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The Democratic Alliance (DA) received a letter from the Chairperson of the Public Service Commission (PSC), Professor Somadoda Fikeni, with advisory notes on the issue of ANC study groups meeting with government officials, following our official complaint to the PSC on the matter.

In his letter, Prof Fikeni points out that “interactions between public servants and political parties came under the gaze of the Zone Commission and were found to weaken the ability of Parliament to scrutinise executive action and shield the executive from accountability”.

The DA was recently criticised by, among others, the ANC, for pointing this out, stating that civil servants are allowed to provide information in a professional manner to political parties, without being politically involved.

The DA now notes the ANC’s comments that it will continue with the practice of government officials attending ANC study group meetings, despite the PSC’s warning, which not only risks continuing to undermine the principle of separation of party and state that enabled state capture in the first place, but also shows complete disregard for the advice of an institution set up by the Constitution, such as the PSC.

The ANC’s defiance of the PSC is despite the fact that the advisory note of the PSC points out that in most instances, interactions between public servants and study groups “that bypass institutional safeguards and accountability mechanisms” carry considerable ethical risks.

The DA on the other hand welcomes the advisory note from the PSC and we will forward this advisory note to both the Leader of Government Business and the Speaker with a request to inform both public servants and the whippery that all such interactions should cease immediately.

We will also write to the Speaker to request that Parliament’s Rules Committee formulate guidelines to political parties regarding the interaction between public servants and political party structures outside of the Parliamentary oversight and accountability processes.

Issued by DA Parliamentary leader George Michalakis