21 Jun 2018

Public officers have been encouraged to fight corruption in the workplace.

Speaking at a workshop to sensitise public officers on orruption, deputy permanent secretary for corporate services at the Office of the President, Ms Boikhutso Botlhole urged public officers to work honestly and with integrity.

She said public officers should lead by example in the fight against corruption and all its manifestations, noting that the fight against corruption needed a collaborative approach.

Ms Botlhole urged public officers to work with the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC), Competition Authority and the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB).

She further urged them to be guided by the Public Service Charter.

She further called on public officers to restore public confidence in procurement related activities and any other assignments that drove the government’s mandate.

For his part, the DCEC senior anti-corruption officer, Mr Boago Koloi said corruption was embedded within systems and procedures that were in use every day.

He urged public officers to minimise the risk of corruption in public institutions as it was an obstacle to the economic development of the country.

Mr Koloi further noted that one of the challenges that DCEC was facing was lack of implementation of recommendations given to various departments.

He urged public officers to support corruption prevention initiatives.

He also encouraged departmental leaders to sensitise staff on anti-corruption continuously.

In her welcome remarks, assistant district commissioner for Francistown, Ms Tebogo Hlabano encouraged public officers to be transparent and accountable so that the communities they served could trust them. She explained that with transparency and accountability, they would be no breeding ground for corruption in the public service.

Ms Hlabano also noted that corruption prevention was not only for DCEC but was everyone’s responsibility. ENDS