Millionaire Managers earn Millions More

Dear Editor

Senior managers within the public service, who are already earning millions of rands in salaries per year, are violating the existing provisions in law by failing to obtain permission to engage in Other Remunerative Work (ORW) outside of the public service – a practice which has seen some of them earn up to R2 million in income generated through ORW.

This information was revealed in a written reply by the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) to a DA Parliamentary question on the number of senior managers in the public service who engaged in ORW, for the 2021/22 financial year. The total income that each of these senior managers generated for ORW and whether these senior managers obtained permission from the relevant Executive Authority (EA) to engage in such ORW is regulated by section 30 of the Public Service Act and the Public Service Regulations of 2016.

According to the information provided by the DPSA, of the 379 senior managers engaged in ORW, for the financial year under review, only 203 (approximately 53%) were able to prove that they had obtained permission from the relevant EA to engage in ORW while the remaining 176 senior managers (approximately 46%) were unable to prove they obtained this permission despite some of them generating a considerable and substantial income from this ORW.

The DA therefore calls on the Minister of Public Service and Administration and her Department to assist government departments in ensuring that the appropriate disciplinary action is taken against all senior managers who could not prove they obtained permission to engage in ORW in contravention of the Public Service Act as well as the Public Service Regulations of 2016.

Also of particular concern, the reply by the DPSA further indicated that disciplinary action was taken against only a total of 114 senior managers who could not prove they obtained the required permission to engage in ORW.

The national departments with the highest number of senior managers who could not prove that they obtained approval to engage in ORW were SAPS with 13 (out of 43) of its senior managers not being able to provide this proof; followed by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development with 12 (out of 18) senior managers and the Department of Higher Education and Training with 8 (out of 13) senior managers.

Further according to the reply, the total amount of remuneration generated from ORW by senior managers, across the public service, was approximately R45 million and of this total, approximately R31,3 million was generated by senior managers in national departments and the remainder, approximately R13,7 million was generated by senior managers in provincial departments.

At a national department level, the department with the largest number of senior managers that were engaged in ORW was the SAPS with 43 senior managers; followed by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development with 18 senior managers; and the Department of Higher Education and Training with 13 senior managers.

Unless urgent action is taken to address this growing practice of engaging in ORW without obtaining permission from the relevant EA, conflicts of interest, and possibly corruption, will be difficult to root out of the public service.

Regards

Dr Mimmy Gondwe MP
Deputy Shadow Minister of Public Service and Administration