EMS workers say R4,300 deducted after refusing unpaid overtime; 21 charged, Gauteng Health responds

Emergency medical services (EMS) workers at three Gauteng bases say they had pay deducted after refusing to work beyond a 160-hour month without overtime pay, while the provincial health department says 21 officials have been issued with charge sheets.

Workers allege unexplained deductions

According to The Citizen, employees at the Hillbrow, Selby and Mofolo EMS bases told the publication they saw pay deductions after declining to work more than 160 hours per month without overtime compensation.

One worker identified in the article as “Lucky” said deductions totalling R4,300 for two days in each of four months were taken from his pay. Another worker, “Bongani”, told The Citizen his June pay was reduced by R4,300. Both said the deductions were recorded as “leave without pay” and that no explanation was given.

“There’s money gone off my salary. Nothing was explained to me.” Lucky

Disciplinary action and department response

The Citizen reports that at least 17 workers said they had been suspended or charged. The Gauteng Department of Health, in a statement attributed to spokesperson Steve Mabona dated 23 September 2026, confirmed that 21 officials have been issued with charge sheets.

The department said the charges relate to alleged failure to complete scheduled hours and that the matter had been referred to the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) for possible professional or ethical breaches. The department also said Circular 05 cannot override a binding arbitration award.

“There are currently no EMS officials who are suspended.” Steve Mabona

Workers’ account of overtime and proposed solution

Workers told The Citizen they had not received overtime pay for years. They said they proposed taking time off once they reached 160 hours in a month rather than doing unpaid overtime. The Citizen quoted one worker, Sipho, saying: “If you don’t want to pay us the overtime, can we then have time off?”

According to The Citizen, the workers relied on Personnel Circular 05 of 2024, which the article says sets a 40-hour week / 160-hour month and states: “An employee may not be forced to work overtime without his/her written consent.”

Rostering, memos and political response

The Citizen reports it reviewed departmental letters and memos dated 2 June and 9 June 2026 that warned staff leaving shifts without written approval could face disciplinary action, including possible dismissal.

DA Gauteng health spokesperson Madeleine Hicklin told The Citizen the department should correct rostering and properly compensate staff for extra hours. The Citizen quoted Hicklin: “Instead of implementing disciplinary action on frontline emergency workers, the department should have corrected its rostering system.”

“If the department requires EMS personnel to work extra hours, it must properly record and compensate those hours.” Madeleine Hicklin

Records and outstanding documents

The Citizen reports workers requested copies of binding arbitration awards the department referenced, but says the files provided to the publication did not include those awards.

What remains unclear

The Citizen article used as the source for this report did not display author or publication date information on the retrieved page; the publication’s metadata should be checked on the live Citizen page before final publication, The Citizen notes.