Pretoria: The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) has announced the implementation of enhanced measures to secure payroll controls and improve consequence management, with the aim of ensuring responsible use of public funds to support healthcare service delivery.
According to South African Government News Agency, the department is taking steps to tighten labour relations processes, strengthen leave and incapacity management, implement employee verification interventions, and enhance human resource management functions to improve oversight. Currently, four officials are on precautionary suspension with pay due to allegations of misconduct, procurement irregularities, fraud, and corruption investigations. These suspensions are also intended to prevent any potential interference with witnesses and ongoing investigations.
The department expressed concern over employees being paid without rendering services and is committed to resolving these issues swiftly without compromising investigations or disciplinary processes. To expedite such matters, the department is collaborating with relevant authorities, especially for cases that involve complex investigations and legal processes initiated by affected employees.
Interventions to strengthen payroll integrity and prevent irregular payments include the Ziveze Campaign, an employee verification initiative aimed at confirming the legitimacy of employees on the payroll. This initiative has identified employees who were being paid but were not recognized by Human Resources at the institutional level. Actions have been taken to terminate these irregular payments and remove the affected individuals from the system.
Healthcare institutions have been advised to properly implement leave management and incapacity processes, including the Policy and Procedure on Incapacity Leave and Ill-Health Retirement, to prevent irregular payments to employees not rendering services. Additionally, efforts are underway to automate aspects of HR Management to enhance oversight, improve data accuracy, and reduce system vulnerabilities.
These interventions are part of the department's broader strategy to fortify financial management, promote ethical governance, and protect public resources, ultimately supporting improved healthcare service delivery.