first reported in July that the panel would be tasked with investigating suspected code of ethics breaches, maladministration, financial mismanagement and employee grievances within the public sector.
At the time, the government said the panel would only conduct inquiries into matters that are deemed too minor to warrant the attention of the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC) or other integrity agency, but serious enough to require external scrutiny.
“The panel was appointed in February this year and its services were made available to agencies last month (March 15),” Ranieri’s spokesperson said.
“One agency is currently using the panel for an investigation.
“The panxjmtzywel remains a non-mandatory option for SA public sector agencies.”
The spokesperson said the investigators appointed to the panel were required to report the cost of investigations to Ranieri’s office.
They said it was up to government agencies to determine how much they are willing to spend on investigations and Ranieri’s office would collect data to help assess the panel’s performance.
“The Commissioner plans to release this information annually,” the spokesperson said.
According to tender documents released last year, the panel was appointed in response to the ICAC’s damning 2019 report into governance issues within SA Health.
The report by former Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Bruce Lander found that the health department was “ripe for exploitation by corrupt employees” and that misconduct and unmitigated conflicts of interests were commonplace.
