A deputy director in the department of women, youth & people with disabilities, who was suspended in 2018 and subsequently found guilty of financial misconduct, has received more than R5m despite his position having been filled by someone else.
He is one of 674 provincial and national officials who are on suspension —516 of them for longer than 90 days.
The department says it is “in the process of completing [the deputy director’s] transfer” to another division while the matter, now in the labour court, is finalised.
Spokesperson Cassius Selala said the official was no longer suspended but was being “transferred to a different unit that does not deal with supply chain management as a precaution”.
Currently 674 provincial and national officials are on suspension.
This figure does not include suspensions at the 257 municipalities, for which no centralised figures are kept.
However, it is believed many, if not most, government suspensions occur at local government level.
Last month it was revealed that an Emfuleni municipality accountant and a senior clerk who were suspended seven years ago have been paid R9m. They are among 22 staff from the cash-strapped municipality who have been paid a combined R23.9m as their suspensions drag on.
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