Gauteng Health Bleeds Over R16 Million to Ghost Employees and Suspended Officials on Full Pay

The Gauteng Health Department has lost a staggering R11,5 million to ghost employees, while simultaneously paying millions more to officials sitting at home on extended precautionary suspensions.

These shocking revelations were brought to light in an official response to my legislative questions regarding the Department’s ongoing financial mismanagement.

While the department recently carried out a comprehensive employee verification process across all its institutions, districts, and head office, the financial damage has already been done. To date, 24 suspected and confirmed ghost employees have been identified on the payroll.

It is completely unacceptable that over R11.5 million meant for critical healthcare services, medical supplies, and life-saving interventions has been lost to fraudulent salary payments. Equally concerning is the Department’s severe failure to finalise disciplinary processes.

Currently, there are 5 employees on precautionary suspension with full pay within the Health Department in the province.

The duration of these suspensions and the salaries paid out for no work rendered represent a gross abuse of public funds:

• A Deputy Director has been suspended for 2 years, 8 months, and 10 days, pocketing an astounding R2,5 million during this period.
• Financial Clerk has been on suspension for 1 year, 8 months, and 23 days, taking home
  R703,316.16.
• Director suspended for 10 months, and 20 days has been paid R1.1 million.
• An Assistant Director on suspension for 8 months and 10 days has received R566,094.98.
• An Administrative Clerk suspended for 5 months, and 6 days has been paid R117,100.44.

The fact that a single Deputy Director can sit at home for nearly three years and collect over R2.5 million while our provincial clinics and hospitals face severe staffing and resource shortages is an absolute disgrace.

The people of Gauteng deserve a health system that prioritises patient care, not one that serves as an ATM for ghost workers and suspended bureaucrats.

I will be submitting follow-up questions to the MEC of Health to demand:

1. Immediate criminal investigations into the individuals and syndicates responsible for the R11.5
   million ghost employee fraud
2. A clear deadline for the conclusion of the disciplinary hearings for the 5 currently suspended employees.
3. A strategy for the recovery of these stolen and wasted funds.

We will not stop holding the executive accountable until consequence management is enforced and the Gauteng Department of Health is stabilised.

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