In mid-February 2021, the committee was informed by the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) that whilst the Provincial Departments of Health; Education and Sports Development; Police, Roads and Transport; Social Development; and Treasury - spread out between the Free State and North West - have seen a significant decline in the number of employees registered on the Central Supplier Database (CSD) doing business with the state, the departments have not accounted to DPSA as of January 2021 on the issue.

At the end of January 2021, the number of public servants doing business with the state stood at 13 and 25 in North West and the Free State respectively. This is down from 40 and 93 in 2020.

There is no telling what the effect was the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the numbers presented before parliament, however, the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration has expressed its concern at the prevailing issue.

In comparison, three Northern Cape government departments have informed DPSA that they have initiated investigations into employees who have between 2019 and early 2021 conducted business with the state.

The provincial departments of Health, Social Development, as well as Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs in this province are at varying stages of their respective investigations into the matter. Eleven cases at the provincial Department of Health are at the disciplinary process level, whilst the Department of Social Development has issued two of its employees with instructions to deregister from the Central Supplier Database (CSD).

This database serves as the source of all supplier information for varying organs of the state.

Over the 2019/20 financial year, the Public Service Commission identified seven possible cases of senior government officials in the Free State inappropriately doing business with the state. The Public Service Commissioner in the province, Henk Boshoff, told OFM News that these cases span across six different departments. Boshoff said at the time that the ramifications of being found guilty of contravening this law, include dismissal and the possibility of criminal charges being instituted against the government official in question. 

OFM News