Nearly 1 800 public servants found guilty of receiving social grants they were not entitled to are not being charged interest on repayments, the Democratic Alliance said on Wednesday.
They are not required to pay a fine and were given ”extremely lenient” repayment plans, the party said in a statement.
”In some cases, people can take as long as 31 years to repay the amount owed.”
The individuals, 1 792 in total, owed just under R11-million. They had all signed an acknowledgement of guilt, the DA said. A total of 241 were employed by the South African Police Service.
The group includes 425 teachers, nine school principals, 29 education specialists and seven legal-support services personnel.
In response to a parliamentary question, the Department of Social Development had provided the DA with a list of the 1 792 public servants repaying moneys owed, the party said.
It claimed the individuals were being protected, as the department requested their names be kept out of the media.
Unlike members of the public, they also do not have to pay a fine or interest on stolen monies repaid.
”Quite clearly, the government has two sets of standards — one for the public and another far more lenient set of standards for public servants,” the statement said.
The DA said one person, who earned a salary of R91 278 per annum, was repaying an amount of R74 801 in R200 monthly instalments. It would take him 31 years and two months.
To date, two of the 1 792 individuals had repaid their debt in full. Thirty-five were required to make a once-off payment, but had not yet done so.
The DA said any public servant who could not immediately repay stolen money should be charged market-related interest on the amount.
All stolen moneys must be repaid over 36 months, and guilty parties should also be fined.
Minister of Social Development Zola Skweyiya will be asked why such long repayment periods have been granted, and why no fines were imposed, the DA said.
Skweyiya’s office issued a statement later in the day denying it applied double standards in dealing with fraudulent public servants.
”We reaffirm our commitment to act swiftly and effectively against anyone who defrauds the system, whether they are public servants of not.”
The statement made no mention of whether interest was charged on sums to be repaid, or if fines were imposed on fraudsters.
In an acknowledgement of debt, a person agrees to repay stolen money on terms appropriate to the individual’s income and expenditure, it said.
Those who default will face further legal action.
The decision to prosecute or not rested with the prosecuting authority.
In the 1 792 cases listed, the statement said, repayment arrangements were made for periods of between 36 and 60 months, depending on the debt owed and the guilty party’s income.
”The department is pleased with the progress made so far in the campaign [of rooting out grant fraud], which has included a saving of R1,2-billion for the government,” it added.
In a separate written reply to a parliamentary question, the minister has revealed that R1,9-billion was saved in the past year by stopping grants to individuals not entitled to them.
Investigations had resulted, among other things, in the suspension of grant payments to 12 387 public servants and of expired temporary disability grants.
”The amount recovered by the department from persons receiving grants illegally, according to available information as at the end of May 2006, is R716 938,” the reply reads. — Sapa