Corruption ‘not government’s responsibility alone’ but taxpayers fork out millions for suspensions

Public Service and Administration Minister Mzamo Buthelezi has sparked debate by claiming that rooting out corruption is not solely government’s responsibility.

His utterances are despite South African taxpayers paying over R140 million in just three months for suspended government employees.

During a recent interview with Newzroom Afrika, Buthelezi emphasised that corruption requires a collective approach rather than being government’s burden alone.

“I need to actually correct the point. The point that it’s not government responsibility to deal with corruption because you will understand that government as government cannot be corrupt unless there are people who are involved, which involves the public itself, which involves the private sector,” Buthelezi stated.

Whistleblower payments under consideration

In the same interview, Buthelezi revealed that South Africa is not opposed to paying whistleblowers who expose corruption, an idea currently under discussion.

He noted that the concept emerged during the G20 working group meeting.

“If there is a feeling that people will come forward, people will report wrongdoings and corruption, if they are incentivised, there can be some [compensation].”

Buthelezi clarified that such payments would not necessarily protect whistleblowers but would serve as incentives for those risking personal safety to expose wrongdoing.

“We know that paying them won’t protect them, but it will be a way of incentivising them to say, thank you for coming out, because we are fully aware as to how much difficult it is for whistleblowers to actually blow the whistle,” he explained.

The whistleblower protection bill is expected to be tabled in parliament later this year.

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Private sector involvement essential

Buthelezi emphasised that corruption often involves multiple sectors, particularly when it comes to financial crimes.

“If you talk about the illicit financial flows in the country and embezzlement of government funds, people don’t simply go to treasury and take the money. That money gets transferred through different accounts, meaning even the private sector, including banks, are involved,” he argued.

The minister called for an “all inclusive approach” to fighting corruption, stating that “government alone shall never pass this unless civil society comes on board, academia comes on board, and every citizen.”

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Safeguards against false accusations

When questioned about the potential for false whistleblowing to gain financial rewards, Buthelezi dismissed such concerns.

“It does not at all. That is a misinterpretation of the whole idea,” he said.

“It does not mean that if you simply blow a whistle, then you are getting paid. No, here we are talking about whistleblowers who are reporting things that are taking place. And then those things will be followed through.”

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Suspended employees cost taxpayers millions

Parliamentary responses from Buthelezi reveal staggering financial implications of suspended government employees.

According to data provided to DA MP Leah Potgieter, suspended employees cost the government R140 379 612.44 from April to June 2024 alone.

This figure appears inconsistent with another parliamentary response in which Buthelezi indicated a cumulative cost of R118 004 977 for suspended employees over a broader five-year period.

When questioned about this discrepancy, Buthelezi attributed it to different data collection methods.

“The content utilised to respond to question 1849, was data received for the Forum of South African Directors-General (Fosad) report which comes directly from department and the content for question 2460 was sourced from the Personnel and Salary System in the Public Service (Persal) system,” Buthelezi explained in his written response.

“The two methods are informed by the fact that the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) has no single system to receive and monitor disciplinary cases in the government sectors.”

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Precautionary transfers instead of suspensions

In another parliamentary response, Buthelezi disclosed that 38 precautionary transfers occurred across various departments between 2021 and 2025.

KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health accounted for the highest number at 15 transfers.

The breakdown of other departments included six members of the police force, nine from correctional services, one DPSA employee, one Gauteng Department of Social Development, four Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness workers, one KwaZulu-Natal Department of Public Works employee, and one employee from the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.

Buthelezi said that these precautionary transfers are temporary measures taken when serious allegations are made against an employee, allowing for investigation and protection of evidence and witnesses.

“Should the investigation result in sufficient grounds for charges, a formal hearing will be conducted.”

According to Buthelezi, employees are transferred within the same department rather than to different departments, with Heads of Departments retaining “full responsibility for maintaining discipline within their departments.”

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New system planned to address data inconsistencies

Acknowledging the current data tracking issues, Buthelezi revealed plans for a new case management system to better monitor disciplinary cases.

“Persal was established as a payroll system, not a case management system. To address this gap, the DPSA is in a process of creating a case management system that will be a live system, with up-to-date information,” he explained.

“However, the system will depend on data capturing for it to be reliable and accurate.”

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