The best-paying job in government – get suspended
The Department of Public Services and Administration has noted there are 417 government officials on suspension with full pay currently – with a combined payslip of just over R128 million.
This was revealed in a recent parliamentary Q&A where the Minister of Public Service and Administration was asked about the backlog of pending disciplinary cases within the public service and how many public servants are currently on suspension with full pay – including costs.
In response, the minister noted that there are 3,265 pending disciplinary cases dating back as far as 2016. The minister further revealed that, of these cases, 417 public servants are currently on suspension with full pay, with amounts paid to these individuals totalling R128.3 million and counting.
The minister noted that these figures are estimated based on the FOSAD reports submitted by National and Provincial departments for quarter one of the 2023/2024 financial year.
The minister’s reply also highlighted that 42 of the public service employees currently on suspension occupy a senior position in government.
Of all the governmental departments, the Department of Health, Education, and the Department of Correctional Services have the most employees suspended with full pay.
Some of the longest suspensions include a Social Development official who has been on suspension with full pay for over five years, ‘earning’ over R1.4 million for doing essentially nothing.
The same is true for a health department official who has been on suspension for over three years and counting and has earned almost R5 million so far.
When averaged out per year, these officials have been earning anywhere from R280,000 a year at lower salary levels, to over R1.5 million a year at higher salary levels – all while being suspended.
The table below shows the longest suspensions recorded by the minister, including the department the servant workers are in, how much they’ve been paid so far and what salary level the employee falls under.
| Department | Duration of suspension | Amount paid | Salary level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Development | 5 years 21 days | R1 403 026 | 7 |
| Education | 3 years 186 days | R1 095 402 | 7 |
| Health | 3 years 53 days | R4 742 039 | 12 |
| Social Development | 3 years 49 days | R2 792 246 | 12 |
| Human Settlement | 2 years 317 days | R3 586 959 | 13 |
| Public Service & Administration | 2 years 259 days | R4 374 400 | 15 |
| Health | 2 years 220 days | R3 217 486 | 12 |
| Science & Innovation | 2 years 253 days | R1 921 430 | 11 |
| COGTA | 2 years 91 days | R1 240 092 | 8 |
| Agriculture & Rural Development | 2 years 60 days | R2 333 620 | 13 |
| Social Development | 2 years 38 days | R890 859 | 9 |
This revelation is very concerning, given South Africa’s budgetary position.
The National Treasury even proposed drastic steps to rein in spending as the government has run out of money and faces a debt trap – including a freeze on new public service jobs, stopping procurement contracts for all infrastructure projects, and keeping public servant salary increases in check.
Treasury noted in this 2023 budget review that, from 2008/09 to 2021/22, consolidated government spending, on average, consistently grew faster than GDP and consolidated revenue, mainly driven by the public-service wage bill, rising debt-service costs and transfers to households.
It also listed the public wage bill as one of the main risks to the fiscal outlook.
Despite this, the majority of South Africa’s public sector unions agreed to a 7.5% wage increase earlier this year after five months of strike action.
The two-year, multi-term deal is significantly higher than what the government had factored into its 2023 budget, which snuffed out any efforts to manage the bloated bill. By 2026, the public wage bill is expected to increase to R760.6 billion.
Read: Private jets and R50,000 pictures – the gifts given to South Africa’s millionaire ministers and MPs
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