Officials to face firing for trading with state

Bhisho officials told to come clean about being in business.

EIGHT Bhisho legislature employees who were made to sign final written warnings last month after being found to be trading with the state without approval, could soon find themselves in hot water.

Legislature has given the officials until Friday to cease doing business with the state or seek the necessary approval from the institution’s authorities – failing which they face internal disciplinary processes and could be fired.

Secretary to the legislature Phumelele Ndamase yesterday confirmed “follow-up letters” were served to affected employees last Friday, giving them until November 15 to cease trading without approval, “or face the consequences”.

The legislature is implementing provincial government policy of forbidding any civil servant from doing business with the state without approval from their respective accounting officers.

The letters state clearly that if they fail to meet Friday’s deadline and are caught committing the same offence, they would be subjected to a hearing and could be fired.

“The nature of the misconduct is to fail to submit a declaration of business interest and therefore failure to disclose ownership of a company or companies.

“You may have done work outside your employment without obtaining permission from your employer. You further failed to heed instructions made on two occasions for you to declare your business interests.

“Should you engage in further similar transgressions, it could lead to formal misconduct proceedings being instituted against you. This may lead to a more serious sanction being considered,” the letter read.

Ndamase said the eight officials who failed to disclose ownership or involvement in private companies, include a senior manager and “other lower ranking officials”.

While three confirmed receipt of the ultimatum, but refused to comment on the matter, others could not be reached yesterday.

Ndamase said they were identified earlier this year by provincial treasury as doing business without approval, with treasury pleading for action if they don’t obtain approval or cease trading.

“We must be seen as taking a bold step into phasing this out. We must not allow willy-nilly for government employees to own businesses because those people are conflicted as they are the same people who are taking decisions on which side tenders must go.

“If they are business people themselves, we are facing a serious challenge which could lead to us failing to root out corruption in government,” said Ndamase.

National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union provincial secretary Xolani Malamlela yesterday welcomed the move, saying government employees and senior political office bearers should be prohibited from doing business without approval.

Malamlela, however, said there should be “clear-cut legislation” preventing such practice and that the legislation should cut across all government employees.

“It should not be directed at some officials and ignore others, especially those in positions of power and political office-bearers as they are as guilty of trading with government as everyone,” Malamlela said. —