Government takes action to establish the extent and abuse of emolument attachment orders for credit granted against Public Servants

2 September 2015

In December 2013 Cabinet authorised the Ministers of Finance and Trade and Industry to take measures to assist over-indebted households and also prevent them from becoming over-indebted in future.

One of these measures is to encourage employers to investigate the legitimacy of Emolument Attachment Orders for credit (EAOs) and to reduce and remove erroneous ones. In the public service, the Department of Public Service and Administration is expected to lead in this regard.

In light of this, Government has appointed a service provider (Q LINK Holdings (Pty) Ltd) to investigate the extent and abuse of EAOs in the public service (national and provincial spheres of government) and to implement an ongoing process for the management of EAOs to ensure that in future no illegally-issued EAOs are enforced against public servants.

This project fits together with the work undertaken by the Department of Public Service and Administration in terms of its mandate from the Committee of Ministers responsible for collective bargaining in the Public Service to implement a project titled the Public Service Employee Debt Relief Programme, which aims to relieve public servants of their high level of indebtedness.

Public servants with EAOs are encouraged to contact the call center established by Q LINK if they have questions or require additional information. The number is 0800 00 7032.

Statement issued by Dumisani Nkwamba, DPSA, and Phumza Macanda, Treasury, September 2 2015