Johnathan Paoli
Minister in The Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said the Cabinet has approved eight out of the 14 new legislative amendments identified in the implementation plan as part of the implementation of the recommendations from the State Capture Commission.
Ntshavheni on Thursday briefed the media on the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting held the previous day and said the approved legislative amendments address areas such as public procurement, the involvement of politicians in administrative matters, the conduct of public servants, the intelligence services, money laundering and electoral reforms.
“Work is also continuing to ensure those responsible for state capture are held to account,” Ntshavheni said.
This follows on remarks made by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his latest newsletter earlier this month on how to prevent state capture now and in the future.
President Ramaphosa said that in addition to the eight amendments, six draft laws are in the process of public consultation with stakeholders.
Ramaphosa added that further research was being done on some of the recommendations of the state capture commission, such as making the abuse of political power a criminal offence, as well as the establishment of additional anti-corruption bodies in conjunction with the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council.
In May this year, the government introduced the Public Procurement Bill to parliament, in an attempt to shift away from the current decentralised procurement system to a framework in which all entities will fall under the Public Finance Management and the Municipal Finance Management acts.
The Bill seeks to establish a new Public Procurement Office, responsible for ensuring procurement integrity, promoting standardisation in procurement and having oversight of the implementation of the Bill.
“These are just some of the actions that have been taken to give effect to the government’s comprehensive and far-reaching response to the findings of the State Capture Commission. In the coming months, many of the processes underway will be completed and much more progress will be recorded,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa added that the new State-Owned Enterprises Bill will improve the oversight, transparency and accountability of SOEs, as well as ensuring state protection and legal fees support for whistle-blowers.
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