Suspension pending a hearing is on full pay.
Noting that President Ramaphosa has placed National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola on precautionary suspension amid allegations linking him to a controversial tender, I Googled to see what he is earning. I was shocked to learn that he earns R666 000 per month based on an annual salary of R8 million. How on earth can this be justified?
The President went on to say that the National Police Commissioner will be on paid suspension until the case has been heard in court. This case is unlikely to be resolved soon, which means that we, the taxpayers, are going to be footing the bill for his ‘paid holiday’.
In the private sector an employee accused of dishonesty such as in this case, would be given 48 hours’ notice of a disciplinary enquiry. The enquiry would probably be concluded in under a day and the employee would then be dismissed if guilty or, reinstated in their job if found not guilty.
However, the police service is not governed by the Labour Relations Act but by The South African Police Service Discipline Regulations. Although published on 01 November 2016 this is an antiquated over-proceduralised document (therefore providing many loopholes) and still providing for “Written Verbal Warnings”.
TWENTY years ago in 2006 in the case of Avril Elizabeth Home v CCMA, Judge AJ Van Niekerk noted the need for employers to move away from disciplinary enquiries based on the criminal justice system.
He noted that “There is clearly no place for formal disciplinary procedures that incorporate all of the accoutrements of a criminal trial, including the leading of witnesses, technical and complex ‘charge sheets’, requests for particulars, the application of the rules of evidence, legal arguments, and the like.”
I wonder how long the South African public is going to continue to fund this ridiculous state of affairs?
Bruno Bruniquel
Ready to lead the change? Discover the frameworks that turn toxic workplaces into high-performance cultures. Call +27 83 226 3379 to start the conversation or email bruno@centre-for-leadership.com
Our team have worked with these companies
