471 public servants on paid suspension, defence force employee paid for five years without working

The government in the 2021/2022 financial year paid R25m in salaries to 167 employees placed on precautionary suspension

A defence force employee who has been suspended for five years while earning a salary without delivering services is among 471 government employees who have been placed on paid suspension.

This was detailed by public service and administration minister Mzamo Buthelezi in a written reply to a parliamentary question asked this month by EFF MP Sixolise Gcilishe. 

Gcilishe had enquired about the number of public servants on paid suspension and the longest period that a public servant spent while on paid suspension in the 2023/24 financial year.

Information from the government’s standardised human resources and payroll system (Persal) showed that at the end of July 2024 there were 288 public servants from national departments and 183 from provincial departments on paid suspension. 

Of the overall figure, the system indicated 54 employees had been suspended for more than a year. Buthelezi said the longest period that a public servant had spent while on paid suspension (five years) was the defence force employee.

“Cases longer than three years were recorded by the department of defence (five years) and the department of higher education & training (four years),” he said.

Receiving salaries while absent from duty is in violation of the rule of no work no pay.Public Service Commission report

The National Prosecuting Authority also accounted for complex suspensions with its cases falling under the three-year suspension tally. 

“Of the 54 employees on suspension, 17 are from the education sector and eight from the NPA. These cases are considered complex cases and could not be finalised within the prescribed period.

“In the education sector, cases involving teachers committing sexual transgressions against learners are referred to the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) and these teachers cannot be considered for precautionary transfers. The ELRC indicated it has a backlog of cases, which affects the finalisation of cases,” he said. 

“Some of the cases in the NPA involve allegations of corruption, fraud and financial investigations and prosecutors cannot be considered for precautionary transfers. Some of the cases in the NPA were delayed due to attempts to interdict the disciplinary process and by challenging suspensions.” 

Here’s the breakdown of employees suspended for more than a year: 

• Suspended for more than a year but less than two years: 32 
• Suspended for more than two years but less than three years: 16 
• Suspended for more than three years but less than four: One 
• Suspended for more than four years but less than five years: Four 
• Suspended for more than five years but less than six: One

The Gauteng department of economic development and human settlements and the KwaZulu-Natal department of education were also listed as troubled by long-standing suspensions. 

The department in the 2021/2022 financial year paid R25m in salaries to 167 government employees on precautionary suspension. 

The Public Service Commission (PSC) previously warned the government about the issue.

The PSC 2022 report read: “The scale of the problem needs government to put robust measures to reduce the pending cost of suspensions to taxpayers. In fact, receiving salaries while absent from duty is in violation of the rule of no work no pay.”

The commission had noted that suspensions should be for not longer than 60 days. It recommended that once the 60 days had expired the affected employee should return to work or be stationed in other relevant units within the department.

The Labour Relations Act stipulates a period of suspension should be reasonable. The government's own rules say an employee is entitled to a speedy and effective finalisation of the disciplinary process.

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