The acting Minister of Public Service and Administration Thulas Nxesi has warned that no official in government departments may hold a position if he or she is elected as a full-time member of a municipal council.
This comes after concerns were raised by the public regarding public servants holding two jobs in the education sector and as councillors.
In a written parliamentary reply to Nxesi, Ahmed Munzoor Shaik Emam of the National Freedom Party (NFP) asked about the reasons that Nxesi's department allowed public servants to hold two jobs in the Department of Basic Education as educators and/or deputy principals and another as councillors and/or deputy mayors.
Responding to the question, Nxesi said according to Section 36(2) of the Public Service Act an employee of a national or provincial department or government component may not be employed in the public service if he or she is elected as a full-time member of a municipal council.
"Section 36(4) of the Public Service Act permits a public service employee who is elected as a part-time councillor to remain an employee of the public service only if he or she has obtained permission from the relevant executive authority, and not the Minister for the Public Service and Administration, to perform remunerative work outside his or her department as contemplated in section 30 of the Public Service Act.
"In the event that an employee does not receive permission in terms of section 30 of the Public Service Act, the employee may not be employed in the public service whilst he or she is employed as a part-time councillor," he said.
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