Public Protector urges delegates to
develop clear criteria for pension payouts
02 August 2007
The Public Protector Adv 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 15000 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.
For more information, contact Charles Phahlane on 012 366
7006 or 082 856 8188.
For media releases, speeches and reports visit the Public
Protector’s website
www.publicprotector.org
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