Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. The Department of Public Service Administration (DPSA) has revealed there are nearly 300 public servants moonlighting as municipal councillors, in direct contravention of the Public Service Act (PSA).
In a statement on Saturday it said it was in the process of establishing whether applicable legal prescripts have been complied with.
“The DPSA reported that 281 public service employees (at national and provincial departments) are currently serving as municipal councillors across the country. Of the 281 public service employees employed as municipal councillors, 30 public service employees are from national departments and 251 are from provincial departments.”
The department said the employees currently elected as full-time municipal councillors should have resigned from the public service as provided in Section 36 (2) of the PSA.
“If they have not resigned, then their employment in the public service should be terminated based on the said provision.”
The DPSA said Section 36 (1) of the Public Service Act 1994 states that a public service employee may stand as a candidate for elections in a municipal council but must comply with the public service code of conduct and any other prescribed limits and conditions.
Section 36 (2) also provides that if an employee is elected as a full-time member of a municipal council, the employee will be deemed to have resigned from the public service with effect from the date immediately before the date he or she assumes office as municipal councillor.
Therefore, no public service employee may be a full-time municipal councillor.
Section 30 of the PSA, which regulates other remunerative work (ORW) outside of an employee’s department, requires that an employee should obtain written permission from the executive authority (EA) before performing ORW outside his or her employment in the relevant department.
In deciding the request, the executive authority shall consider whether outside work could reasonably be expected to interfere with, or impede the effective performance of the employee’s function or constitute a contravention of the code of conduct.
Section 31 prescribes consequences for an employee who engages in ORW without permission to do so.
It said:
The department held information sessions for ethics officers regarding the matter in September 2021.
Ethics officers were advised to recommend that employees who stand as candidates for elections should at the same time inform the head of departments of their intention to stand as a candidate for election and to also apply for ORW.
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