DA seeks answers on DPSA’s reluctance to act against public servants who stole R350 grants
24 February 2022
The DA has submitted parliamentary questions to the Minister for the Public Service and Administration, Ayanda Dlodlo, requesting that she, amongst other things, provide a breakdown of the individual departments that are currently conducting disciplinary cases into the theft of the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant by public servants and the progress made by the individual departments in concluding these disciplinary cases.
It cannot be business as usual when it has become clear as day that these disciplinary cases have not been concluded within 90 day period prescribed by the Public Service Regulations of 2016.
According to media reports, when asked during a recent post-SONA briefing if the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) would be taking action against public servants who unlawfully applied for and/or received the SRD grant, Minister Dlodlo stated that it was not the DPSA that would be taking action against the implicated public servants, but rather the individual departments who knew who the culprits are in this regard.
The DA is not persuaded by Minister Dlodlo’s response as it seems to suggest that individual departments have a far greater role to play than the DPSA in ensuring that corrupt and unethical public servants are brought to book.