06 Aug 2020

Government is working on correcting the challenges that arose where COVID-19 Scorpions were employed without due processes having been followed, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Eric Molale has told Parliament.

Delivering a statement in the National Assembly on Wednesday to appraise the house on the recent employment of the COVID-19 Scorpions, Mr Molale explained that there are steps prescribed by law that are being followed to remedy the state of affairs.

He said the scorpions had been enlisted following a presidential directive that had prescribed that 4 800 COVID-19 Scorpions be engaged to assist in enforcing COVID-19 protocols at local level.

In implementing the directive, Mr Molale said his ministry had engaged 17 812 cleaners at the rate of P567 per month and 2 567 COVID-19 Scorpions at P3 833 per month (B3 scale, 7^th notch), an occurrence that the minister said was not lawful.

“These appointments went against the spirit of the said presidential directive. In effect, posts were created illegally; it was outside known processes, where this house [Parliament] does that during the budget session or through the supplementary budget,” Mr Molale said.

In correcting that, Mr Molale said an internal process between the employer and employees was ongoing and  in accordance with the law, consultations with the affected temporary employees would run the course of 14 days.

“Those affected are still in the employ of government until such time when the process will be concluded, and after the consultations, a determination will be made on whether to terminate or not,” Mr Molale revealed.

Mr Molale delivered the statement in response to a Notice of Motion that had been delivered to him by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Dumelang Saleshando, who had requested ‘that the House directs that government should rescind the decision to terminate the engagement of COVID-19 Scorpions.”

Mr Saleshando said a letter had been circulated from the ministry to council secretaries and town clerks to the effect that the employment of the COVID-19 Scorpions should be terminated, and he queried that such was done without consultation with the employees.

But Mr Molale reiterated that the Scorpions remained under the employ of government until the legal remedial action process had run its course, after which he would brief the National Assembly on the course of action government had taken on the matter.

He further said as the leader with political oversight over the ministry that committed the error, he had already publicly accepted responsibility and apologised. Ends