Is government able to hold officials accountable?

Yes, those in public office are sufficiently held accountable to the public. Firstly it is utmost important that one should understand the values and principles of democracy when discussing public matters within a democratic state.  However, it is also essential that one should understand that South Africa is under the supervision of a democratic form of government where accountability is regarded as the golden concept that no one can be against. Having understood the roles and responsibilities hold by government officials in all different levels of government and how they are mandated to work in the public office.

Those in public offices understands very well that they have been elected or voted into public office, simply to represent the public. They themselves have the obligation and roles to perform while ensuring that public’s needs are being championed by the government. Because these people are public representatives, which means they are anticipated to be trustworthy towards the public and ensuring transparency in everything they does that concerns the public. However, it is of no doubt that under a democratic state and as far as South African political context is concern, those who hold public office are held accountable.

It is the traditional principles of democracy that those who hold public office must be held accountable for their wrong goings. Nevertheless, in many instances ministers and heads of government departments often use the privilege of being in the public office to milk the money of the public and enrich themselves and their families. Some of them they commit maladministration and improper conduct by certificating their relatives and friends into a public positions. To concretize this phrase on the basic foundation of a democratic system of government, I therefore, get the sense that accountability is necessary and it cannot be demolish in the country that uses democracy as form government. Unlike in an autocratic form of government where power is over used towards the public.

It is the right and responsibility of the public to ensure that those who have committed misconduct in the public offices are dealt with decisively so as to account for their dirty deeds. In a contemporary political discourse even the head of state is expected to be held accountable when he or she commits misconduct. Knowing precisely that the head of state elects ministers and other heads of government departments. Now this might rises questions, or sometimes one can try to argue to say, how the head of state can be held accountable when found doing or done wrong doings. For example violating the constitution of the country. Definitely the answer is yes, it is possible that even the president is held accountable, because that’s the reason South Africa has the constitutional court, which part of it is to deal with matters of accountability in the president towards its citizens.

Few years ago, the Mail & Guardian newspaper reported that South African president, Jacob Zuma, built his private house in Nkandla in the outskirts of Kwazulu-Natal with the state money. Moreover, this is to say the president was found committed misconduct prior to his obligation in the public office. In other words public’s rights has been violated in this case, and therefore accountability must be applied in order to maintain the integrity of the system of government, democracy in South Africa. And that was exactly what had happened to him, he has to be compelled to pay back the money which was stolen from the taxation of the public. Even though sometime it seems a bit difficult to make those who hold public offices to account, but prior to the constitution of the country accountability is nonnegotiable.

Another example, this year, the deputy minister of Higher Education and Training, Mduduzi Manana, was reported by the Eye Witness News to have assaulted a women. Him being  the public figure and having done wrong before the eyes of the public, such act definitely tested the reality of the South African law enforcement in terms of the accountability as enshrined in chapter 10 of the 1996 constitution of the republic of South Africa.

The government itself had to take a firm decision against him and found him guilty for assault. In addition to this, he himself came to a realisation that he had wrong the public and thereby he decided to apologise publicly to the entire nation. Meanwhile he saw the need to resign from the public office, because he misrepresented the public by his action. This story somehow shows that in South Africa the government tries to hold government officials accountable in a procedural manner.

Nevertheless, accountability has become an icon for good governance in both the public and private sector. In the recent years The Citizens Newspaper found that, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, the former SABC COO has constituted maladministration and improper conduct, this come after he was found having occupied the SABC COO position illegally. The SABC being one of the public institution which is designed to educate the masses of South Africa, was in the hand of an unqualified COO. This case had to be taken to High court and to the public protector to investigate, reason being, this institution involves the public more than an individual. However, Hlaudi Motsoeneng had to account for his wrong doings. He was then removed from the office as COO of the SABC.

To this end, the government carried the obligation and right to continuously ensures that those who hold public office are held accountable for their wrong doing, in respect of the values and principles found with the constitution of the republic and for acceleration of open government towards its citizens who elected them to public office.