DA to table bill on state employees
2013-02-26 18:19
Cape Town - The DA will submit a bill in Parliament to
regulate the business interests of state employees, the party announced on
Tuesday.
"This long-standing DA policy has already been
introduced by the DA-led government in the Western Cape through provincial
treasury regulations," DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko told journalists
at Parliament.
It was essential that it be extended to the entire country
so that the fight against corruption in the public service was effective, she
said.
Much of government corruption was the result of public
servants and politicians starting or becoming major shareholders in companies
which did business with the state, she said.
"We support National Planning Minister Trevor
Manuel’s recent statement that no public servant should be able to do business
with government. There should be consequences for those civil servants that
benefit from state contracts."
The DA's draft bill sought, among other things, to ban
government employees and their families from directly or indirectly holding
more than 5% of shares, stock, membership, or other interests in an entity
doing business with the government, unless approval was given by the relevant
minister in accordance with certain criteria set out in the bill.
The legislation would ensure that, before the government
entered into any contract with an entity for the sale, lease, or supply of
goods and services, the entity should provide an affidavit disclosing whether
it was owned or part-owned by government employees.
It would further require that all government employees
disclose their business interests at prescribed intervals, in the same way that
members of the Cabinet already did, she said.
Manuel hinted strongly last week that Finance Minister
Pravin Gordhan would address the issue of government's supply chain management
during his budget speech in the National Assembly on Wednesday.
- SAPA
