CAPE TOWN - Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has made an about-turn on his claim that the salaries of 3 000 ghost workers at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) were frozen in December.
In March, Mbalula told Parliament’s standing committee on public accounts that Prasa has instituted a forensic investigation to determine the 3 000 ghost workers uncovered by an internal campaign, called “Operation Ziveze” (meaning “Show Yourself”).
He had said the payment of the salaries was stopped in December, and that none of the employees came forward to claim they were being owed money.
However, Mbalula sang a different tune when answering parliamentary questions from GOOD Party MP, Brett Herron.
Herron enquired whether the list of ghost employees had been sent to the Department of Public Service and Administration to investigate if they were employed elsewhere in the public service.
He also asked when Prasa’s chief financial officer was instructed to stop payments to the ghost workers, and what steps were implemented to recover the monies from the various bank accounts of these recipients.
In his reply, Mbalula said the final list of ghost workers had not been sent to the Department of Public Service and Administration yet, due to internal processes not yet finalised.
Mbalula said the internal processes include verifying when the individual was loaded onto the payroll system, the bank account used, and who had loaded the individual on the system.
“Prasa is still in the process of auditing and confirming the unidentified individuals,” the minister said.
Mbalula’s reply revealed that there was no freezing of any salaries, contrary to his earlier statement to Scopa.
“The group chief financial officer (of Prasa) has not been instructed to lock the salaries yet, until the verification process by internal audit has been completed.
“This is to protect the credibility of the process by ensuring that the company does not stop the salaries of active employees who are on duly authorised absence from work, on leave, sick leave (short/long term), suspension, maternity leave and employees working outside the cities.”
He also said there were planned processes to recover the monies paid to the ghost workers that were dependent on finalisation of the internal audit.
“Only then will other processes commence of locking salaries, reporting to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU)/Hawks to attach (assets) and recover (the monies) on behalf of Prasa,” Mbalula said.
On Sunday, Herron slammed the continued payment of the salaries to the ghost workers and Mbalula's apparent misleading of Parliament.
“Prasa cannot afford to pay salaries to thousands of people who don’t work for it, and South Africa can’t afford members of the executive misinforming Parliament, rather than fixing the rot.
“After identifying the people fraudulently receiving salaries, and then allowing the scam to continue is reckless and wasteful,” he said.
Herron insisted that the salaries of the ghost workers should have been stopped immediately.
“The Prasa board must immediately stop making these payments, and begin the task of holding members of staff responsible for the fraud accountable, and recovering the stolen money,” he said.
He called on Mbalula to explain the discrepancies in his story about the salary payments of Prasa’s ghost workers.
“Misinforming Parliament’s watchdog committee is a breach of ethics,” Brett charged.
Cape Times