Latest news with #PublicServantsAssociation
IOL News
a day ago
- Politics
- IOL News
PSA calls for urgent action to eliminate ghost workers from public service
Ghost workers are fraudulent entries on government payrolls, receiving salaries without performing any work. The Public Servants Association (PSA), representing more than 245 000 public-sector employees, calls for immediate, decisive actions to eliminate ghost workers from South Africa's public service. Ghost workers are fraudulent entries on government payrolls, receiving salaries without performing any work. This deep-rooted and systemic form of payroll fraud continues to drain billions from public coffers, severely undermining service delivery and robbing deserving South Africans, particularly the youth, of meaningful employment. These fictitious employees are inserted into the system through deliberate collusion between corrupt officials. Recent investigations have highlighted the alarming extent of the problem. In 2024, the Mpumalanga Department of Education uncovered R6.4 million in such fraudulent payments. The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa's payroll audit revealed nearly 3 000 ghost workers. Similar concerns emerged at the Gauteng Department of Health, which recently froze the salaries of over 200 unverified employees. The PSA warns that if only 1% of the public-service workforce of 1.3 million employees is compromised by ghost workers, the state could be losing over R3.9 billion annually. Such money should be used to employ qualified educators, nurses, social workers, and other critical positions or be invested in infrastructure and service delivery. Equally troubling is the growing suspicion that early-retirement schemes may be exploited to discreetly remove ghost workers from payrolls, whilst corrupt officials cash out huge pension benefits. This theory remains unproven, but the lack of transparency in early-retirement processes raises legitimate concerns. The PSA, therefore, calls for rigorous audits of all such schemes, including biometric verification and cross-checking with payroll data. To end this crisis, the PSA demands the immediate implementation of biometric and in-person verification of all public servants, digitisation of payroll systems with real-time oversight, and the imposition of harsh penalties for officials involved in payroll fraud. The PSA supports international best practices such as those adopted in Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania, where digital verification systems have saved millions. The PSA will continue to work closely with the Department of Public Service and Administration, National Treasury, and oversight bodies to strengthen public-service payroll integrity. The PSA will further pursue whistle-blower protection measures for the Union's members and intensify the campaign to raise awareness among public servants about their role in identifying and reporting fraud. The PSA is committed to building a transparent, professional, and future-ready public service. The ghost worker phenomenon is a financial crime as well as an attack on the integrity of government and the rights of citizens, and should be rooted out as a matter of urgency. The Public Servants Association, Pretoria
The Herald
01-07-2025
- Health
- The Herald
'The time for excuses has passed' — PSA vows escalation until every unemployed doctor in KZN is hired
The Public Servants Association (PSA) has vowed to intensify protest action until every qualified, unemployed doctor in KwaZulu-Natal is absorbed into the provincial health system. The union, which represents thousands of public sector employees, has thrown its weight behind more than 150 unemployed doctors, who despite completing their internships and community service, remain without work. 'These doctors have completed their internship and community service obligations in line with public health policy but have been abandoned by the same government that trained them,' said the PSA in a statement. The union warned it would not back down until the KZN department of health provides clear answers about staffing plans. 'Health care is not a commodity, it is a human right. Doctors are not surplus, they are essential,' said the PSA. In a recent media statement, the KwaZulu-Natal health department confirmed that 20 medical officer posts will be advertised within the next seven days as part of an interim intervention. 'This comes as a result of ongoing engagements between the department of health and the Office of the Premier, which are aimed at finding practical solutions under challenging fiscal conditions,' the department said. Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane, speaking alongside premier Thami Ntuli, explained that the 800 medical posts referenced earlier this year by the national finance minister refer to a national allocation — not a provincial one — and that KZN will only receive a portion. 'We want to make it clear that those 800 posts form part of a national process, which is being handled at the level of the minister of health, the minister of finance, and parliament. KZN, like all other provinces, will receive a portion of those posts. Once national [government] has finalised that process and informed us how many posts we will receive, we will immediately advertise them,' said Simelane. She said they were not ignoring the problem. 'When we realised that our provincial budget would not be enough to absorb all the doctors finishing their community service this year, we escalated the matter to the premier. The premier and I then took the issue directly to the president,' said Simelane. Simelane blamed long-term financial cuts for the current staffing crisis. 'In the past five years, our department has lost R14bn to baseline budget cuts. That has greatly affected our ability to expand our staff complement,' she said. The PSA said these explanations were not enough. 'The PSA demands that minister of health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, must immediately confirm how many of the 1,500 posts he promised on April 10 have been allocated to KwaZulu-Natal,' the union said. 'In addition, budget allocations must be urgently released to allow the provincial department to advertise and fill these critical posts without delay. This delay is a denial of justice, a betrayal of the working class, and a blatant undermining of the right to health for the people of KwaZulu-Natal,' said the PSA. The union painted a dire picture of the state of health care in the province, saying it has a doctor-to-patient ratio of just 0.4 per 1,000 people — far below acceptable standards. 'Emergency units are short-staffed, surgical backlogs are growing, and burnout among medical personnel has reached a breaking point. And yet, over 150 doctors remain jobless. The situation reflects poor governance and a leadership crisis,' said the PSA. 'These are not new posts but critical vacancies that have been left unfilled.' The union has also called for a joint meeting involving national and provincial authorities, unions and community organisations to craft a 'radical and people-centred workforce plan' based on population needs and transparent staffing data. 'These unemployed doctors are not job seekers begging for work. They are professionals demanding the fulfilment of a promise, and the right to serve communities. Government cannot continue to pay lip service to health transformation while it leaves hospitals short of hands and graduates unemployed,' the PSA said. The union warned that unless decisive action is taken soon, it will escalate its mobilisation efforts. 'The time for bureaucratic excuses has passed. The PSA will intensify mobilisation alongside unemployed doctors and progressive forces until every qualified doctor is placed, every funded post is filled and every patient is treated with dignity,' it said. TimesLIVE
TimesLIVE
01-07-2025
- Health
- TimesLIVE
'The time for excuses has passed' — PSA vows escalation until every unemployed doctor in KZN is hired
The Public Servants Association (PSA) has vowed to intensify protest action until every qualified, unemployed doctor in KwaZulu-Natal is absorbed into the provincial health system. The union, which represents thousands of public sector employees, has thrown its weight behind more than 150 unemployed doctors, who despite completing their internships and community service, remain without work. 'These doctors have completed their internship and community service obligations in line with public health policy but have been abandoned by the same government that trained them,' said the PSA in a statement. The union warned it would not back down until the KZN department of health provides clear answers about staffing plans. 'Health care is not a commodity, it is a human right. Doctors are not surplus, they are essential,' said the PSA. In a recent media statement, the KwaZulu-Natal health department confirmed that 20 medical officer posts will be advertised within the next seven days as part of an interim intervention. 'This comes as a result of ongoing engagements between the department of health and the Office of the Premier, which are aimed at finding practical solutions under challenging fiscal conditions,' the department said. Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane, speaking alongside premier Thami Ntuli, explained that the 800 medical posts referenced earlier this year by the national finance minister refer to a national allocation — not a provincial one — and that KZN will only receive a portion. 'We want to make it clear that those 800 posts form part of a national process, which is being handled at the level of the minister of health, the minister of finance, and parliament. KZN, like all other provinces, will receive a portion of those posts. Once national [government] has finalised that process and informed us how many posts we will receive, we will immediately advertise them,' said Simelane. She said they were not ignoring the problem. 'When we realised that our provincial budget would not be enough to absorb all the doctors finishing their community service this year, we escalated the matter to the premier. The premier and I then took the issue directly to the president,' said Simelane. Simelane blamed long-term financial cuts for the current staffing crisis. 'In the past five years, our department has lost R14bn to baseline budget cuts. That has greatly affected our ability to expand our staff complement,' she said. The PSA said these explanations were not enough. 'The PSA demands that minister of health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, must immediately confirm how many of the 1,500 posts he promised on April 10 have been allocated to KwaZulu-Natal,' the union said. 'In addition, budget allocations must be urgently released to allow the provincial department to advertise and fill these critical posts without delay. This delay is a denial of justice, a betrayal of the working class, and a blatant undermining of the right to health for the people of KwaZulu-Natal,' said the PSA. The union painted a dire picture of the state of health care in the province, saying it has a doctor-to-patient ratio of just 0.4 per 1,000 people — far below acceptable standards. 'Emergency units are short-staffed, surgical backlogs are growing, and burnout among medical personnel has reached a breaking point. And yet, over 150 doctors remain jobless. The situation reflects poor governance and a leadership crisis,' said the PSA. 'These are not new posts but critical vacancies that have been left unfilled.' The union has also called for a joint meeting involving national and provincial authorities, unions and community organisations to craft a 'radical and people-centred workforce plan' based on population needs and transparent staffing data. 'These unemployed doctors are not job seekers begging for work. They are professionals demanding the fulfilment of a promise, and the right to serve communities. Government cannot continue to pay lip service to health transformation while it leaves hospitals short of hands and graduates unemployed,' the PSA said. The union warned that unless decisive action is taken soon, it will escalate its mobilisation efforts. 'The time for bureaucratic excuses has passed. The PSA will intensify mobilisation alongside unemployed doctors and progressive forces until every qualified doctor is placed, every funded post is filled and every patient is treated with dignity,' it said.
TimesLIVE
20-05-2025
- Health
- TimesLIVE
Pickets outside Umlazi hospital after death of doctor ‘bullied' into working
Labour organisations are calling on the KwaZulu-Natal health department to issue a public apology and acknowledgment of systematic abuse of junior staff and structural reforms at Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital after the death of a medical intern last week. Alulutho Mazwi, 25, an intern doctor at the Umlazi-based hospital who was diabetic, died while on duty last week after allegedly being made to work despite reporting he was unwell. His death and the circumstances leading up to it have raised questions regarding the treatment of junior staff, specially interns, by their superiors in the hospital. There have since been calls for accountability and systematic reforms from the public and political and labour organisations. The provincial health department said an investigation into the allegations of bullying in the lead-up to Mazwi's death is under way, and the supervising consultant who allegedly forced him to work despite his ill health has been placed on precautionary leave. Despite the measures, the Public Servants Association (PSA) led a picket outside the hospital on Tuesday to raise concerns about working conditions, infrastructure and governance at the hospital. The union, joined by the SA Federation of Trade Unions, the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA and the Patriotic Alliance (PA), said the incident highlighted the "toxic" environment junior staff are subjected to at the hospital, including bullying, overwork and overall leadership failure.
The Star
23-04-2025
- Politics
- The Star
PSA condemns surge in sexual abuse of learners by educators and calls for action
The Public Servants Association (PSA) is outraged by the surge in cases of sexual abuse of learners by educators in South African schools. The Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) has reported a 35.4% increase in such cases, with 111 incidents recorded in the 2024/25 period, compared to 82 in the previous year. This disturbing trend highlights a critical need for stronger safeguards and systemic reforms to protect children. The PSA unequivocally condemns any form of abuse, particularly sexual abuse, perpetrated by those entrusted with the education and care of children. Such acts are a gross violation of trust and have devastating impacts on victims and their families. The PSA stands in solidarity with affected learners and their families and calls for justice to be served swiftly and decisively. The surge in cases is an indication that current measures are not enough to deter educators from engaging in such despicable acts. Enhanced screening and vetting should be implemented. The Department of Basic Education must ensure the continuous mandatory reporting of all suspected abuse cases and provide comprehensive training to school-based officials on recognising and responding to signs of abuse. Although the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has implemented the National Register for Sex Offenders, cases of sexual abuse are increasing. The PSA thus calls for the strengthening of safeguards, which should include regular audits and inspections. Promotion of community engagement could assist in creating safe environments where learners can feel safe and report perpetrators. The PSA calls on the Department of Basic Education, Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, and the South African Police Service to cooperate and tighten the grip against persons who violate children, rather than protecting them. The PSA urges the Department of Basic Education, school governing bodies, and all stakeholders in the education sector to prioritise the safety and well-being of learners. The Public Servants Association
