MPs on parliament’s financial watchdog committee say they have grown tired of officials using the public purse as “pocket money” and are cracking down hard on corruption and waste.
The Auditor General’s office estimates that corruption cost government R46 billion in the last year‚ up from a previous estimate of around R30 billion.
Addressing the media on Tuesday‚ standing committee on public accounts (SCOPA) chair Themba Godi said that this included having members of the Hawks and the anti-corruption task team attend meetings since October so that any instances of criminal wrongdoing could be referred directly to them.
“We are no longer waiting for heads of department to go to the police with wrongdoing‚ we have made them part and parcel of our meetings.”
Godi said the committee had resolved that it was no longer business as usual.
“We resolved that the fight for good governance and accountability should be moved to parliament where it rightfully belongs. Parliament has to ensure that the work of its committees is not just a mere annual ritual but does have an impact on how the executive account‚” he said‚
He said since October‚ SCOPA hearings had specifically focused on fruitless‚ wasteful and irregular expenditure.
“Our main mandate is to protect the public purse‚” he said.
And he said that since the arrangement started‚ specific cases had been identified for referral to the Hawks‚ among them cases in the Department of International Relations and Cooperation‚ one in the Department of Basic Education and potential cases in the South African Social Security Agency.
They were also looking at several cases that The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) had told the committee they had referred to the Hawks.
He said they would also be looking at the “financial health” of institutions and focusing on government employees doing business with departments.
Godi said that they had also built relationships with the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and Treasury officials in a bid to have them focus on these areas.
He said that in January they would hold hearings with the anti-corruption task team to establish what is being investigated and how.
Treasury would also be called to give a briefing on their investigations into state owned entities Denel‚ Eskom‚ Transnet‚ Prasa‚ and the SABC.
ANC MP Nthabiseng Khunou said: “We want to show that we mean business. The fiscus is not officials’ pocket money. Our people are suffering.”
And she added that while SCOPA resolutions were debated in the house‚ they were seldom implemented afterwards.
“MPs got frustrated. We wanted to see consequences‚” she said.
ANC MP Nyami Booi said that a “sudden” increase in the cost of corruption from R30 billion to R46 billion showed that consequences were “crucial”.
We're tired of officials using the public purse as 'pocket money' say MPs
MPs on parliament’s financial watchdog committee say they have grown tired of officials using the public purse as “pocket money” and are cracking down hard on corruption and waste.
The Auditor General’s office estimates that corruption cost government R46 billion in the last year‚ up from a previous estimate of around R30 billion.
Addressing the media on Tuesday‚ standing committee on public accounts (SCOPA) chair Themba Godi said that this included having members of the Hawks and the anti-corruption task team attend meetings since October so that any instances of criminal wrongdoing could be referred directly to them.
“We are no longer waiting for heads of department to go to the police with wrongdoing‚ we have made them part and parcel of our meetings.”
Godi said the committee had resolved that it was no longer business as usual.
“We resolved that the fight for good governance and accountability should be moved to parliament where it rightfully belongs. Parliament has to ensure that the work of its committees is not just a mere annual ritual but does have an impact on how the executive account‚” he said‚
He said since October‚ SCOPA hearings had specifically focused on fruitless‚ wasteful and irregular expenditure.
“Our main mandate is to protect the public purse‚” he said.
And he said that since the arrangement started‚ specific cases had been identified for referral to the Hawks‚ among them cases in the Department of International Relations and Cooperation‚ one in the Department of Basic Education and potential cases in the South African Social Security Agency.
They were also looking at several cases that The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) had told the committee they had referred to the Hawks.
He said they would also be looking at the “financial health” of institutions and focusing on government employees doing business with departments.
Godi said that they had also built relationships with the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and Treasury officials in a bid to have them focus on these areas.
He said that in January they would hold hearings with the anti-corruption task team to establish what is being investigated and how.
Treasury would also be called to give a briefing on their investigations into state owned entities Denel‚ Eskom‚ Transnet‚ Prasa‚ and the SABC.
ANC MP Nthabiseng Khunou said: “We want to show that we mean business. The fiscus is not officials’ pocket money. Our people are suffering.”
And she added that while SCOPA resolutions were debated in the house‚ they were seldom implemented afterwards.
“MPs got frustrated. We wanted to see consequences‚” she said.
ANC MP Nyami Booi said that a “sudden” increase in the cost of corruption from R30 billion to R46 billion showed that consequences were “crucial”.
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