Sowetan Reporter

Sowetan Reporter

The DA is proposing amendments to regulations guiding the acceptance of gifts to public servants.

The move follows the receipt of a R1,1million Mercedes Benz gift by Transport Minister S'bu Ndebele from a group of business people. He has since returned the gift.

This week the government announced that it would review its code of ethics "to give politicians proper guidance on how to avoid similar situations in the future that could create wrong perceptions".

Yesterday the DA's Ian Davidson, pictured, announced that when Parliament reconvenes next month his party would table a private members' bill to amend the Public Service Act.

The amendment was aimed at providing watertight guidelines on post-employment receipt of gifts for public servants, said Davidson.

"We will also be making a submission to Parliament's Joint Ethics Committee to amend the code of conduct for members of the executive in terms of the Executive Members' Ethics Act."

This is the code of ethics in terms of which cabinet ministers are expected to declare their gift and seek permission from the president if they want to keep them for personal use.

"The purpose of our private members' bill is to introduce a sanction on post-employment gifts for senior public servants for at least two years, in order to avoid the possibility of improper influence.

" We will propose the inclusion of a similar clause in the code of ethics for members of the executive."