R70m paid to suspended public servants
There are currently 3 265 disciplinary cases still outstanding in the public service, which has seen SA taxpayers spend nearly R70m in salaries for suspended government workers.
A Cape Times report says Public Service & Administration Minister Noxolo Kiviet told Parliament there were currently 427 public servants on suspension with full pay, at least 42 occupying senior positions.
The Minister noted that the oldest outstanding cases dated back to 2016 with the latest case being from June 2023.
Suspensions were across government departments and ranged from 30 days to 1 846 days.
In one case, an employee in the Department of Public Service & Administration – on suspension for two years and seven months – had earned close to R4.4m.
Gondwe said while the country's labour laws guarantee the rights of all employees to fair disciplinary hearings, the failure by the public service to timeously conclude disciplinary cases is ‘testament to a system in need of serious reform’.
She added: ‘42 public service employees – who occupy senior management positions and earn over R1m per year, are sitting at home while getting paid to do nothing. The National Framework Towards the Professionalisation of the Public Sector will remain an idealistic vision unless urgent steps are taken to address the administrative deficiencies.’
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
