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Police are abusing sick leave, with staff working at one police station alone taking an average of 77.2 days off sick each.
Abuse of sick leave has been identified as the “number one risk” to the police, and a “health risk manager” had now been appointed to refer serial absentees to “neutral” doctors to find out if they are really too sick to go to work.
“There are people in the department who, according to the sick leave register, are supposed to have died, because there isn’t any part of their body that has not been ill.
“However, they are strong and kicking. They are not dead,” said the chairwoman of Parliament’s police oversight committee, Sindi Chikunga.
Police management were appearing before the oversight committee on Tuesday to discuss an audit of building leases, but in her opening remarks Chikunga raised absenteeism statistics. These had been presented during the department’s annual report hearings last year. Reading from these stats, she singled out some of the worst police stations for absenteeism:
*In the Maitland police station in Cape Town, for example, the 85 staff took a total of 6 579 sick days in one year, at an average of 77.2 days each. “It means there is nobody working at this police station, period. Then the question is, ‘Why is it happening, why is it allowed to happen’?” asked Chikunga;
* At Hilton police station in KwaZulu-Natal, 39 staff between them took 1 337 sick days at an average of 34.73;
* Midrand police station’s 196 staff took 5 935 sick days at an average of 30.3;
* Silverton police station’s 148 staff took 3 144 total sick days for an average 21.3;
* Pretoria North, where a staff complement of 169 took 3 354 sick days at an average of 19.9 a person;
* At Alexandra Road, 158 staff took 3 708 sick days at an average 23.8 and
* East London police station, with a total of 402 staff and sick days of 8 538, at an average of 21.27.
What made matters worse was that some of these individuals had been promoted despite their atrocious work ethic.
“I think it is a matter we will be discussing with the department. It means we are rewarding such behaviour,” Chikunga said.
She said there must be doctors who were helping the culprits by supplying them with medical certificates and called for them to be investigated.
“Police have a right to investigate. It is their responsibility if they think there is corruption. It is the right of police to investigate that (type of) corruption, using medical certificates.
“There are serious challenges in this regard and… we would be saying to doctors, ‘You are really not assisting us; you are not assisting our country. You are not assisting anybody by granting these medical certificates willy nilly’.”
The service’s chief operating officer, Lieutenant-General Bonang Ngwenya, agreed it was a problem “that makes us not proud as an organisation, because it impacts negatively on service delivery”.
She admitted there seemed to be a “lack of command and control” and the staff who did arrive for work would “obviously” be “taking a lot of strain”.
Abuse of sick leave had been identified as the number one risk to the organisation and a “health risk manager” had been appointed to refer serial absentees to “neutral” doctors. Ngwenya said the department had convened a three-day meeting in Pretoria, due to start today, where provincial commissioners responsible for human resources, among others, would be taken through reports of the oversight committee and areas of concern would be discussed. - Political Bureau
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Rico, wrote
Not surprising when the state of the government overall is atrocious. The sooner the ANC is stripped from their power the better for South Africa.
Anonymous, wrote
Cedric the crow i think you must reread the article of Lesirela Letsebe_Mogorwane,This person is NOT blaming the whites BUT blaming the own race for the predicament SA is in. This person is actauly in favour of the white culture. Reread my friend and apologize
Miss Marley, wrote
Deborah, wrote
@Lesirela Letsebe_Mogorwane - You are so blinded by your own racism and hatred that you can't see that there are severe problems. There is no denying that there may have been issues before 1994 but the situation is far worse now. You used to be able to rely on the Police to come out if you had a problem but now the public are turning to other forms of security. Try opening your mind a little and erase some of your racist tendencies. The country will never move toward being a true first world country with this attitude.
Watcher, wrote
Despite everything the conditions that some police have to work under are appalling. The holding cell at my local police station is right next to the reception desk and office. There is regularly urine, faeces and or vomit and the associated smells right where they are working. Just to visit the station is a trial, let alone having to work under those conditions. It's disgusting!!!
Anonymous, wrote
Manko Molabe, wrote
If the administrator simple register the sick leave taken within the 3 yrs circle of 33 days paid leave. It was going to be costy for the Officer to be Home sick without been sick
ConfusedVictim, wrote
I work in the private sector. In the last 10 years, I have taken 12 non-vacation leave days, 2 for each of my two kids (4 days), 2 for my father-in-law's funeral, 3 when I was in hospital for kidney stones and the remaining 3, I had an ear infection and couldn't hear or balance so was booked off 2 days and the other day I was given free because I'd worked 48 hours in a row. Most people not in private employment don't take much leave either. They should investigate all public sector employees.
Anonymous, wrote
LIFESTYLE AUDITS FROM TOP TO BOTTEM............IN ALL DEPT.............A-----Z..........and the governing party WILL sink like the COSTA CONCORDIA!!!!
Anonymous, wrote
Who is it that changed the rules to allow Sangomas to issue medical certificates. Who changed the system to force employers to accept medical certificates that do not even have to state the medical condition fot wich the person has been booked off. Who is now being bitten on the bum
@ Lesirela Letsebe_Mogorwane, wrote
It is unfortunate that people like yourself cannot seem to see the corruption and blatant theft that is staring you in the face due to your deep seeded racist mindset and this mindset will not change anything! SA will continue to crumble and be raped by those who you give your vote to. It is sad to think there may indeed be more like you who from either lack of education, a deep seeded racism or a simple feeling like you deserve to be given everything without doing a days work for it will ensure that there is no light at the end of the tunnel for SA and we can only hope as a people that you and your like minded friends one day wake up when before there is no police, no electricty, no water and no roads in SA and all thats left are a few multi-billionaires telling you its the whites fault that SA has died. Amazing how you can blame it on the whites, without them this place would still be a savage jungle with no infrastructure. Yes the NATS were also corrupt but not to this extent, we can see this becasue in those days things worked and not every dept. was claiming bankrupcy. Its sad that you are so blinded by the colour white that you cannot see that a few blacks continue to steal all the green meant to improve ALL of our lives!
Peter, wrote
aNON, wrote
@krazykia....there is an implied "calling" as you describe your need to "serve". you imply "entitlement" by agreeing that if you 'don't use it you lose it'. you are clueless as to what happens in the real world ..... 2 hour lunches - where do you get that crap from? if an employee or employer is entertaining prospective clients then it is possible that the engagement could exceed a nominal period but under no circumstances to employees have 2 hour lunches as standard practice. i personally deny your assertion that the abuse of state funds IE tax payers funds by state employees happens equally in private companies. absolute BS! once we are onto any type of abuse it is goodbye, thanks for coming, end of story!! you know exactly where you are sitting, lazy and self serving, quite happy to 'use the sick days or lose them'. get into the real world, get to work on time, finish hours after 5pm, no 20 minute tea breaks twice a day and eat lunch on the move and on the weekend finish your office work so to start fresh come monday morning. before i forget, a couple hours most night keeping work up to date. try that you lazy git!
Fifi, wrote
@Eugenia he he he! This is sad reality. The foot soldiers in every govt department be give opportunity to travel and see how committed some ppl are elsewhere, with limited resources at thier disposal. I'm sure they will get challenged and come back, rub it on their colleagues. These ppl are depsressed, overworked and underpaid; there's low morale and the only benefit for them is to fall 'sick' and thank themselves by using state property. Sometimes I really feel sorry for them.
Cedric the Crow, wrote
@ Lesirela Letsebe_Mogorwane,blame everything on the pre 1994 regime. Let's not blame the thugging and thievery that your ANC government has also done. Let's just blame everything on the inheritance of the old regime and ignore how your people pillage , pluner and rape this countries resources. But then again look all over Africa and see how they rule...
@ Weza, wrote
While I agree with you on some points China is the last place to look to as an example unless you advocate child labour, slave labour, massive pollution and general abuse of human rights. People in China claim patriotism becasue if they dont they would be stood against a wall and shot.
@ Lesirela Letsebe_Mogorwane, wrote
Please don't confuse a democratic goverment with a criminal and deeply corrpt organisation. Don't try use democracy as a front to protect the people who steal, lie and cheat to satisfy their own greed. If there was proper management in place this would not be happening! The same in the restuarant business - If the service and food is bad don't blame your waiter, blame the manager. Staff will usually try get away with what they can and if your boss let you or had no control over you taking endless sick days you probably would. The issue here is managemnet of the police force with the last 2 commissioners being guilty of corruption do you exxpect those that look up to their leaders and follow their direction should or would behave any different to what they see? People in this country are put into positions because of connections where they have no experience or merit bheing in those positions and as such they have no idea what they are doing, they lose track of everything aand let it all fall apart while they fill their own pockets.
Eugenia, wrote
It is unfair to abuse sickleave.But you cannot help it these monsters you say a word they will kill you.Its like when phone reporting what ever that need police,the office will tell they donot have cars.But at night you see police cars with their girlfriends,mothers,children driving or dropping the family mind you the police car is from as far as Umbumbulu or Amazimtoti.Standing at the bus stop you can count over ten private or policevan with one person or two etc.I am telling this is how abusive police are Recently at Hillcrest police station other police kickout the Station Commande accusing him of abusing them why because He was making them do the job which they do not like,he was sent away by ather police.I feel sorry for their superior these police can make a meeting about you and they can really sent or kill you if you do not stop lecturing them about not to do this or that you are history. what Imean is you cannot tellthem what or when or not to do.You onley have a chance to diciplen one or two after that caucas about what you think you are you can tell that to your wife,then mind your language with your diciplen thing
Weza, wrote
Let’s not point fingers but do some self introspection. We pay doctors and they lie for us, its corruption. Corruption sees neither race nor class. Let’s learn from the Chinese. Chinese are very patriotic and have strong work ethics. Let’s rebuild our beautiful multiracial country, let’s work with honesty and integrity to inspire future generations. S.A. won’t be changed by political parties or systems, because all those have loopholes.
kadok, wrote
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