R9,8m for HODs to ‘stay at home’
The suspensions of three of five heads of provincial government departments were recently lifted, bringing to an end the period during which they sat at home and received large salaries every month.
POLOKWANE – The suspensions of three of five heads of provincial government departments were recently lifted, bringing to an end the period during which they sat at home and received large salaries every month.
The five senior officials were suspended with full pay while their disciplinary hearings continued and the period of their combined absenteeism comes to around 84 months.
At a salary of around R1,4 million per year, as per recent advertisements for similar posts, it cost the province a whopping R9,8 million, which is enough to build 98 RDP houses at R100 000 each.
The announce-ment of the lifting of the suspensions was made last Wednesday afternoon at a press briefing following the province’s executive council (exco) meeting.
The suspensions of heads of department (HODs) for education, Morebudi Thamaga, public works, Madidimalo Chaamano and sport, arts and culture, Basani Baloyi were lifted, while matters related to their cases were being processed, according to provincial government spokesperson, Phuti Seloba.
“We are not a vindictive government and it is the understanding of the exco that once investigations have been completed, there is no basis to keep people on suspension,” he said, adding that government was trying to curb fruitless expenditure.
“The HODs will not go back to their former positions, but be deployed elsewhere,” Seloba said, adding that they were suspended during the Section 100 1 (b) administration of the province: Thamaga in August 2013, and Baloyi and Chaamano in March 2014.The remaining two suspended HODs, Director-General in the office of the premier, Rachel Molepo-Modipa who was suspended in October 2013, and cooperative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs HOD, Nnana Manamela who was suspended in August 2013, remained on suspension.
Seloba said the cases against Molepo-Modipa and Manamela were at an advanced stage and would likely be completed in May.
The DA wrote to premier Stanley Mathabatha requesting that he tabled the outcomes of investigations into the three former HODs.
“These reports must be made public, if there is to be any confidence in the exoneration of these officials,” DA leader, Jacques Smalle said.
“Only if the reports justify a full exoneration should these three HODs be allowed to report back for duty.”
“Should the premier not comply with our request, the DA will submit a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application for the documents.
“The premier and his government cannot hide the truth of how and why officials return to work, when there are public accusations against them.”
The EFF said they noted with disappointment the exco’s decision to lift the suspensions.
“The EFF is disappointed. They (the HODs) will be doing nothing because we are told that they will be redeployed to other sections, not to where they were before, thus continuing with what the Auditor-General called fruitless expenditure,” EFF provincial chairperson, Mike Mathebe, said.
“As the EFF we reject the decision as it is not in the interest of clean governance. It is done to settle political scores. The lifting of the suspensions means the exco does not have substantive evidence to proceed with the charges and decided to keep the said officials to the lapse of their terms of contract.”
