Government’s plan to axe older and experienced civil servants and replace them with young blood would lead to a brain drain in the public service.
This was the criticism of labour federation Cosatu after Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced the early voluntary retirement programme, estimated to cost R11-billion over 2025/26 and 2026/27.
Godongwana said the programme was meant to reduce the government’s excessive employment costs while retaining critical skills and promoting the entry of young talent.
However, Cosatu, which believes the move will only serve to cripple public service in the long run, stopped short of saying the plan was hastily considered.
“We’re wary of offering workers early retirement packages in case it sparks a brain drain of critical skills. Previously government did this and regretted it later,” asserted Cosatu’s parliamentary coordinator.
“Teachers were offered VSPs in the former president Nelson Mandela administration and government regretted the loss of skills. Transnet, Denel and Eskom are trying to bring back skilled workers they lost. SAPS has offered retired members a chance to come back.”
Parks raised concern that staff may leave and their positions may not be filled, worsening the strain on public services. SA Federation of Trade Union’s general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said there were certain ministers, deputy ministers and some top bureaucrats whose salaries should be cut.
“… the claim is that a ‘bloated wage bill’ crowds out spending in other critical areas. Put differently, Treasury implies that were it not for the high salaries of public sector workers, the government would be able to increase the public sector headcount and thereby achieve practicable teacher-to-learner, nurse-to-patient, and doctor-to-patient ratios,” said Vavi.
He said this after Ramaphosa after this year’s general elections increase cabinet to 32 ministers from 30 and increased the deputy ministers to 43 from 36.
“In 2024, each public servant must provide services to 48 citizens, compared to a 1 to 32 ratio in 1994,” said Vavi.
“At the same time, the non-wage component of state services rose from 55% to 68% of all spending, revealing that the problem of the 2010s rising public debt should not be blamed on the overworked, understaffed civil service. In its own calculations, the Treasury concedes the wage bill has declined as a share of government spending from 35.7% in 2014 to 32.1% today, with a further decline projected to 31.4% in 2027/2028.
Treasury contends that public sector workers are overpaid.”
Vavi bemoaned that the working class has borne the brunt of the policy positions.
“That is, the budget surplus came at a heavy price for the working class since we are suffering so many cruel budget cuts.
“Posts in health, education and other social services that are indispensable to the working class are still not being filled, making it impossible for departments to render services.
“There seems to be no end in sight for the misery that is the daily reality of the working class,” he said.
