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Lumka Oliphant facebook activity over the Bathabile Dlamini drunk scandal, should see her fired if there is any justice.The spokesman for the social development minister‚ used her social media account to launch an expletive-fuelled defence of her minister‚whom The Citizen had reported looked "unsteady on her feet" at a recent event.
She holds a position as a public official, where she must have known that things you do on social media should be limited and controlled when it comes to adressing the citizens you are meant to serve.
She probably feels she can throw vulgarity in the face of South Africans without consequence‚ so too does the errant nurse that orders a severely injured man in a state hospital to change his own dressings. Or the surly Home Affairs official who cannot bother to assist a civilian applying for an official document.Oliphant’s conduct exemplifies the rot in the public service and spits in the face of her colleagues who truly believe in putting the public first.
But let us put aside for a moment the philosophical considerations of the public servant’s duty to society and count the ways her shameful conduct breaks the written rules.
The Department of Public Service and Administration’s Code of Conduct for civil servants is unambiguous.
It is intended “to promote exemplary conduct” of civil servants while on duty and personally. Those who violate the code are guilty of misconduct.
The code exhorts officials to “serve the public in an unbiased and impartial manner in order to create confidence in the Public Service”.
The Government Communication and Information Service social media guidelines for government communicators also tell Oliphant to be “respectful”‚ “cordial‚ honest and professional at all times”.