R19 Million Ghost Payroll Scandal: Mpumalanga Education Department Faces Public Outrage

Ghost Payroll Nightmare: R19 Million Lost to Overpayments in Mpumalanga

The Mpumalanga Department of Education finds itself in the eye of a storm after the auditor-general’s latest report revealed that a staggering R19 million in salaries was overpaid to employees who were either deceased or had left the service. The figure is more than triple the R6 million flagged in the previous year, raising eyebrows across South Africa and sparking calls for accountability.

Public outrage has grown over the weekend, with citizens demanding answers about how provincial departments can continue to bleed taxpayers’ money while administrative inefficiencies persist.

A Growing Problem Under the Spotlight

Provincial education spokesperson Gerald Sambo confirmed that the department is investigating 1,270 cases linked to erroneous payments and has begun recovery processes in line with Treasury regulations.

“Most overpayments result from administrative delays, such as late reporting of deaths or resignations. When these are identified, the department immediately initiates recovery from beneficiaries,” said Sambo.

The department also noted that staff training and enhanced monitoring systems have been rolled out to reduce overpayments and improve compliance with termination procedures.

Yet critics argue that these measures are reactive rather than preventative, leaving room for repeated failures. The auditor-general’s report highlights that the department continues to approve housing allowances without proper documentation, underscoring a poor control environment in human resource management.

“Preventative controls are not implemented, and officials only react after issues are identified,” the AG noted in its findings.

Mistakes or Mismanagement?

Labour analyst Bukani Mngoma warned that the scale and frequency of overpayments in provincial departments like Mpumalanga cannot simply be brushed off as administrative errors.

“This is particularly worrying because it tends to happen in rural provinces Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and the Eastern Cape, where allegations of corruption are rife,” Mngoma said.
“It is reasonable to conclude that corruption, sometimes aided by poverty, has become a way for officials to enrich themselves.”

Mngoma added that departments are expected not only to investigate overpayments but also to identify responsible officials and implement plans to prevent recurrence, reporting directly to Treasury.

Political Oversight Urgently Needed

Political analyst Ntsikelelo Breakfast argued that political parties must step up to hold provincial officials accountable.

“When a department admits to wasting almost R20 million in salary overpayments and no one is punished, this stops being a mistake it becomes a crime,” Breakfast said.

Another analyst, Goodenough Mashego, echoed the sentiment, calling for the auditor-general to be empowered to recommend prosecutions rather than merely exposing the wrongdoing.

Public Reaction and Cultural Context

Social media has been abuzz with condemnation, with many South Africans highlighting a broader problem of inefficiency and alleged corruption in provincial departments, particularly in rural areas. Citizens lament the wasted resources that could have been used to improve schools, provide learning materials, or support struggling teachers.

“R19 million could have built classrooms or paid for textbooks, yet it disappears because of mismanagement,” one Twitter user posted over the weekend.

For a province already grappling with under-resourced schools and growing inequality, the “ghost payroll” scandal underscores the urgent need for transparency, oversight, and consequence management.

The Mpumalanga education department insists it is taking steps to recover funds and prevent future lapses. But analysts and the public alike are watching closely: how many more ghost employees will it take before serious accountability measures are enforced?

As the debate intensifies, one thing is clear, the era of shrugging off salary overpayments as “administrative mistakes” is over. For South Africans demanding clean governance, the buck stops with the officials in charge, and they want answers and action, fast.

{Source: The Citizen}

Follow Joburg ETC on Facebook, Twitter , TikTok and Instagram

For more News in Johannesburg, visit joburgetc.com