Government officials earn millions of rands while suspended
It is against the Disciplinary Codes and Procedures for Public Service Policy and the DPSA (Department of Public Service and Administration) Public Service Precautionary Suspensions Guide to suspend officials for longer than 60 days.
MPUMALANGA – The provincial government has paid the wages of officials who had been suspended for more than 60 days, using more than R9m in taxpayers’ money, according to the DA.
According to its 2021/22 annual reports, six departments paid the salaries of 47 employees who had remained at home while still reaping the benefits of public employment.
The sums that each of the six departments spent on the officials who were suspended are listed below:
- Department of Health: R5 917 889 on 25 officials who have been suspended for over a year.
- Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport: R870 588 on five officials who have been suspended for 137 days.
- Department of Education: R701 601 on 12 officials who have been suspended for over 90 days.
- Office of the Premier: R602 306 on two officials suspended for 210 days.
- Department of Social Development: R507 395 on one official who has been suspended for 270 days.
- Department Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs: R400 916 on one official suspended for 49 days.
It is against the Disciplinary Codes and Procedures for Public Service Policy and the DPSA (Department of Public Service and Administration) Public Service Precautionary Suspensions Guide to suspend officials for longer than 60 days.
“With huge service delivery shortages in Mpumalanga, the DA finds it extremely concerning that since 2016 spending money on precautionary suspensions has almost tripled from just over R3.4m a year to R9m in the 2021/22 financial year,” Jane Sithole, DA leader of Mpumalanga Province, said.
The DA urges public service employers to adhere to the disciplinary procedures outlined in the DPSA guides, ensure that efficient systems are in place to prevent prolonged suspensions, use precautionary suspension only when all other options have failed, and choose to use a precautionary transfer when possible.
Sithole indicated that if not adhered to, it has detrimental effects on the public purse and on service delivery in particular.
Sithole gave examples of what the money paid to these officials could have been spent on, and still can be spent on, if the provincial government would be able to reduce this debt by just R3m in the coming financial year
- Purchase, deliver and install around 200 5 000 litre Jojo tanks in water scarce areas in the province
- Provide food parcels to 2 500 families at R1 200 each
- Build an additional 20 RDP homes for the elderly at R150 000 each.
Considering the recent Eskom crisis and stagnant service delivery, the provincial government needs to eliminate the unnecessary expenditure and run government in a way that benefits the people,” she concluded.
