Public Comment: Draft Public Administration Management Regulations for the Central Register (Gazette No. 51963)

The Public Affairs Research Institute and partners recommend expanding the Central Register's scope to include public entities, implementing stricter compliance measures for Accounting Officers, and establishing safeguards against the malicious use of disciplinary processes. They suggest a two-stage verification process during recruitment to prevent employees under investigation from bypassing the register and propose that the register eventually be made public to enhance oversight, provided that risks of abuse are monitored.

• The current regulations exclude public entities due to the limited scope of the Public Administration Management Act (PAMA), which may lead to these entities becoming the "preferred employer" for individuals dismissed for misconduct. The authors urge that all organs of state be granted access to the register regardless of whether they are covered by the regulations.
• To prevent individuals under investigation from avoiding the register by resigning only after a new appointment is confirmed, the authors propose that organisations check the register twice: once during shortlisting and again once the appointment is confirmed (after probation).
• The authors suggest that non-compliance with the regulations should be an offence, with final responsibility resting with the organisation's Accounting Officer, who should face fines if they fail to respond to orders to add names to the register.
• To protect employees from spurious or malicious disciplinary charges, the authors propose logging an "appeal status" against a person's name during an appeal process and requiring the DPSA to clear the name within 14 days of a successful appeal.
• The authors recommend making the central register public to allow civil society and media to act as watchdogs, but suggest a two-year monitoring period first to assess the risk of abuse and the rate of successful appeals.

APA

Public Affairs Research Institute (2025). Public Comment: Draft Public Administration Management Regulations for the Central Register (Gazette No. 51963). https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/20250223_PublicComment_CentralRegister_PARI_PSAM_TEI_EC_v114.pdf

Chicago

Public Affairs Research Institute. Public Comment: Draft Public Administration Management Regulations for the Central Register (Gazette No. 51963). 2025. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/20250223_PublicComment_CentralRegister_PARI_PSAM_TEI_EC_v114.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Public Affairs Research Institute |title=Public Comment: Draft Public Administration Management Regulations for the Central Register (Gazette No. 51963) |date=23 February 2025 |url=https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/20250223_PublicComment_CentralRegister_PARI_PSAM_TEI_EC_v114.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{publicaffairsresearchinstitute2025public, author = {{Public Affairs Research Institute}}, title = {{Public Comment: Draft Public Administration Management Regulations for the Central Register (Gazette No. 51963)}}, publisher = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/20250223_PublicComment_CentralRegister_PARI_PSAM_TEI_EC_v114.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }