By Tendai Dhliwayo
THE Gauteng Health Department has forked out a whopping R1.2 million to pay employees suspended or imprisoned for drug theft-related offences.
Phil Nzimande, acting director of communications in the Health Department, says the department is going to recover the money by making deduction from the concerned employees' pension funds. He adds that employees who have been suspended are on full salary pending outcome of their cases, and that two employees who have been jailed are also on the payroll at the moment.
Employees that have been found guilty of a criminal offence are fired and struck of the payroll.
Though there are backlogs in disciplinary cases, accedes Nzimande, "The department is at a critical stage of finalising them and trying to recover all the money."
According to information released by Jack Bloom of the Democratic Alliance (DA), three employees at the medical supplies depot in Auckland Park were charged for a theft that took place in December 1996. "They were suspended with pay in August 1998 and their hearing only took place two years later in August 2000. They have been convicted in court and served 12 months in jail, yet they are still on the pay roll."
"Removing people from the pay roll is a process," says Nzimande. "We are in the process of strengthening our internal system in line with government's fraud prevention campaign."
Bloom lambasted the labour relations department for "incredible incompetence" emanating from what he dubbed "scandalous disciplinary delays", hence resulting "in these cases to drag on for so long".
He further took a swipe at Gwen Ramokgopa, Gauteng Health MEC, who he said has to shoulder the blame "for the intolerable situation caused by insufficient monitoring coupled with delays at the head office", which has the final say in firing decisions.
