pension payouts
2 August 2007
The Public Protector Advocate Mabedle Lawrence Mushwana today opened a
two-day workshop on undue delays in the payment of pension benefits to civil
servants or their beneficiaries.
The conference is attended by investigators from the Public Protector's
office, human resource managers in the national, provincial and local
government departments, as well as the government employees' pension fund.
Mushwana said the Public Protector's office was established in terms of
Chapter 9 of the Constitution, together with other institutions such as the
Auditor-General, Human Rights Commission, and Commission on Gender Equality, to
ensure that the constitution was implemented properly.
He said the public service was there to deliver quality services to the
people and in line with the principles of Batho Pele. "As the Public Protector,
our main focus is on service delivery. We expect government in all the three
spheres to render quality services to our people. If that is not happening we
should be able to intervene and check the cause of the problem. We currently
see service delivery uprisings from corner to corner of our country. That tells
you that something is happening that is not right," Mushwana said.
Mushwana said the workshop was a culmination of a year-long investigation
into reasons for undue delays in the payment of pension benefits to civil
servants or their beneficiaries. He said when people complained to the Public
Protector, they were often in a dire financial situation due to delays in
receiving what was due to them.
"These individuals, when it comes to pensions, are quiet desperate. Some
have lost their loved ones and some are old. It is not correct that they should
go for a year without pension due to them. Some have come to our offices with
writs threatening to take their houses from them as they wait for their pension
payouts. We are dealing with very fragile people. Therefore we need to move
with haste to protect our people," Mushwana said.
Mushwana urged delegates to come up with minimum standards in terms of
payment of pension benefits so that people who need such services are able to
access them without difficulty.
"We should also say what is in place if we do not adhere to certain minimum
standards. If I lose my house while in the meantime waiting for longer than
necessary for my pension, who should pay for the loss?" Mushwana said.
Mushwana also paid tribute to women, saying that it was fitting that the
workshop was held during women's month in August as investigators leading the
investigation were women, and they had organised the workshop.
Senior investigator in the Public Protector's office Mrs Sanelle Viviers
said about 11 percent of complaints received last year, out of an average of 15
000 complaints, were related to delays in pension payouts. This contributed to
the office conducting a wider investigation into the root cause of these
delays.
Mr Mario Lindeque, a representative from the government employees' pension
fund said it took on average 87 days to process a payment when it reached them.
They sometimes find that they have to send it back to departments to correct
errors. Departments could also take some time before forwarding pension
documents to them, which could mean that a person would receive their payout
after five months.
A final report with recommendations will be issued towards the end this
year.
Enquiries:
Charles Phahlane
Tel: 012 366 7006
Cell: 082 856 8188
Issued by: Office of the Public Protector
2 August 2007
