It is criminal for public service workers to do business with the state, but the number of those caught doing so seems not to scratch the surface of the extent of corruption in the state.
The government has been battling for decades to curb the practice of its employees doing business with the state, with few ending up in the courts. Hoogenraad-Vermaak provided the figures in a presentation to parliament’s public service & administration portfolio committee on Wednesday. A public servant could be the ultimate beneficiary of a contract but not be registered as a director.
He recommended that the central supplier database be expanded to include the department of public service & administration and the data on government employees “to ensure optimum screening of directors prior to the awarding of tenders”.