Question NW3620 to the Minister of Public Service and Administration
06 December 2023 - NW3620
Gondwe, Dr M to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
Whether her department has ever conducted a verification exercise aimed at determining the exact number of employees in the Public Service; if not, why not; if so, (a) when was the verification exercise conducted, (b) what was the outcome of the exercise and (c) what are the relevant details; (2) what number of public servants are currently employed in the public sector; (3) which method does her department use to determine if some of the employees in the public service are ghost employees?
Reply:
1. The Minister for Public Service and Administration issues guidelines and directives to the Executive Authorities of each national and provincial department and government component. Section 9 of the Public Service Act (PSA) states, "An executive authority is empowered to appoint individuals within his or her department in alignment with this Act and under prescribed conditions.” Section 11(2) of the PSA stipulates that "When appointing under section 9 within the public service (a) all applicants meeting the criteria for the post must be considered; and (b) the assessment of candidates should be based on their education, skills, competence, and knowledge, as well as the imperative to rectify historical inequities as per the Employment Equity Act, 1998 (Act 55 of 1998), to reflect the diversity of the South African population, including race, gender, and disability representation." Therefore, verification that appointments adhere to stipulated guidelines is ensured by each department or government component conducting its audit of such processes.
Additionally, the Treasury's Regulations under the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 decree under Regulation 8.3.4 that "Individuals at the respective pay-points must certify the legitimacy of all individuals on the payroll report to receive payment." Regulation 8.3.5 adds, "The payroll report, once certified, must be returned to the chief financial officer within ten days. The accounting officer must confirm the monthly receipt of all pay-point certificates." Confirmation that the payee is the rightful recipient of the payment can only be established through physical verification of each individual. Hence, the verification of employee payments is mandated for each manager responsible and the accounting officer within every national and provincial department and government component in the Public Service.
2. As of 30 September 2023, the number of public servants appointed in the Public Service was 1,243,920. This excludes the Department of Defence and the State Security Agency.
3. As indicated in reply (1) above, all national and provincial departments and government components within the Public Service are guided through the PSA to verify employee appointments and if an employee is a ghost employee using physical verification methods.
End