PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA - APRIL 16: Executive Mayor Dr. Nasiphi Moya at the 2026 State of the Capital Address at the UNISA Muckleneuk Campus on April 16, 2026 in Pretoria, South Africa. The speech focused on strengthening the informal economy, boosting economic growth, and addressing service delivery and infrastructure backlogs. (Photo by Gallo Images/Frennie Shivambu)
The mayor of the City of Tshwane, Dr Nasiphi Moya, has revealed that the municipality spends at least R30 million per year on salaries of suspended officials.
She highlighted that it is concerning that the city spends this much on people sitting at home, and most of the money goes to senior officials. This also hinders service delivery in the area.
“One of the concerns that we have was the amount of money that we pay for people who are sitting at home,” she said on eNCA.
Disciplinary hearings take time
Moya said the challenge is that these disciplinary cases drag on, with some dating back to 2023. Also concerning is that some of these suspended officials allegedly find ways to delay their disciplinary processes.
“Either they will change lawyers, or when they change lawyers, they ask for an extension,” she said. “They find a way to play with the system and they are within their rights.”
According to the mayor, most of the money goes to senior officials who were suspended due to the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Works tender scandal and other 2023 cases.
Spending on suspended officials
High spending on suspended officials is not new. Public Service and Administration Minister Mzamo Buthelezi previously said the government has paid more than R140 million in salaries to employees who have been placed on precautionary suspension during the 2024/25 financial year.
Buthelezi said that, as of the end of the fourth quarter of the 2024/25 financial year, national departments paid R50 945 064 to suspended employees, while provincial departments spent R90 469 562.
The minister was responding to Al Jama-ah member of parliament (MP) Shameemah Salie, who had asked for the current estimated total cost of ghost and suspended employees on the government payroll.
Ghost workers still an issue
Salie also asked what work had been done prior to the Budget Speech to recover funds lost to fraudulent salary payments. Buthelezi said the total cost associated with ghost workers had not yet been determined.
“This cost will only become known once a comprehensive employee verification process across public service has been completed and the financial implications accurately calculated,” he said.
The issue of ghost workers has also taken centre stage at Mangaung Metro Municipality in the Free State. Mangaung’s mayor, Gregory Nthatisi, and city manager, Sello More, said they have found prisoners among those receiving overtime pay.
