The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) emphatically rejects the government’s plan to implement early retirement initiatives for public servants, which was announced during the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS). This cost-cutting measure, aimed at reducing the public sector wage bill, threatens service delivery and jeopardises the livelihoods of thousands of working-class families.
The National Treasury has allocated R11 billion to fund the programme over the next two fiscal years, targeting approximately 30,000 employees for early retirement. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has attempted to justify this initiative by stating it will safeguard critical skills and avoid being a “free-for-all.”
SAFTU rejects this programme for the following reasons: The public service is already having a massive vacancy rate. The Home Affairs Department alone has only 37% of what it requires to make the country’s immigration policy functional. The Department of Health has 40,000 vacancies. The South African police service has up to 60,000 vacancies. As a result of these vacancies, South Africa’s ratios of public sector per to the population continue to deteriorate. For example:
a) South Africa’s police-to-population ratio is approximately 1:413, meaning there is one police officer for every 413 citizens (based on recent SAPS statistics). The UN recommends a police-to-population ratio of 1:450 as a general guideline.
b) As of 2019, South Africa’s doctor-to-population ratio was approximately 0.79 per 1,000 people. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a minimum of 1 doctor per 1,000 people.
c) South Africa has 1.52 psychiatrists per 100,000 people, whereas the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least ten psychiatrists per 100,000. The situation is even more severe in rural areas, where the ratio drops to as low as 0.03 per 100,000.
d) In South Africa, the ratio of correctional services staff to inmates is estimated at 1:25 in some facilities. Some of our correctional services facilities have up to 148.5% overcrowding. Prison Studies Penal Reform InternationalThe United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Mandela Rules) recommends ratios closer to 1:3 or 1:5 to effectively manage rehabilitation programs, maintain security, and uphold prisoner rights . Penal Reform International.
e) South Africa’s pupil-to-teacher ratio in public schools is approximately 29.8 learners per teacher by 2021. The global average pupil-to-teacher ratio in primary education is around 23. Reducing the public sector by 30,000 will make this situation worse. This proposition can only be made by a government that has lost touch with reality. It is a statement made by an uncaring state that has long abandoned the working class’s interests. Lastly, it’s a statement made by people who long contracted out of the public service who and their families receive better services in the private sector health, who have bodyguards and private security in their homes and whose children received education in the private sector.
SAFTU disputes the lie repeatedly told to the country that the public servants are earning too much. It is the higher echelons at the level of the Director Generals and the politicians who are earning way above their counterparts, including when compared to the first world leaders. This situation has worsened because of the so-called Government of National Unity, which has 32 Cabinet Ministers and 43 Deputy Ministers. With a much larger population, Germany has 16 federal ministries, and the United Kingdom typically maintains around 20 prominent cabinet positions.
SAFTU warns that the plan to cut 30,000 public servants will result in the loss of experienced professionals, the erosion of institutional knowledge, and further strain on already overstretched government services.
Public servants are the backbone of critical sectors, including healthcare, education, and social welfare. Encouraging early retirements will likely worsen the capacity crisis in government departments, particularly in rural and under-resourced areas, leaving vulnerable communities to suffer the consequences.
SAFTU Strongly disputes the narrative that austerity measures targeting workers can rejuvenate the public service. True revitalisation requires investment in:
● Improved working conditions,
● Filling critical vacancies to meet the growing needs of the population,
● Addressing corruption and wasteful expenditure,
● Investing in skills development and youth employment initiatives without displacing existing workers and
● Strengthening public sector capacity to ensure quality service delivery for all South Africans. The Federation asserts that the root causes of the ballooning wage bill are not the salaries of hardworking public servants but the systemic mismanagement of public funds, corruption and prioritisation of elite interest over the needs of the majority.
