The ANC easily secured a simple majority on Tuesday to shoot down a private members bill of the DA that sought to end cadre deployment in the public service.
However, all opposition parties present, except for one, were in favour of the bill, which was introduced by DA MP Leon Schreiber and processed by the Public Service and Administration portfolio committee.
The “End Cadre Deployment Bill” wanted to prohibit office-bearers in political parties from being employed in the civil service.
It also wanted the Public Service Commission (PSC) to enforce the requirement that all appointments be based strictly on merit and free from political appointments.
The bill wanted no special benefits paid to dismissed directors-general or heads of departments.
It also wanted the PSC to be provided with the power to take remedial action against corrupt officials and be wholly independent of the Department of Public Service and Administration.
Tabling the committee report, ANC MP Teliswa Mgweba said during hearings, the socio-economic impact unit in the Presidency noted that the bill coalesced with some of the work already initiated by the government.
These included the Public Service Amendment Bill, Public Administration Amendment Bill and the Public Service Commission Amendment Bill.
Mgweba said the committee was already processing the bills introduced by the Department of Public Service and Administration, which addressed similar aspects in Schreiber’s bill.
Speaking during the debate, Schreiber said Parliament has repeatedly been presented with evidence of the devastating consequences of cadre deployment.
“The Zondo Commission found that cadre deployment laid the foundation for state capture,” he said.
Schreiber also said the Supreme Court of Appeal confirmed earlier this month that it was illegal for the ANC to keep cadre deployment records secret from the people of South Africa because it impacted on service delivery.
He stated that the “cadre deployment virus” infected every part of the lives of South Africans.
EFF MP Rosina Komane said: “We are in fact declaring that as Parliament our primary job is to wait for the executive to introduce legislation and will follow their lead even on matters this same executive causes problems.”
She accused the executive of crippling and rendering the public service ineffective. “The solution is to remove the ANC from power,” she said.
In a speech read on his behalf, IFP MP Russel Cebekhulu said the importance of a public service that was professional could not be over emphasised.
It was about effective, functional and responsive action to meet the needs of the people.
“We recognise the importance of this bill in empowering the PSC to take remedial action where deemed applicable and necessary and prohibiting special service benefits for directors-general and heads of department dismissed due to a plethora of reasons,” Cebekhulu said.
When the committee’s report on the bill was put to vote, the ANC garnered 201 votes and was supported by one vote from the PAC.
The opposition parties managed to secure 123 votes - DA 74; EFF 26; IFP 11; Freedom Front Plus 8; ACDP 3 and AIC 1.
Cape Times