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By Reon Janse van Rensburg
The government has already paid in excess of R130 million in salaries to more than 300 suspended employees. Those government officials receive full pay and a host of perks while being suspended.
This information was revealed at the end of 2022 in a written reply by the Department of Public Service and Administration to a parliamentary question submitted by the Democratic Alliance (DA).
One of the employees in the employ of the Gauteng Department of Economic Development suspended for fraud has been sitting at home for four years (1 604 days) on full pay while the matter drags on. Another official has been on suspension for 902 days already for the alleged abuse of a petrol card.
As at 30 June 2022 national government departments have already paid R40 million in salaries to 79 suspended government officials.
Acting Minister of Public Service and Administration, Thulas Nxesi, indicated that his department and the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure have the highest spend in respect of suspended employees, with R4 951 979 and R3 957 066 respectively.
The Citizen reported that the Department of Military Veterans, which falls under the Department of Defence, followed close behind with an amount of R3 778 958,91 paid to suspended staff.
The amounts paid by national departments are, however, small in comparison to the amounts being paid by provincial departments.
According to The Citizen, 226 provincial officials who are on suspension have been paid R90 million in total as at 30 June 2022.
The amounts paid to suspended employees in South Africa per province are as follows:
KwaZulu-Natal: R33 531 043,58 (with the highest spend for suspended employees)
Northern Cape: R24 761 416,19
North West: R12 544 581,62
Gauteng: R7 599 735,06
Free State: R6 281 642,45
Mpumalanga: R2 837 806,82
Western Cape: R1 942 143,80
Eastern Cape: R1 208 961.00
* No amounts were available for Limpopo.
Nxesi also furnished shocking details of sex allegations brought against some officials. Nxesi stated that two officials from the Department of Higher Education, one a deputy director-general, were facing charges of having raped learners.
According to Pretoria News KwaZulu-Natal had the highest number of cases of sex-related crimes by officials with four facing charges of allegedly having sexual relations with learners.
Six senior government officials have been charged with failure to follow the requirements for the appointment of professional service providers in the AngloGold Ashanti hospital refurbishment project. At the time of the parliamentary reply to the DA they had been on suspension for 116 days.
In terms of South African law, employees cannot be suspended without pay and investigations into the conduct that led to the suspension as well as the subsequent disciplinary hearing are meant to take place quickly. Stalling the process means that employees are paid even if they are not doing the work they are appointed to do. This has a ripple effect of problems that could have been avoided.
Solidarity holds the firm view that this problem should be addressed and those in managerial positions and who suspend employees with due reason without expediting the disciplinary process, should be held accountable when suspended staff are being paid for months without performing their duties.
Ultimately, officials working for the state are paid by the taxpayer to perform certain tasks aimed at improving service delivery and improving South Africans’ quality of life.
South Africa has about 60 million people. Just 3 million are paying 95% of all income taxes and only 1 million pay 80% of all income taxes. Instead of developing a policy framework that would result in having more taxpayers, the government is wasting taxpayers’ hard-earned money by dragging its heels to get rid of corruption.
In 2021 Solidarity’s Executive Council accepted a motion on tax protest. Our members, supporters and communities are ordinary taxpayers, but don’t mess with them! Ultimately, we should be weighed and not counted and it is our tax pockets that carry a lot of weight.
A specialist task team was appointed to investigate methods to structure taxes in a lawful way so that taxpayers have to pay as little tax as possible. Every cent paid to the ANC government is money that can potentially end up in a corrupt official’s pocket. This money should obviously rather be used to provide the services it is intended for.
According to Solidarity Chief Executive Dr Dirk Hermann, every taxpayer should now begin to offer resistance to the looting and abuse of tax money. Solidarity has and will continue to resort to the courts to ensure that looters are prosecuted. Our message is clear – we will not tolerate any looting and wasting of tax money!
“Tax protest is a must. We are not slaves. Let’s push back! Tax power is stronger than the government’s power.” – Dr Dirk Hermann, Solidarity Chief Executive
Support Solidarity’s tax protest. The future lies in our hands.
Go to the link for more information in this regard – https://solidariteit.co.za/belastingprotes/
Sources:
300 government officials on suspension for alleged fraud, theft, rape paid R130 million – https://www.iol.co.za/pretoria-news/news/300-government-officials-on-suspension-for-alleged-fraud-theft-rape-paid-r130-million-2369fb99-ee02-4351-9eca-66ba43133edc
Over 300 government officials suspended with full pay in South Africa – costing taxpayers millions – https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/640053/over-300-government-officials-suspended-with-full-pay-in-south-africa-costing-taxpayers-millions/
R130 million paid to suspended government employees sitting at home – https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/politics/r130-million-paid-suspended-government-employees/
Belastingprotes: Pres. Ramaphosa: “Ons druk terug!” – https://maroelamedia.co.za/debat/meningsvormers/belastingprotes-pres-ramaphosa-ons-druk-terug/?fbclid=IwAR2BnbLZP0BzZu32L7xxoJ7AnLmG73YPWf8HesBsfIEO6ZeokuB62lAfHeY
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