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The Minister of Justice would do well to ensure that his Department practises what he preached in endorsing the recently formed organisation Corruption Watch last week.

I am writing to both the Minister and the Director-General to ask why a Justice Department official against whom action has been repeatedly recommended, but is never pursued, has been shortlisted as a candidate for appointment to the post of Deputy Director-General (DDG): Corporate Services.

Recommendations include the issuing of a final warning in 2008 for the irregular appointment of a service provider; and that action be taken for transgression of the Code of Conduct  in instigating subordinates to make  fraudulent statements to the effect that they had applied for selected posts when advertised and before the closing date, when they had not done so.

There are also allegations that certain officials were handpicked for jobs before they were advertised. There is reason to ask what the relationship is between such prior selection and the practice of job-selling. Two Justice employees are currently in court on corruption charges for selling jobs (I am told for R7 000 a post).

Information given to me, and corroborated, indicates that the candidate DDG was aware of and given proof of one such instance, that she failed to act, and moreover tried unsuccessfully to put a Hawks investigation on hold when someone else took the initiative and called the police.

The question that arises is how a senior official continues to escape scrutiny and is moreover a front runner for a position as Deputy Director General, where corrupt practices could have even greater scope. Who is protecting the official? These practices in this case took root on the former Director-General Adv. Menzi Simelane’s watch.

The current Director-General, Ms Sindane, has gained the confidence of Justice MPs in Parliament for her real effort to put the Department on a sound footing. One can only speculate that she  may be at the mercy of the advice of  networks that evolved before her appointment. It is my hope that the information furnished to me by whistleblowers, and which I have conveyed to her, will prevent an inappropriate appointment. Justice of all departments must be beyond reproach.