Question NW2514 to the Minister of Public Service and Administration
07 July 2023 - NW2514
Khoza, Mr AV to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
In light of the practice by big businesses, banks and other corporates of seconding their employees to state departments, including The Presidency, what (a) total number of employees from the specified entities are seconded to the State departments, (b) number of secondments are paid by the (i) respective entities and (ii) State and (c) are the companies getting in return for them to second own employees to the State and even pay them?
Reply:
a) & (b) (i-ii) Regulation 62 of the Public Service Regulations (PSR), 2016 states that a secondment in terms of section 15 (2) or (3) of the Public Service Act, 1994 may only take place if-
(a) The employee or person being seconded has the necessary competency;
(b) The period of secondment does not exceed 12 calendar months, unless due to operational reasons determined otherwise by the Minister for the Public Service and Administration (MPSA); and
(c) An agreement has been concluded between the receiving and seconding department, organ of state, other government or any other body.
The recipient department, organ of state, other government or any other body in terms of section 15 (2) or (3) of the Act shall bear the inclusive costs of secondment, unless the seconding department, organ of state, other government or any other body agree otherwise.
Based on the above, the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) does not have a database of the information as secondments are administered by departments. Departments only approach the DPSA where they require a secondment for a period exceeding 12 calendar months as prescribed in Regulation 62 (1) (b) of the PSR, 2016.
Therefore, this information must be sourced directly from individual departments as the information is not captured on the PERSAL system.
(c) Through the National Treasury’s General Conditions of Contract (GCC) and Supply Chain Management: A Guide for Accounting Officers, guidance is provided to departments on the management of risks and associated conflict of interest from service providers. The relevant Treasury and each accounting officer may be approached to provide detailed information in response to this question.
End