The Democratic Alliance in North West say they learned with shock yesterday that currently nearly 36 000 ghost officials in the North West Province receive a monthly salary and benefits, doing not a minute of work. Premier Supra Mahumapelo revealed the figure of 36 000 ghost workers at a SCOPA meeting.

According to Mr Chris Hattingh (MPL) of the DA, ghost officials are not new to the North West Provincial Government – in 2008 millions of rands was spent on consultants to develop a system that was supposed to eradicate the problem. Now, only 7 years later, it seems that it was a fruitless exercise and a waste of taxpayers’ money, which must be condemned as throwing good money after bad.

Hattingh said it is shocking and unacceptable that ghost workers receive pension benefits, and medical aid funds. “North West has become notorious for over-expenditure on personnel budgets – especially in the Department of Education and Health. These two departments are subsequently also some of the worst performing departments in the province and are currently under financial administration.

“These two departments were simultaneously underspending on capital projects and conditional grants.

Hattingh said this latest revelation from Mahumapelo confirms that the system of factional cadre deployment of the ANC as practised in the North West has a devastating effect, not only on delivery but also, the public’s purse. Regardless of skills, qualifications, capacity and experience people are employed to keep friends and pals happy, rather than to deliver to the people of the North West.

“The DA will now request that the Premier tables the outcomes and effects of the 2008 program to root out ghost workers, so that the Legislature can interrogate the millions of rands spent on this clearly failed intervention.

“The Premier must also table a new plan to rid NWPG of these ghost officials. The DA will also enquire on procedures and on the consequences on those who are indirectly and directly involved in this scam. The steps should include how to recover the money from the guilty recipients of these salaries”, Hattingh said.

In another statement Dennis Bloem, COPE Spokesperson said this surely is a scandal of the century. “The Guinness Book of Records will undoubtedly have this as its prize entry for 2015”, he said.

“How big is corruption in government in general? It is monumental. How wasteful is expenditure in government? It is massive. What is the result of the monumental corruption and massive waste of expenditure? The Treasury is empty and the ruling party is preparing plans to tax citizens as heavily as possible. What is happening in the North West government is symptomatic of what is happening at all levels of government.

“The shameless looting of the fiscus is endemic. It beggars belief that the North West province allowed 73% of its budget to meet just the salary bill alone. How dumb was that! Why did the executive not act to put a ceiling on salary expenditure? Why did the legislature not ask any questions about the disproportionate allocation of resources to salaries? Self-interest, quite simply, triumphed over public interest. The ruling party cadre is mainly interested in plundering state resources.

“Blind support for the ruling party is snatching the future from our children. This is why COPE continues to plead for voter coalitions to come into existence to protect voter interests and secure the public purse.”