Suspended senior officials get paid, while general workers go without salaries

17 August 2023

The Gauteng Liquor Board and Cradle of Humankind which are entities of the Gauteng Department of Economic Development, continue to waste millions of rands paying salaries to senior officials on suspension due to either theft, fraud, or misappropriation of company resources.

This despite the general workers claiming that they went without salaries throughout the Covid-19 period while senior officials on suspension continue to draw salaries.

It is concerning that some employees have been on suspension for five years and are still receiving a salary at the expense of our taxpayers.

This information was revealed in the Gauteng Department of Economic Development’s first quarterly report for the 2023/2024 financial year. Three officials who work for the Gauteng Liquor Board are currently on suspension, as is one official who works for the Cradle of Humankind.

Keabetsoe Moeketsi has been on suspension since 23 January 2018 for fraud. She has been paid R1 403 025,75 since then. The suspension has not been lifted yet, pending approval from the Head of Department. Molefi Ramoea has been on suspension since 11 January 2021 for theft and has been paid R890 859,02. Khaya Shabangu has been on suspension since 20 June 2023, and has been paid R6 353, 00. All three officials work for the Gauteng Liquor Board.

Dumisani Ntshangase, an official at the Cradle of Humankind, has been on suspension since 17 February 2020 for the misuse of the departmental petrol card and has been paid R2 792 245,86.

In all these cases, the officials have been suspended because there is a reasonable belief that their presence at the office could jeopardise the investigation.

It is high time that the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) speeds up the process of completing disciplinary hearings. Our residents cannot be held to ransom by officials who benefit from the red tape that prolongs disciplinary process.

Through the mechanisms in place at the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL), we will be engaging with the Department of Economic Development and its entities to ensure that all pending disciplinary cases against suspended officials are concluded speedily to save costs.

There is a belief that corruption is a victimless crime and that it is the individual senior officials "time to eat". These millions wasted on senior officials for doing nothing could be used to pay general workers who are doing the work.

Issued by Nicola Du Plessis, DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Economic Development, 17 August 2023