The Mpumalanga Education Department has firmly dismissed allegations that it paid nearly R 2 billion in irregular salaries to former or deceased employees. The Department’s rebuttal comes after The Citizen reported that findings by the Auditor-General of South Africa (AG) allegedly revealed R 1.8 billion in irregular salary payments.
According to the Department, these claims are factually incorrect and misleading. Officials have clarified that the Auditor-General’s 2024/25 report contains no such finding of R 1.8 billion in irregular salary payments.
In its official statement, the Mpumalanga Education Department emphasised that the only confirmed financial discrepancies involve overpayments of approximately R 19 million — not R 1.8 billion as reported.
Provincial Education Spokesperson Gerald Sambo explained that these overpayments were caused by administrative delays in processing employee terminations, rather than corruption or fraud.
“In the past year, the Department has implemented staff training to improve compliance with termination procedures and strengthened circuit-level monitoring systems for early detection of potential overpayments,” Sambo said.
He added that no evidence of fraudulent activity has been found in relation to the identified overpayments.
Mpumalanga Education Department Clarifies Audit Findings
The Mpumalanga Education Department believes that the reported R 1.8 billion figure may have resulted from a misinterpretation of audit terminology or categories in the Auditor-General’s report. Audit documents often reference various types of irregular, unauthorised, or fruitless expenditure — but these are not limited to salaries, and they do not confirm direct payments to ghost employees or deceased individuals.
The Department insists that it takes audit outcomes seriously, but rejects any suggestion that it mismanaged billions of rands. It further highlighted that the 2024/25 Auditor-General report available to the public contains no explicit reference to a finding of R 1.8 billion in irregular salary payments.
In response to both the confirmed overpayments and the subsequent media coverage, the Mpumalanga Education Department has outlined several key corrective actions aimed at tightening internal controls and preventing similar issues in the future:
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Enhanced Staff Training – All HR and payroll officers across districts and circuits are undergoing additional training on termination procedures and compliance requirements.
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Improved Monitoring Systems – The Department has introduced real-time payroll monitoring tools and strengthened circuit-level audits to identify irregularities early.
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Process Re-Engineering – Employment termination workflows have been streamlined to ensure that salary payments automatically stop once an employee exits the system.
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Transparency and Accountability – The Department continues to publish detailed financial reports to promote public confidence and accountability in how education funds are managed.
According to the Department, these actions reflect its commitment to fiscal discipline and to maintaining the integrity of Mpumalanga’s education system.
The Mpumalanga Education Department’s response carries significant implications for the province’s education sector and the broader public:
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Rebuilding Trust: By publicly correcting the record, the Department aims to restore public confidence in its financial management practices.
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Fiscal Responsibility: While R 19 million in overpayments is not insignificant, it represents just 1% of the R 1.8 billion figure alleged by media reports — demonstrating that the extent of the issue was exaggerated.
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Focus on Improvement: The Department’s focus now lies on improving administrative efficiency, not damage control.
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Media Accountability: The incident serves as a reminder that misinterpretations of audit findings can harm the reputation of public institutions and undermine public trust.
Sambo noted that the Department remains open to cooperating with oversight bodies and engaging transparently with the public to prevent misinformation from spreading.
The Mpumalanga Education Department reiterated its commitment to clean governance, financial accountability, and responsible stewardship of public resources. It stressed that internal audits, monitoring systems, and training programmes are all being enhanced to ensure full compliance with the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).
The Department reaffirmed that no fraudulent activity was discovered in relation to the R 19 million overpayments, and that recovery procedures are already in progress where applicable.
“We remain committed to transparent financial management and to ensuring that every rand allocated to Mpumalanga Education contributes directly to improving teaching and learning outcomes,” said Sambo.
The Mpumalanga Education Department refutes R 1.8 billion irregular payment claims, calling them inaccurate and unsupported by the Auditor-General’s 2024/25 report. While the Department acknowledges overpayments totalling around R 19 million, these stemmed from administrative inefficiencies — not corruption.
By implementing new monitoring systems, staff training, and tighter payroll controls, Mpumalanga Education is demonstrating a proactive approach to good governance and fiscal responsibility. The Department’s swift and transparent response underscores its ongoing commitment to protecting public funds and upholding integrity in the province’s education sector.
Source- EWN
