SCOPA says vetting of State employees should be prioritised

15 October 2019

The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) is deeply concerned with the lack of enforcement of the law when it comes to the vetting of officials of government and state-owned enterprises. There is a 2014 Cabinet Resolution that dictates that all supply chain management (SCM) officials must be vetted, but there are still government departments and state-owned enterprises that refuse to have their employees vetted. This refusal leaves the state vulnerable to crime, fraud and mismanagement of state funds.

The committee has also been informed that of the 121 employees at Eskom, only 21 have complied with the vetting process. This is a state-owned entity that is plagued with problems, particularly in the area of SCM.

Of the applications before the State Security Agency (SSA) for vetting in the SCM sector, only 48% have been completed. As Scopa is a committee committed to fighting corruption and instituting consequence management, it believes that it is imperative that vetting of officials be prioritised.

The lack of enforcement of vetting outcomes sometimes can have dire consequences. The committee heard today from the SSA that even though it informed the South African Post Office that the official who confessed to the rape and murder of Ms Uyinene Mrwetyana had a criminal record, the Post Office decided to retain the employee regardless.  

The committee will monitor the measures taken to deal with SSA’s backlog in vetting through SSA quarterly reports. The SAA anticipates it will have completed the process by September 2020.

Issued by Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of chairperson of SCOPA, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, 15 October 2019