SOUTH AFRICA
South African Public Servants suspended on full pay while their alleged offences are investigated have cost the Government ZAR27 million (A$2.6 million) over the past three years.
Minister for Public Service and Administration, Senzo Mchunu (pictured) revealed the figures in a written reply to a Parliamentary question by MP Leon Schreiber.
Mr Mchunu said up to 45 Government employees were on precautionary suspension.
“The average length of the precautionary suspension was two months among staff in the National Government while in the Provinces it ranged between two and eight months,” Mr Mchunu said.
He did not provide a breakdown of suspended officials according to the various Departments.
Mr Schreiber said the amount spent on suspended employees was shocking, especially if one divided the amount by the number of employees.
He said of more concern was the time wasted in hauling the officials before disciplinary hearings.
“It shows a breakdown in the ability to manage and take people for disciplinary action,” Mr Schreiber said.
“It must be handled with the utmost urgency.”
Meanwhile, the Personnel and Salary (Persal) system showed that the vacancy rate in the public sector was 9.34 per cent between April and June this year.
Mr Mchunu revealed that almost 1.1 million posts had been filled, while there were 123,843 vacant posts in National and Provincial Departments and state-owned entities.
He said this excluded the Defence Force and the State Security Agency, which did not use the Persal system.
Mr Schreiber said it was concerning that the vacancy rate had gone up in recent years.
“We call for a comprehensive study in the shaping of Government,” Mr Schreiber said.
“We need to turn it around. It is time we cut the fat at the top.”
Pretoria, 21 August 2019
