It is clearly evident from a recent report by the Tshwane Metro’s Human Capital Management Group that officials are crippling service delivery with an exceptionally high incidence of sick leave, while management does nothing about it.
Between April and June 2025, the Metro’s 18 266 permanent employees logged a whopping 43 033 days of sick leave. This equates to 118 calendar years of full-time work lost in just three months.
For the entire 2024/25 financial year, sick leave totalled 142 490 days. That amounts to around 390 calendar years of work lost.
Under normal circumstances, the Tshwane labour force should deliver 4,7 million active workdays per year. Instead, the Metro lost more than 30 000 workweeks in just one year.
This is not a minor problem; it marks the collapse of productivity. The Metro simply cannot aim for excellence while its employees are absent at this rate.
No functional municipality can survive with such a low level of discipline and capacity.
It hampers service delivery while power problems and water leaks increase and roads crumble.
It warrants decisive and immediate action.
Firstly, a thorough investigation into sick-leave patterns should be conducted, specifically focusing on the trend of repeatedly logging sick leave on Mondays and Fridays.
Secondly, medical certificates should be strictly verified and disciplinary steps have to be taken against employees who exploit the system.
Thirdly, employees who are not equal to their task should be identified, followed by remedial action or dismissal if necessary.
Lastly, wellness programmes should be introduced to address legitimate health issues, with no tolerance for exploiters.
Tshwane Metro employees need to demonstrate their continued commitment to excellence and dedication.
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) will not stand idly by while service delivery collapses because officials are not doing their jobs. The Metro deserves to have a labour force that takes its responsibility seriously and is proud to serve the community.
Freedom Front Plus Language Rights: It supports the protection of Afrikaans as a language of instruction and communication.