Sunday Times reports that some employees at the national Department of Basic Education (DBE) say they felt like “prisoners” during a surprise verification drive intended to root out ghost workers.
The process, which required every staff member to report to the office in person and pose for a passport-style photograph, was announced with less than 24 hours’ notice last month. Several staffers said they had to cancel long-scheduled meetings, including provincial work trips, to comply. While they knew ghost-worker verification was under way in provinces, they said they were not informed it would also apply to employees at national level. A message sent to staff on their WhatsApp group on 17 November stated: “We must complete the verification of a minimum of 60% of our respective staff members by tomorrow afternoon. The DG has explicitly stated that no excuses will be accepted if the 60% target is not met.”
Some employees described the rushed process as invasive and poorly handled. DBE spokesperson Terence Khala defended the verification drive and dismissed criticism of the short notice. He said ghost workers posed a real risk to public finances and that robust verification was essential. Ghost workers, namely individuals who do not actually work for government but still claim salaries, have long haunted national and provincial departments. There are various categories of ghost workers, including people who appear on the payroll but do not perform the duties associated with their positions. They can also be people who have left the public service or have died.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Vicky Abraham at Sunday Times (subscriber access only)
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