Tackling corruption to uphold human rights
Thirty years into democracy, public servants remain at the forefront of protecting and prioritising the human rights of our citizens through ethical and efficient service delivery.
Last month, we celebrated Human Rights Month under the theme; “Three Decades of Respect for and Promotion of Human Rights”. We, as public servants, should keep in mind that we are responsible for the fulfilment of these rights. Let us uphold and administer the Constitution, deepen constitutional democracy, and continue promoting the values of human dignity, equality and the advancement of human rights and freedom.
One way of ensuring that we uphold human rights is through fighting corruption. While government is committed to eradicating corruption by 2030, South Africa scored 41 out of 100 in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released in January 2023. The index showed South Africa as one of 23 countries that stumbled into the category of flawed democracies.
To reverse the country’s CPI score, the country commenced with implementation of the recommendations from the State Capture Commission, and is strengthening the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), a bill is before Parliament and allocation of resources is being considered amongst other important activities.
During the 2024 State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa noted that while state capture caused damage to our democracy, South Africans, including many honest and dedicated public officials, fought back and worked together to avert what could have been a bigger damage.
Government continues to strengthen the fight against corruption. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU), a critical component in the fight against corruption is hard at work. In its 2023/24 Annual Report, the agency reports that it has recovered R436 million in money and assets, R5.9 billion in potential cash and securing commitments in the form of acknowledgement of debts from various service providers, that the State lost due to corruption.
In addition, the Special Tribunal, which has a statutory mandate to
recover public funds syphoned from the fiscus through corruption, fraud and illicit money flows, ensures that SIU cases are resolved faster. In just three years, 54 cases have been lodged with the contract value of R9.9 billion.
The NPA has established an investigating directorate to fight corruption and other serious crimes. Great progress has been made in bringing those responsible for state capture to justice with more than 200 accused persons prosecuted and more under investigation.
Freezing orders of R14 billion have also been granted to the NPA’s Asset Forfeiture Unit for state capture-related cases, and around R8.6 billion in corrupt proceeds have been returned to the State.
As public servants, we are expected to continue with the trajectory of leading by example, embedding sound governance and controls, and rooting out corruption in the work we do.
This can be done by building capability for effective management and retaining people with scarce and critical skills, thereby strengthening the State’s employee value proposition and shift the culture of the public sector.
Restoring the rights of South Africans and ensuring adequate services are delivered remains key. To this effect, government is committed to end load shedding. Plans include gaining substantial new power through private investments, implementing a major debt relief package to enable Eskom to enhance maintenance and transmission infrastructure, and connecting more than 2 500 megawatts of solar and wind power to the grid with the Renewable Energy Programme.
Efforts to secure water supply and diversifying water sources are underway with bulk water projects under construction across the country. This aims to improve water supply, providing clean drinkable and reliable water to millions of residents in villages, towns and cities.
Social grants reach almost nine million unemployed people every month, restoring their dignity and ensuring that their rights to access basic services are met. These grants and subsidies do much more than give people what they need to live – with some beneficiaries having used them to start businesses. These grants are an investment in the future, especially given that a huge number of beneficiaries are children.
As we celebrate 30 years of democracy, we must adhere to the Constitution and its promise of a better life, and fulfil government’s commitment of leaving no one behind. ❖