The Gauteng Department of Health has confirmed that four officials are currently on precautionary suspension with pay as part of its ongoing efforts to tighten payroll controls and address allegations of fraud and corruption within the department.
The department said the suspensions form part of broader disciplinary and forensic investigations into alleged payroll fraud, procurement irregularities and corruption within its systems.
“The suspensions relate to matters involving alleged misconduct, procurement irregularities, fraud and corruption investigations, as well as measures aimed at preventing possible interference with witnesses and ongoing investigations,” the department said.
The department added that it remains concerned about cases where employees continue to receive salaries without rendering services and has committed to speeding up disciplinary processes while still respecting legal and investigative procedures.
“The department is equally concerned about employees being paid while not rendering services and remains committed to expediting these matters without compromising investigations or disciplinary processes,” it said.
As part of its broader response, the department has rolled out tighter payroll verification systems and internal controls to identify and remove irregular payments. A key initiative, the Ziveze Campaign, has already flagged individuals on the payroll who were not properly accounted for at the institutional level.
“Through this intervention, the department identified employees who were in the system and being paid but were not known to Human Resources at institutional level,” the department said, adding that action has been taken to terminate irregular payments and remove affected individuals from the system.
The entity added that it is strengthening leave management and incapacity processes to prevent abuse of the system, and is moving toward automating human resource functions to improve oversight and data accuracy.
“These interventions form part of the department’s broader strategy to strengthen financial management, ethical governance and the protection of public resources in support of improved healthcare service delivery,” it said.
IOL News
Get your news on the go. Download the latest IOL App for Android and IOS now.
Wendy Dondolo
iol.co.za
