Latest news with #R140
The Citizen
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
Ghost workers drain billions from public funds
Ghost employees are being paid with taxpayer money, costing South Africa billions. This corruption must be rooted out with national audits and criminal prosecutions. The biggest problem facing public administration in South Africa – and the biggest opportunity for looters – is the lack of financial controls and even basic information on the government workforce. That is why it appears to have been a lucrative scam to create 'ghost workers' and then divert their salaries into the thieves' wallets. With a government salary bill of nearly R800 billion in this financial year – and a further R85 billion which is earmarked for employees in state-owned enterprises – the civil service is one fat cow waiting to be milked by the unscrupulous. Estimates are that there are probably tens of thousands of these bogus workers being paid like clockwork with taxpayer money… and that money, which probably runs into the billions, is what should be used for good works, development or even just to keep people from starving. The scale of the actual and possible looting is eyewatering. ALSO READ: How many ghost workers are there in government? The elimination of ghost workers at the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) alone saved it R200 million. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners estimates that ghost employees account for 8% of occupational fraud cases worldwide and experts believe this percentage could be even higher in South Africa, especially in government ranks, because of the lack of control and accountability. Other than Prasa, multiple cases of ghost workers have been revealed in sectors ranging from municipalities to government departments at provincial and national level. It is to be welcomed that President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered the Special Investigating Unit to probe the ghost worker problem at Prasa… but it must go much further than that. Government directors-general must be told to audit their areas and if discrepancies are found, they must be dealt with. ALSO READ: More than R140 million in salaries paid to suspended government employees Anyone involved in these scams must be prosecuted and locked up because this is economic terrorism, plain and simple.
The Citizen
6 days ago
- Business
- The Citizen
More than R140 million in salaries paid to suspended government employees
National departments paid nearly R51 million to suspended government employees, while provincial departments spent more than R90 million in the 2024/25 financial year. Government has paid more than R140 million in salaries to employees who have been placed on precautionary suspension during the 2024/25 financial year. This is according to public Service and Administration Minister Mzamo Buthelezi, who was accounting to the National Assembly during the Governance Cluster question and answer session on Wednesday. Buthelezi said as of the end of the fourth quarter of the 2024/25 financial year, national departments paid R50 945 064 to the suspended employees while provincial departments spent R90 469 562. The minister was responding to Al Jama-ah member of parliament (MP) Shameemah Salie, who had asked what the current estimated total cost of ghost employees and suspended employees on the payroll of government was. Ghost employee audit still incomplete Salie also asked what work had been done prior to the Budget Speech to recover funds lost from paying fraudulent salaries. Buthelezi said the total cost associated with ghost workers had not yet been determined. 'This cost will only become known once a comprehensive employee verification process across public service has been completed and the financial implications accurately calculated,' he said. 'However, the Department of Public Service and Administration and National Treasury are jointly leading this exercise, and once the report is finalised it will be shared with the relevant parliamentary committee and this house.' Salie further said the issue of ghost workers had been an ongoing battle for decades and had resulted in millions being lost per yearly. ALSO READ: Gauteng health freezes 66 salaries in ghost employee crackdown 'We urge the minister and all relevant departments to ensure an audit across government and to provide frequent feedback on findings surrounding ghost workers, prosecution of and recovery of funds from these entities,' Salie sad. Buthelezi defends 'bloated' public service wage bill ANC MP Pumelele Ndamase asked what the overall impact of ghost workers was, in which departments they were mostly found and whether Buthelezi's department is actually aware of how ghost employees end up being in the employ of the state. The public service is often accused of being bloated, Ndamase said, while simultaneously struggling to meet the demand of South Africans. In response, the minister said while it is widely believed that the public service wage bill is too high, the department has a different view. 'We do have many vacant posts in the department and many departments who are struggling to even employ because they have a shortage of staff members, because the government cannot afford to pay their salaries,' Buthelezi said. 'So, the issue of a bloated public service wage bill is not necessarily the case, but we do appreciate the fact that we view that as such because our economy is not growing at the rate that it should.' He said the challenges of the country's stagnant economic growth had a bearing on the expenditure where public employees are concerned. Thorough investigation With regard to the departments affected by ghost employees, Buthelezi repeated that there were currently no statistics, but the department is engaged in a thorough investigation. Before posing his question, Rise Mzansi's Stanford Makashule Gana Minister said the 'ghost employees' should be referred to appropriately – public servants who 'give themselves more than one salary'. ALSO READ: R6 million in salaries paid to ghost workers in Mpumalanga 'Trigger-happy managers' Gana finally asked if the Buthelezi's department is considering attaching cost orders to managers who are trigger happy and quick to suspend public servants who don't deserve to be suspended. 'As a department, when it comes to managers who simply suspend employees willy-nilly, we have come up with a directive that says whenever there is an employee that is alleged to have committed a particular offence, instead of suspending that person and continuously get a salary, that person must be transferred to another department or unit,' Buthelezi responded. He said he was not aware of public servants earning more than one salary and that the department is putting systems in place to curb wastage. Redundancy audit Heloise Denner, FF Plus MP, asked if the department had considered or assessed the feasibility of implementing an audit to identify redundant posts within the public service in order to reduce costs. In response, the minister said the department is already putting systems in place to deal with redundancy. He said that the departments need to first consult the Department of Public Services and Administration whenever there's a post to fill. '[This is so that] we look into whether or not there is a need for that particular post or if it means they redefine their organogram,' Buthelezi said. '[They must] also consult with National Treasury to see that there are funds available so that we prevent departments from employing people for posts which do not add any value into the system,' he added. NOW READ: 'It's a scam': Mbalula says Prasa's ghost workers saga to be referred for criminal investigations
The Citizen
7 days ago
- General
- The Citizen
Human trafficking case: Mother refers to baby as a ‘dog'
The mother (30), who allegedly attempted to sell her baby, cried in court after bail was denied to her. Magistrate Vuyokazi Diza handed down judgement recently, in the bail application of four people accused of trafficking a baby. At the first sitting of the bail application on May 12, the court heard how the four involved in this case, attempted to sell the new-born infant for financial gain. In statements from investigating officer, Detective Warrant Officer Michelle van Niekerk of Margate Saps, the court heard how an offer of R25 000 was received for the child from a Nigerian national. It was the intervention of police that resulted in the arrest of the four who allegedly tried to sell the baby for a better offer of R140 000. Van Niekerk opposed bail and believed they should remain in custody because if one of the four disappeared, it could jeopardise the case. Also, there was concern that they would interfere with state witness. 'The mother of the baby referred to the child as a dog, and wanted nothing to do with it. She was no mother to the child,' read the detective's statement. Her 42-year-old boyfriend (accused three) who faces a schedule one offence was granted bail of R3000. The court heard he had a chronic illness and lived in a shack on a property he owned in Uvongo. He lived there without running water or electricity. Diza said accused three had indicated that he had ties to the area of jurisdiction, and it can be agreed that he can't just up and leave. His bail conditions are that he cannot interfere with state witnesses or police investigations. He must also report weekly to Margate police station. A husband (39) and wife (40), (accused one and two), who are believed to be the 'sellers' of the three-day old infant were also denied bail. Accused one, two and four (the baby's mother) are facing a schedule six offence which carries severe penalties, including life imprisonment. In a a strange twist, accused two arrived to court wearing a hijab over a longish pair of shorts. Her husband has been wearing a taqiyah (cap) since the start of the case. In a lengthy judgement, Diza gave various reasons for denying bail to the three accused. She said the court needed proof of residential addresses and employment, and this was not provided. Diza said there was mention of staying in Cape Town or Krugersdorp. 'Cape Town is far away and the police wouldn't know where to look for you, unlike accused three, who has ties to the area.' 'The court invited you to make this information available. It is something worth knowing and that's why I called for it (proof of residences) as 'something was lacking'.' Diza said so much could go wrong (if bail was granted) and they were unable to provide sufficient significant details. She further said she cannot grant bail as it's not in the interest of justice and she can't accept the exceptional circumstances. With regards to accused two's four children, Diza said the court has been informed that they are safe with relatives. The court heard how the mother of the baby (accused four) was going through a difficult time and needed help. Diza said the court questioned that if accused four was staying with her mother, why couldn't she have helped with the baby. Instead, the baby was handed over to accused one and two. * To protect the identity of the child, the four accused in this case, cannot be named. HAVE YOUR SAY Like the South Coast Herald's Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
7 days ago
- General
- The Citizen
Human trafficking case: KZN mother refers to baby as a ‘dog'
A mother (30), who allegedly attempted to sell her baby, cried in court after her bail was denied. South Coast Herald reports that Magistrate Vuyokazi Diza handed down a judgment recently in the bail application of four people accused of trafficking a baby. At the first sitting of the bail application on May 12, the court heard how the four accused allegedly attempted to sell the newborn for financial gain. In statements from the investigating officer, Detective Warrant Officer Michelle van Niekerk of Margate SAPS, the court heard how an offer of R25 000 was received for the child from a Nigerian national. It was the intervention of the police that resulted in the arrest of the four who allegedly tried to sell the baby for a better offer of R140 000. Van Niekerk opposed bail and believed they should remain in custody because if one of the four disappeared, it could jeopardise the case. Also, there was concern that they would interfere with state witnesses. 'The mother of the baby referred to the child as a dog and wanted nothing to do with it. She was no mother to the child,' read the detective's statement. Her 42-year-old boyfriend (accused three), who faces a schedule one offence, was granted bail of R3 000. The court heard he had a chronic illness and lived in a shack on a property he owned in Uvongo. He lived there without running water or electricity. Diza said accused three had indicated that he had ties to the area of jurisdiction, and it can be agreed that he can't just up and leave. His bail conditions are that he cannot interfere with state witnesses or police investigations. He must also report weekly to Margate Police Station. A husband (39) and wife (40), (accused one and two), who are believed to be the 'sellers' of the three-day-old baby were also denied bail. Accused one, two and four (the baby's mother) are facing a schedule six offence which carries severe penalties, including life imprisonment. In a strange twist, accused two arrived in court wearing a hijab over a longish pair of shorts. Her husband has been wearing a taqiyah (cap) since the start of the case. In a lengthy judgment, Diza gave various reasons for denying bail to the three accused. She said the court needed proof of residential addresses and employment, and this was not provided. Diza said there was mention of staying in Cape Town or Krugersdorp. 'Cape Town is far away and the police wouldn't know where to look for you, unlike accused three, who has ties to the area.' 'The court invited you to make this information available. It is something worth knowing and that's why I called for it (proof of residence) as 'something was lacking'.' Diza said so much could go wrong (if bail was granted), and they were unable to provide sufficient, significant details. She further said she cannot grant bail as it's not in the interest of justice, and she can't accept the exceptional circumstances. With regard to accused two's four children, Diza said the court has been informed that they are safe with relatives. The court heard how the mother of the baby (accused four) was going through a difficult time and needed help. Diza said the court questioned why, if accused four was staying with her mother, she couldn't have helped with the baby. Instead, the baby was handed over to accused one and two. * To protect the identity of the child, the four accused cannot be named. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
17-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Home affairs extends office hours for big change to ID applications in SA
The rollout will be in phases 'to manage the volume of applications effectively'. The department of home affairs has extended its operating period by five hours on Saturdays in May to allow naturalised citizens and permanent residents to apply for smart ID cards. The department recently announced that residents from visa-exempt countries can now apply for a card. The list of countries can be seen by clicking here. 'This rollout marks a significant step in modernising identity documentation, improving security, and enhancing service delivery,' it said. The rollout will be in phases 'to manage the volume of applications effectively'. The first phase includes replacing green barcoded ID books of naturalised citizens and permanent residents from the listed countries. Applications can be done at all Live Capture Offices, bank branches and via the eHome-Affairs portal. Applicants can now also register and book appointments via the eHome-Affairs portal and the branch appointment booking system. Extended hours All offices offering smart ID cards will operate for extended office hours on the following weekends and times: Saturday 17 May 2025: 08:00 – 13:00 Saturday 24 May 2025: 08:00 – 13:00 Saturday 31 May 2025: 08:00 – 13:00 For a list of offices that offer smart ID card services, click here. 'Extended hours over the specified weekends will allow for processing of smart ID card applications from naturalised citizens and permanent residents from listed countries, in possession of green barcoded ID books. 'Naturalised citizens and permanent residents from listed countries are encouraged to make use of this opportunity. This will take us closer to fully adopting the more secure smart ID card and doing away with the green barcoded ID book,' the department said. ALSO READ: Phil Craig's citizenship controversy explained How much does it cost to apply? All applications must be accompanied by the prescribed application fee of R140. For applicants who are 60 years and over, no payment is required. What if I still can't get my smart ID? Phase 2 of home affairs' smart ID card rollout project is in the planning stage and will include all currently excluded groups, including those applying for an ID for the first time. 'All applicants will undergo verification against the National Population Register (NPR) at the meeter-greeter station to confirm the authenticity of their green ID book details. 'Permanent resident permit holders will also be checked for their country of birth, which must be among the 106 countries. Those who do not verify positively in the first phase may be accommodated during Phase 2,' explained the department. NOW READ: ConCourt strikes down Citizenship Act clause, restores citizenship for affected South Africans
