26 Feb 2015

Parliament has heard that 811 public officers have been summarily dismissed under Section 27 of the Public Service Act since its inception in 2010. 

Responding to a question, the Assistant Minister of Health, Dr Alfred Madigele, said out of the 811, 417 were permanent and pensionable while 394 were former industrial class employees.

No one employed in the contract base  was dismissed, he said.  Dr Madigele, who was answering on behalf of the Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, said 114 had litigated against their dismissals and 26 employees were reinstated. 

He said reasons for dismissals included, habitual or willful neglect of duty, willful disobedience of lawful or reasonable orders given by the employer and willful, expressed or implied misrepresentation by the employee in respect of his or her skills or qualifications.

Other reasons were, persistent absence from work without permission, offering or receiving a bribe, acts of theft, misappropriation of government property and willful dishonesty against government, another employee or client of government. 

The reasons for dismissal also included loss of government funds caused by willful or gross negligence, performing work for compensation in a private capacity during or outside working hours without authority from the employer and falsifying records used for official purposes. 

Selebi Phikwe West MP, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse had asked the minister to state the number of civil servants who have been summarily dismissed under Section 27 of the Public Service Act since its inception. 

MP Keorapetse also wanted to know the category of employees dismissed in terms of ministries and the reasons for their dismissals, the number of those who have litigated against the dismissals and the number of those who were reinstated.  ENDS