Nepotism - research project

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgements                                                        Page 3

CHAPTER 1                                                                Page 4

  • Rationale
  • Aims  of  the  study                                                Page 5
  • Design & Methodology
  • Limits, scope & concern  of  the  study                        Page 7
  • Summary  of  chapters  and  anticipated                        

value  of  my  findings

CHAPTER 2                                                                Page 8

Literature  review

  • Specific  instances  of  nepotism  and  findings
  • Nepotism  as  defined  by  the  Public  Protector                Page 9
  • Legislation  on  nepotism                                        Page 10
  • Job  reservation  and  affirmative  action                        Page 12
  • Individualism  and  its  negative  manifestations                Page 15
  • Impact  of  nepotism  on  good  governance                        Page 16
  • Conclusion                                                        Page 17

 

CHAPTER 3                                                                Page 18

Interviews

CHAPTER 4                                                                Page 21

  • Preamble  to  responses

         CHAPTER 5                                                                Page 27

  • Methodology & Design
  • Sampling  procedure  and  size

CHAPTER 6                                                                Page 29

  • Data  analysis
  • Nepotism: the  source  of  despondent  respondents

CHAPTER 7                                                                Page 37

 

  • Interpretation  of  data
  • Public  servants: A  society  sworn  to  confidentiality?

           CHAPTER 8                                                                Page 40

  • Limitations

CHAPTER 9                                                                Page 42

  • Presentation  and  discussion  of  my  findings
  • Conclusion                                                        Page 44

 REFERENCES                                                        Page 45

 

ACKOWLEDGEMENTS

        

I  would  like  to  thank  the  following  people  for  the  support  they  gave  me  throughout  my  research:

  • To  all  those  who  participated  in  my  research  project.
  • To  Pretty  Magangxa – for  facilitating  my  academic  relationship  with  Rhodes  University.
  • To  my  family – for  material  support  and  continuous  encouragement.
  • Mr. Nyanisile  Jack – for  his  constructive  assessment  of  my  proposal.
  • Mr. Derek  Mosenthal, my academic supervisor, without  whose  guidance  I  would  not  have  been  able  to  see my  thesis  through.

CHAPTER 1

RATIONALE

It  is  quite  appropriate  to  mention  that    some  Buffalo  City  citizens  continue  to  see   nepotism  as  one  of  the  practices  that  hinder  employment  opportunities. Bisho  civil  servants, some  of  whom  are  the  citizenry  of  Buffalo  City, voiced  their  concerns  on  this  matter. “Over  the  past  five  years (1998-2003), 27 percent  reported  witnessing  political  patronage (awarding  jobs  or  contracts  to  political  allies), and  33  percent  felt  they  witnessed  nepotism (awarding  jobs  or  contracts  to  relatives)”. The  perception  is  that  economically  active  and  academically  qualified  people  find  themselves  emasculated  and  relegated  to  the  status  of  “the  other”  because  of  unemployment  brought  about  by  nepotism. Nepotism  is  defined  as  “undue  attachment  to  relations; favouritism  shown  to  members  of  one’s  family; bestowal  of  patronage  in  consideration  of  relationship, rather  than  of  merit  or  legal  claim” (...). I  believe  it  would  be  appropriate  to  first  mention  that  nepotism  does  not  only  pertain  to  absorption  of  new  employees, but  can  extend  to  some  employees  enjoying  favourable  treatment  from  their  senior  colleagues. It  must  be  noted  that  a  variety  of  social  aggregates  in  Buffalo  City, e.g., politicians; civil  society; including  Bisho  civil  servants  themselves  have  voiced  their  concerns  in  this  regard.

On  January 7, 2002, the  Daily  Dispatch  published  an  article  in  which  the  Commissioner  of  Tamara  police  station, Captain  Siphiwo  Hewana  “alleged  that  former  Transkei  police  officers  were  being  favoured  ahead  of  their  Ciskei  colleagues  for  promotion….I  am  happy  they  have  launched  an  investigation  as  it  will  expose  the  nepotism  behind  promotions, and  I  feel  safe  in  the  knowledge  that  I  have  substantial  backing”. I  must  point  out  though, that  any  allegation  should  be  substantiated. The  Daily  Dispatch  reports  that  it  was  later  contacted  by  “a  number  of  police  officers  in  the  area  who  claim  that  Hewana’s  claim  was  100  percent  true”.

On  September 10, 2003  the  United  Democratic  Movement  placed  an  advertisement  in  the  Daily  Dispatch  calling  for  the  then  Eastern  Cape  Premier  and  his  ANC  led  government  to  be  booted  out, citing  nepotism  as  one  of  the  practices  that  stifle  progression  of  South  Africans. “Through  nepotistic  appointments  in  municipalities  and  government  departments, the  ANC  is  treating  a  number  of  South  Africans  as  guests  and  aliens  in  the  country  of  their  birth. A  look  at  the  government  departments  and  municipal  entities  all  over  where  the  ruling  party  alliance  rules, and  the  manner  in  which  employment  opportunities  are  effected, jobs  for  pals  and  connections  are  used  as  a  matter  of  principle. Friends  and  lackeys  of  influential  politicians  are  jumping  from  coach  to  coach, changing  jobs  in  the  ‘gravy  train’  that  winds  the  corridors  of  the  government  and  municipal  offices. A  vast  majority  of  South  Africans  have  become  worse  off…” It  must  be  acknowledged  that  nepotism  has  always  been  there  even  before  1994. The  reason  why  it  has  begun  to  characterize  common  discourse  is  that  the  then  envisaged  end  of  apartheid  gave  the  impression  that  only  merit  would  determine  the  fate  of  a  job  applicant.

It  is  imperative  not  to  naively  imbibe  political  sentiments  without  due  regard  to  the  possibility  that  there  might  be  a  political  agenda  on  the  part  of  the  UDM. Neither  should  one  reject  the  statement  as  a  myth  without  conducting  research  on  it. This, in  my  opinion, should  serve  as  a  hypothesis  through  which  perceptions  and  misperceptions  can  be  rectified.

AIMS  OF  THE  STUDY

Questions  in  my  research:

  1. Is  nepotism  in  existence  in  the  Bisho  civil service?
  2. If it  exists, what  are the causes?
  3. Its  impact  on unemployment, efficiency  and  service  delivery.
  4. To  establish  the  extent  to  which  nepotism  may  be  confused  with  affirmative  action  and  job  reservation.
  5. To  establish  whether  the  departments’  employees  views on  nepotism  differs  from  external  public  view.
  6. What  does  legislation  say  on  nepotism?
  7. Does  legislation  effectively  serve  as  a  deterrent?

DESIGN  &  METHODOLOGY

 Qualitative  research  would  be  ideal  for  this  project  in  the  sense  that  I  intend to conduct  an  archival  research  because  it  will  allow me to  find  out  enough  about  the  perceived  problem  to  e.g.  formulate  useful  statements with  regard  to  that  problem. I  intend  to  interview  6  civil  servants, i.e., 2  employees  in  the  Department  of  Correctional  Services, 2  in  the  Department  of  Social  Development, 2  members  of  staff  at  Bisho  Police  Station, and  two  unemployed  graduates. I  will  also  solicit  information  from  Public  Service  Accountability  Monitor (PSAM)  to  augment  or  corroborate  the  one  I  would  have  collected  from  my  interviewees.

 I  have  chosen  the  afore-mentioned  departments  for  a  variety  of  reasons. First, the  Police  and  Prisons  Union  “accused  management  of  nepotism  in  its  appointment  of  administrative  clerks  in  2003  without  advertising  the  positions  either  internally  or  externally” (). Also “UDM  president  Bantu  Holomisa  said  incidents  of  gross  administrative  irregularities  and  ‘brazen  nepotism’  had  been  brought  to  his  attention”. Holomisa  said  officers  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Captain  did  not  qualify  for  the  rank  because  they  did  not  have  matric, a prerequisite  for  a  commissioned  officer. The  Social  Development  Department  has  been  and  continues  to  be  immersed  in  corruption  scandals. I  therefore  opine  that  it  should  undergo  scrutiny  as  well. This  practice  is  in  violation  of  the  Employment  Equity  Act  in  the  sense  that  jobs  should  first  be  advertised, and  candidates  interviewed  before  they  are  absorbed  into  vacant  positions. The Act  seeks “to  eliminate  direct  and  indirect  discriminatory  workplace  practices  to  ensure  equity  for  all” (www.workinfo.com).It  should  be  borne in mind  that  I  also  intend  to  adopt  a  positivist  approach  because  I  would  be  dealing  with  perceptions  and  allegations  which  would  have to  be substantiated.

“Descriptive  research  involves  collecting numerical data  to  test hypotheses  or  answer  questions  concerning current  status” (...).

In  descriptive  research  it  is  assumed  that  basic  knowledge  of  certain  variables  and  state  of  affairs  or  circumstances  regarding  the  research  topic already  exists. I must  admit  that  I  am  unable  to  confirm  at  this  stage  whether  or  not  nepotism  exists  in  the Bisho  government.

“Explanatory  research  is  viewed  as  advanced  studies. Explanatory  research  investigates  what  causes  a  phenomenon  to  be  the  way  it  is  or  behave  the  way  it  does. In  other  words  it  could  be  called  a  causal  research” (Christopher, A.J. 1993:11). Doing  this  kind  of  research  would  be  disadvantageous  for  me  in  the  sense  that  I  would  be  attempting  to  solve  an  already  existing  problem, with  identifiable  problems. The  onus  would  be  on  me  to  prove  its  existence  and  thereafter  offer  solutions.

LIMITS, SCOPE  AND  CONCERN OF  THE  STUDY

My  geographical  area  will  be  the  Bisho  government  departments  together  with  King  William’s  Town  prison, because  they  are  essentially the  headquarters  of  the  Eastern  Cape  government. I  have  taken  costs, time  and  “gatekeepers”  into  consideration. With  regards  to  ethics  I  have  considered  confidentiality, consent, honesty, transparency, and see  to  it  that  I  do  not  violate  the  integrity  of research. The  participants  also  have  a  right  to  anonymity  and  privacy.

It  is  of  importance  that  I  should  not  generalize, given  the  fact  that  Bisho  is  my  geographical  area. My  findings  will  not  cover  other  government  departments  in, e.g., East  London.

SUMMARY  OF  CHAPTERS & ANTICIPATED  VALUE  OF  MY  FINDINGS

With  regard  to  summary  of  chapters, I  will  make  constant  reference  to  my  proposal  in  order  for  me  not  to  deviate  from  the  topic  or  contradict  myself. I  also  have  to  see  to  it  that  my  findings  do not  contradict  the  responses  of  my  interviewees. I  should  find  time  to  go  back  to  my  interviewees  to  tell  them  what  my  findings  are.

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE  REVIEW

Introduction

My  research  project  was  prompted  by  reports  published  in  various  Daily  Dispatch  issues, to the  effect  that  Bisho  civil  servants  were  concerned  about the  prevalence  of  nepotism  in  their  respective  departments, e.g. the  Departments  of  Correctional  Service; Safety and  Security; and  Social  Development. I  must  point out  that  this  research  project  is  intended  to  be an  objective  exercise, of  course taking  into  consideration  idiosyncrasies  that  characterize the  path  to  good governance. “Good  governance is  about  both  achieving desired results  and  achieving  them  in  the right  way…Good  governance results  in  organizational  effectiveness”().Mature  governance  would, in  my  opinion, allow  the  Bisho  government  to  rid  itself  of  dubious  civil  servants, if  there  are  any,  in order  to  achieve  desired  results.

SPECIFIC  INSTANCES  OF  ALLEGED  NEPOTISM  AND  FINDINGS

This  serves  to  convey  the  message  that  the  Public  Protector  in  South  Africa  had  in  1999  investigated  allegations  of, and made  findings  about  nepotism, and  duly  reported  to  Parliament  on  April 15, 1999. Out  of  twenty (20) cases  I  will  focus  on  only  two  of  them. I  wish  to  mention  from  the  beginning  that  all  those  allegations, the  source  of  which  was  the  National  Party, were  found  to  be  completely  baseless. The  intention  here  is  not  to  prove  that  nepotism  exists, but  to  establish  the  extent  to  which  it  can  stifle  service  delivery.

It is  appropriate  to  mention  that  I  chose  the  two  cases  because  they  involved  a  couple  who  got  senior  positions  in  the  Department  of  Agriculture, allegedly  because  of  their  relationship  with  the  Minister. Co-incidence  seems  to  have  a  propensity  to  raise  eyebrows  wherever  it  manifests  itself. The  first  example  is  that  of  Mr.G.M. Budlender  who, allegedly  by  virtue  of  him  being  a  friend  of  the  then  Minister  of  Agriculture (Mr. Derek  Hanekom), was  appointed  Director-General  in  the  same  department. The  Public  Protector  did  not  dispute  that  the  Minister  and  the  Director-General  were  friends. “However, we could  find  no  indication  that  Mr.Budlender’s  appointment  came  about  as  a  result  of  any  improper  influence  by  Mr. Hanekom. As  indicated, the  NP, who  is  complaining  about  this  appointment, was  part  of  the  process  and  agreed  in  both  the  interviewing  committee  and  in  Cabinet  to  this  appointment”(Report No 11-Special  Report, Public  Protector, RSA). The  allegation  was  found  to  be  without  merit.

Secondly, Mr. Budlender’s  spouse  was  appointed  special  advisor  to  Mr. D. Hanekom. With  regard  to  this  allegation  of  nepotism, it  was  found  that  Mr. Budlender’s  wife  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading  land  reform  experts, having  worked  for  twenty  years  with  rural  people  on  land  and  rural  development  issues. The  Public  Protector, in  a  nutshell, pointed  out  that  his  wife  was  involved  with  the  Department  of  Agriculture  long  before  Mr. Budlender  was  appointed  Director-General. Furthermore  she  was  appointed  on  contract  as  a  consultant, and  did  not  obtain  permanent  employment  with  the  department. The  allegation  was  also  found  to  be  baseless.

The  glaring  message  here  is  that  mere  relations  between  people, in  any  sphere  of  work, do  not  necessarily  mean  that  the  workplace  in  question  is  characterized  by  nepotistic  tendencies. The  pertinent  requirement  is  for  one  to  substantiate  one’s  allegations.

 

NEPOTISM  AS  DEFINED  BY  THE  PUBLIC  PROTECTOR

The  word  “nepotism”  is  defined  as  favouritism  shown  to relatives  or  friends  in  conferring  offices  or  privileges. He  goes  on  to  quote  Prof. C.J.K. Tanda  as  having  remarked  as  follows:

“There is  much  to  excuse  nepotism. Any  man  rising to  a  place  of  importance  in  politics  will  be  surrounded  by  relatives  and  friends  looking  confidently  to  him  for  patronage, the  traditions of  centuries  leave  them  in  no  doubt  that  he  will  provide for  the  needed  patronage, and  that  if  jobs  did  not  exist  they  will  be  created. The  politician  may  grasp  the  constitutional idea  himself, but it  is  difficult  for  him  to  explain  to  his  kinsmen  that  his  political  career  will  be  threatened  and  jeopardized, and  that  to  pay  the  price may  cost  him  to  lose  his  job. Consequently  the  life  of  Ministers  and  other  people  of  importance is  made  burdensome  by  nagging  and  increasing  demands, as  they  find  themselves  entangled  in  the  familiar  net  of  family  obligation” (Report  in  terms section 8(1) ANI) (2) of  the  Public  Protector  Act, 1994 (Act 23 of 1994).

The  message  here  is  that  the  general  public  tends  to  use  their  relations  with  public  officials  as  vehicles  to  either  get  jobs  or  promotion  in  the  workplace. I  would  argue  that  transgression  of  employment  laws  should  not  be  seen  as  behaviour  peculiar  to  the  populace. Assuming  that  civil  servants  understand  credibility  and  transparency  as  ingredients  of  mature  governance, they  should  be    seen  as  accessories  to  the  offence  because  this  exercise  involves  two  willing  participants. “Of course  governments  all  over  the  world, including  Africa, have  evolved  and  it  is  now  globally  accepted  that  nepotism is  wrong” (Report No.11,Special Report – Public Protector, RSA). It  is  my  opinion  that  accepting  it  as  a  wrong  practice  is  not  enough, but  that  it  should  be  seen  as  a  criminal  offence, punishable  by  law. Malaysia  is  a  good  example  in  this  regard.

LEGISLATION  ON  NEPOTISM

The  South  African  government  has  been  pro-active  in  guarding  against  nepotism  by  taking  appropriate  measures. For  example, there  is  a  Code  of  Conduct  for  Public  Servants  which  prohibits  conflicts  of  interests. “Item M4.3.3  provides  that  an  employee  should  refrain  from  appointing  relatives  in  work-related  activities  and  never  to  abuse  his  or  her  authority. An  employee  who  places  himself  or  herself  in  breach  of  this  Code  would  be  guilty  of  misconduct  in  terms  of  the  Public  Service  Act, 1994”. One  should  not  be  naïve  as  to  conclude  that  legislation  always  serves  as  a  deterrent. A  transgression  of  the  law  may  take  place  with  the  hope  that  the  illegal  act  will  not  be  detected. The  following  measures  have  been  put  in  place:

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  • “A  duty  on  an  applicant  for  a  position  or  a  person  to  be  promoted  as well as the person who makes  or  controls  the  appointment/promotion, to  disclose  the  existence  of  a  family  relationship  or  otherwise.
  • “Where  during  an  employment/selection/interview  process  it  appears  that  there  is  a  direct  relationship  between  the  applicant  and  a  member  of  the  selection  panel, the  latter  should  recuse  himself/herself  from  such  process.
  • “Ensuring  that  no  person  is  employed  in  a  department  or  unit  which  results  in  the  existence  of  a  direct  subordinate-superior  relationship  between  such  person  and  any  relative.
  • No  two  persons  of  the ...

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