R 784 000 paid to 10 suspended Gauteng Health officials

20 July 2016

Ten officials employed by the Gauteng Health Department are currently suspended on full pay which has so far cost R784 000.

This is revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

Five of the suspended officials were suspended in November last year. Their positions and amounts paid to them are as follows:

Middle Manager: finance   R164 052

Middle Manager: finance   R105 382

Material recording clerk    R132 504

Admin clerk                        R94 025

Financial controller            R152 716

According to Mahlangu, the five officials were employed at the head office and "participated in an unlawful industrial action, disrupting services, abuse of power, unbecoming behaviour, inciting employees to participate in an illegal strike and putting the name of the Department into disrepute".

The other five suspended employees include a social worker accused of dishonesty and fraud, an Emergency Services Station Manager accused of theft of cleaning material and three emergency care officers where the investigation is in progress.

Mahlangu says that long disciplinary delays are due to complexity of the case, unavailability of employee's representatives and many witnesses to be called.

It is distressing that disciplinary cases drag out so long and cost so much because of salaries paid to suspended employees.

More effort is needed to speed up disciplinary cases while still adhering to fair process. 

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, 20 July 2016