this effect was created.

Credit to: News 24

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Anti-corruption unit finally launched

Friday, November 26, 2010 No Comments by Zelda

The long talked-about corruption unit has finally been launched.

Government launched this special anti-corruption unit to investigate officials with undeclared business interests.

The unit forms part of a broader anti-corruption strategy for the public service which seeks to improve lines to report wrong-doing, as well as to protect whistleblowers and witnesses.

Launching the unit in Johannesburg on Thursday, Public Service and Administration Minister, Richard Baloyi, explained the unit will investigate officials doing business with government without disclosing their business interests, officials performing remunerative work outside the public service without permission and officials who solicit bribes in return for performing or not performing official duties as well as those receiving grants or benefits unlawfully.

“To effectively execute its functions, the unit has been divided into three divisions, the investigation, legal and disciplinary and strategic information management division,” said the minister.

He added that the new unit will operate in collaboration with existing institutions such as the Special Investigative Unit, the Auditor General, the Public Service Commission and National Treasury.

The unit will conduct, facilitate and coordinate the investigation of high profile cases and where necessary, refer investigation outcomes for corrective action to relevant authorities. It will also be responsible for conducting, coordinating and facilitating the management of disciplinary proceedings for high profile cases.

Added to this, the department has decided to screen all senior managers prior to their hiring to see if they have any conflicting business interests.

“Our stance is zero tolerance on corruption. We give priority in fighting corruption in the public service,” said Baloyi, adding that the establishment of the unit would in turn lead to a more efficient public service.

Responding to a question on anti-corruption units established in the provinces, Baloyi said the provincial units will work hand in hand with the new unit.

Last month, the public service commission recommended the establishment of an anti-corruption unit in the public service because a lack of coordination, non-compliance and integration was hampering the effective rooting out of corruption in government departments.

Credit to: BuaNews

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1.3m employees in public service

Thursday, November 25, 2010 No Comments by Zelda

There are almost 1.3 million public servants employed within South Africa’s national and provincial governments, Public Service and Administration Minister Richard Baloyi said on Wednesday.

In a written reply to a parliamentary question, he said national government employed 391,922 people, and the nine provincial governments a total of 891,430 people.

Of the total 1,283,352 government employees, 10,598 were senior managers, 20,996 “middle” managers, and 1,251,758 served at a “non-management service level”.

Among the provinces, the KwaZulu-Natal government employed the most public servants (187,673), followed by Gauteng (150,303). The Eastern Cape government has 146,714 public servants, while the Western Cape employs 77,820.

Credit to: Times Live

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Underperforming officials won’t be tolerated

Wednesday, October 13, 2010 No Comments by Zelda

Underperforming government officials have been given a stern warning to get their act together.

Public Service and Administration Minister Richard Baloyi Tuesday said government would not stand for unsatisfactory performance from officials.

“This administration will not tolerate officials who do not want to do their work and yet get paid every month,” the minister said.

Speaking at the Public Protector Commonwealth Good Governance conference in Pretoria, Baloyi said government would not become a refuge for lazy people.

“Those who are entrusted with the responsibility and privilege of public service should exercise that with seriousness and humility… They should always remember that they are there to serve the people. If they fail, they should be held to account,” he said.

Ministers and other stakeholders are in the process of signing delivery agreements, which will hold them to various commitments to bring services to the people. The agreements are detailed and provide descriptions of key activities – who needs to do what, by when and the resources needed to deliver on a particular service delivery outcome. (see the full story here.)

Baloyi said the signing of agreements was part of government’s plan to do things differently.

“The steps we have taken mark the beginning of a journey towards good governance and improved government performance… For the first time, people will be judged against clear indicators whether they have done their jobs or not,” he said.

Credit to: BuaNews

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