PRETORIA, May 15 (NNN-SA NEWS) — Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Jeff Radebe has called on South Africans to take part in the consultations of the Anti-Corruption Discussion Document Strategy which was launched on Sunday.
Addressing a media briefing here at the launch of the strategy, Radebe encouraged South Africans to become part of the process which would set the country on the road towards building a system which would result in a corruption-free South Africa.
Please actively contribute your thoughts, opinions and voices to ensure that together we can stop corruption. The responsibility to fight the scourge of corruption does not lie in government only. We need everyone to . fight this problem, he added.
Radebe said fighting corruption was one of the major priorities of the South African government which has numerous agencies and institutions, as well as many dedicated public servants and law-enforcers working towards ridding the country of corruption and corrupt people.
The launch of the discussion document by the Anti-Corruption Inter-Ministerial Committee (ACIMC) was aimed at kick-starting a much wider consultation process to ensure all South African Citizens through their various organized formations play their part towards building a resilient anti-corruption system as contemplated in the National Development Plan (NDP).
The public will also be able to provide written inputs and comments through electronic platforms.
Meanwhile, the government has made progress in the fight against corruption as the number of persons convicted for high priority matters stands at 66. These high priority cases consist of those matters in which potential corruption per case is to the value of 5.0 million Rand (about 374,000 US dollars) and above, Radebe said.
He noted that President Jacob Zuma had also signed 31 proclamations empowering the Special Investigative Unit (SIU) under the Presidency to investigate serious malpractices, maladministration and corruption in connection with the administration of State Institutions and to take appropriate and effective civil action.
During the period under reference, the value money and assets recovered totalled about R230 million while the value of the potential loss prevented came close to 1.4 billion Rand. Furthermore, the value of contracts and/or administrative decisions set aside or deemed invalid was close to 4.6 billion Rand. The SIU has also referred certain matters for the institution or defence/opposition civil proceedings. The quantum of these matters is approximately R5 billion, Radebe said.
The government has also established the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer (OCPO) in order to modernize and consolidate the State’s fragmented legislative framework for procurement and supply chain management. This has contributed to the strengthening of accountability through focused governance monitoring and compliance arrangements; using technology smartly to reduce red tape, bringing efficiency and effectiveness in the procurement process; and establishing strategic procurement principles.
Since its establishment, the OCPO has taken bold steps to curb waste, leakages, wrong doing and corruption. Notable achievements recorded since 2014 are the development of Public Procurement Bill (PPB) which aims to modernize the public procurement and Supply Chain Management (SCM) function by consolidating a legal framework applicable to the public sector and to facilitate broader reforms,” he said.
Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK