Corruption Wars xxx – Return Of The Phantom Handbook

Over the years the Presidential Handbook which allegedly contains the rules for expenditure on perks such as cars, housing and travel for the top-ranking government officials, has come under fire from various quarters, especially when used by ANC members to justify some of their more gratuitous and ostentatious spending.

Strangely, from what I could gather, no one apart from the ruling members of government have laid eyes on this elusive, yet much referenced Handbook. And presumably this is a different Handbook from that which governs Ministerial perks, which also begs the question of why there are two different Handbooks.

Following demands from the opposition Democratic Alliance to make the Presidential Handbook public, it has been revealed that it is still in draft form – since being compiled in 2007. So it would appear that public officials have been using a draft document which is not yet official policy, to spend lavishly, and defy accountability for at least five years. And this in a state in which the ANC touts as one of the most advanced constitutional democracies in the world.

The voters have been repeatedly duped and have been somewhat passively accepting it much longer than five years; in fact since corruption on a massive scale by government officials suddenly started being unearthed following the Arms Deal Scandal of 1999.

But voters are notoriously stupid gullible. Take this cretin for example, commenting on the latest iteration of the Handbook saga:

He claims to know the facts – that governments pull money out of the air to fight wars, and that attacks on the ANC is a Corporate agenda. With voters like these, is it any wonder that the ANC is enjoying a corrupt hegemony that threatens the future of beautiful South Africa.

Aluta continua!

How about a Spokespersons handbook?

Take a bow Dumisani Nkwamba. You’ve just joined a long-lost of ANC government spokespersons who are absolute masters at scoring own goals.

There must be a school somewhere in South Africa that’s churning out these idiots by the dozen. Every government department seems to have one or two of them. I’m beginning to wonder if that hare-brained political school that Malema so proudly launched a few years ago, has anything to do with the current crop of foot-in-mouth-diseased spokespersons who have been let loose in the halls of power.

Dumisani happens to be the spokesperson for the Minister of Public Service and Administration. Yes, the self-same bureaucrats who saw fit to keep the Ministerial Handbook secret for the four years since its approval by Cabinet; a document that governs Ministerial expenditure and that should have been rightfully in the public domain.

Needless to say, the only reason the Ministerial Handbook is such hot property right now is because of highly questionable and extravagant expenditure by the members of the ANC government.

The esteemed spokesperson thinks that it was illegal for the Mail & Guardian to publish the Handbook. How strange for a spokesperson of the party governing (or so it seems) this country to accuse someone else of undermining the Constitution? Presumably the ruling Party think they have sole rights to undermining the Constitution?

Dumisani’s hissy-fit about the Mail & Guardian jumping the gun in publishing the document is probably justified seeing as how the remarkably efficient Ministry of Public Service and Administration have been hard at work “in the process of declassifying the document”…for the last four years.

But seriously, these idiots in government are clueless about how the South African public and the world is laughing at their every act of utter stupidity.

Perhaps it’s time they published a Handbook for Spokespersons. They can keep this handbook SECRET as long as they abide by the rules and we are spared their silly statements.

It’s either that or STFU. Somehow I can’t picture them keeping their lips sealed for too long; that much inanity can’t be kept in.

You've met SA's Police Disservice, now let me introduce you to SA's Public Disservice and Maladministration Ministry

Richard Baloyi is the man at the helm of South Africa’s Ministry of Public Disservice and Maladministration.

This department like so many others festering under President Jacob Zuma’s presidency, has a history of covering themselves in the splendour of incompetence and corruption which are coveted ideals in liberated South Africa.

Following the disclosures of wasteful and possibly fraudulent expenditure of state funds by the Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Sicelo Shiceka [a department which supposedly cooperates in upholding the coveted traditional ideals of incompetence and corruption it seems], the Department of Public Disservice and Maladministration were adamant in their refusal to reveal to the public the guidelines on Ministerial expenditure which they insist is classified or TOP SECRET.

Indeed, they were furious when the Mail & Guardian obtained a copy of this TOP SECRET document otherwise known as the Ministerial Handbook, and published it online.

If you’re wondering why a guideline on expenditure of taxpayers money is CLASSIFIED in a democratic country, then you’re like me also wondering what else is CLASSIFIED that should be public knowledge. And I’ll bet you also now know why the government is trying to push through further legislation such as the ridiculous Protection of Information Bill, to make the veil of secrecy water-tight.

Hopefully more departments like Public Disservice and Maladministration FAIL in their mandate to uphold CORRUPTION and defraud the public.