Top PSC Officials Found Guilty Of Fraud, Corruption

Top Public Service Commission (PSC) officials have been found guilty of fraud and corruption, among other damning findings, in an investigation report commissioned by the Office of the State Attorney.

In January, a report by the Sunday Independent alleged that the commission’s director general Dovhani Mamphiswana had fraudulently appointed the mother of his child as chief director for professional ethics.

The Constitution mandates the PSC to maintain an effective and efficient public administration and a high standard of professional ethics in the public service, which they failed to adhere to internally.

The report drafted by advocate Smanga Sethene said the PSC’s director general Dovhani Mamphiswana’s decision to “brazenly shortlist, interview and recommend for appointment” the mother of his child was not only professionally unethical but also criminal.

It also states that the failure of the woman, who was already a PSC employee at the time of the promotion, to agree to be interviewed by the father of her child was “nepotism par excellence”.

It’s also described as “dishonestly calculated” to disadvantage other applicants who applied for the position.

Another anomaly noted in the report is that the woman and the director general further committed calculated fraud when she was paid a salary for the month of December 2019 when she was meant to commence her duties as chief director although she did not lift a finger during that month.

Sethene also protests the treatment of the matter by the Presidency and the office of the state attorney, saying although he was appointed to investigate the matters in January, he was told to drop the probe altogether in February, only to be told to resume again last month.

He also questioned why his recommendation that Mamphiswana be suspended during the investigation in line with the PSC’s governing guidelines was ignored by the Presidency.

EWN