R130 million paid to suspended government employees sitting at home

The 305 public servants that are currently suspended have been paid salaries totalling more than R130 million while they sit at home.

This was revealed in a written reply by the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) to a parliamentary question by the Democratic Alliance (DA).

Suspended public servants

National departments

National government departments have paid R40 million in salaries to 79 public servants that are on suspension. The suspended employees are all receiving full pay.

The Department of Public Service and Administration and the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure are spending the most on suspended employees, with R4 951 979 and R3 957 066 respectively.

The Department of Military Veterans, which falls under the Department of Defence, was close behind with a payroll of R3 778 958.91 for suspended staff.

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Provincial departments

The amounts paid by the national departments, however, pale in comparison to the figures being paid by provincial departments.

The 226 public servants that are currently on suspension in these departments were paid R90 million.

KwaZulu-Natal has the highest salary bill for suspended employees at R33 531 043.58. The province’s social development department is the worst culprit with R8 394 222.35 being forked out to suspended employees. The Office of the Premier was not much better, with its suspended public servants receiving R6 509 741.00.

The Northern Cape is next on the list with R24 761 416.19, followed by the North West at R12 544 581.62. No amounts were provided for Limpopo.

Amounts paid to suspended employees in each province:

• KwaZulu-Natal: R33 531 043.58
• 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

The figures in the written reply were as of 30 June 2022.

DA MP Mimmy Gondwe said due to some information being missing in the written reply, the actual amount that taxpayers are paying suspended government employees is likely much higher.

Gondwe said this was a sign of a discipline management crisis in South Africa’s public service.

“In August this year, the DPSA conceded, during a meeting with the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration, that there was no discipline management system being implemented in our country’s public service,” he said.

“This has, obviously, contributed towards government departments failing to manage disciplinary cases within the timeframes stipulated by the Public Service Regulations.”

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