The High Cost Of Unqualified Staff

By: Editorial Comment

IN THE wake of widespread reports of corruption and mismanagement at parastatals came the shock news this week of the crippling cost to Government of unqualified staff.

In a news report on Wednesday, it was revealed that the cost to the

Ministry of Local Government and Housing of unqualified staff at

regional level was some N$30 million per annum.

This of course raises the question as to the combined loss to

Government if one includes all Ministries in this regard.

 

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry in question revealed

this at the start of a four-day induction workshop for newly

appointed officers of the Ministry.

 

He said that staff at regional councils were, by and large, too

junior and failed to account for these enormous financial

resources.

 

"In this regard Government lost over N$30 million a year on

aggregate in paying for services to businesses and farming

communities in those settlement areas without collection of revenue

from them in return," said PS Erastus Negonga.

 

Where revenue was in fact collected, money was not forwarded to

the Receiver of Revenue in Windhoek; neither was it accounted for,

he went on.

 

Others, he maintained, organised lucrative life-cover investment

schemes worth millions of dollars backed by neither council

resolutions nor the approval of the Minister in question.

 

Added to this, he revealed, regional officers had claimed

unreconciled accrued-leave-days gratuity while still in the employ

of councils.

 

Calling for qualified regional officers, Negonga added that

these revelations were "proof that the old Regional Council

structures headed by regional officers had been a source of serious

financial irregularities, theft and poor management of settlement

areas under their control, and that situation should not be allowed

to continue beyond March 2004".

 

This is an undoubtedly shocking state of affairs.

 

From what the PS has said, it appears as though it would be

difficult, if not impossible, to retrieve any of this money, since

the malpractices have been going on for a number of years.

 

It does raise the key question as to why something was not done

at an early stage to prevent recurrence of this mess.

 

The Permanent Secretary, as the chief accounting officer for the

Ministry in question, should surely have forwarded recommendations

to his seniors to nip this problem in the bud far sooner.

 

He has now recommended that the appointment of qualified

officers would eliminate mismanagement and lack of

accountability.

 

Not necessarily, of course; qualified people do not steal or

mismanage less than the unqualified, and the problems at certain

parastatals are ongoing proof of this.

 

Perhaps it is also too simplistic a solution to say that

unqualified staff are the cause, because it implies that the

massive losses to the Ministry can be ascribed to ignorance rather

than intent.

 

Perhaps there is a combination of both, but neither is

acceptable.

 

The issue of unqualified staff again raises the question of how

the policy of affirmative action is applied; and perhaps it calls

for a national debate on whether appointments are made simply

because of skin colour, not taking into account qualifications or

skills at all.

 

If this is the case, there needs to be a reversal of this

policy, underpinning it with the need for appointments to be made

on merit as well.

 

We would suggest that this key issue, which is crucial to the

good management of government at all levels of our society as well

as to the health of our economy, be widely debated among

Government, private-sector businesses, unions and others, in order

to arrive at a solution and eliminate financial waste of this

kind.

 

This of course raises the question as to the combined loss to

Government if one includes all Ministries in this regard. The

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry in question revealed this at

the start of a four-day induction workshop for newly appointed

officers of the Ministry. He said that staff at regional councils

were, by and large, too junior and failed to account for these

enormous financial resources. "In this regard Government lost over

N$30 million a year on aggregate in paying for services to

businesses and farming communities in those settlement areas

without collection of revenue from them in return," said PS Erastus

Negonga. Where revenue was in fact collected, money was not

forwarded to the Receiver of Revenue in Windhoek; neither was it

accounted for, he went on. Others, he maintained, organised

lucrative life-cover investment schemes worth millions of dollars

backed by neither council resolutions nor the approval of the

Minister in question. Added to this, he revealed, regional officers

had claimed unreconciled accrued-leave-days gratuity while still in

the employ of councils. Calling for qualified regional officers,

Negonga added that these revelations were "proof that the old

Regional Council structures headed by regional officers had been a

source of serious financial irregularities, theft and poor

management of settlement areas under their control, and that

situation should not be allowed to continue beyond March 2004".

This is an undoubtedly shocking state of affairs. From what the PS

has said, it appears as though it would be difficult, if not

impossible, to retrieve any of this money, since the malpractices

have been going on for a number of years. It does raise the key

question as to why something was not done at an early stage to

prevent recurrence of this mess. The Permanent Secretary, as the

chief accounting officer for the Ministry in question, should

surely have forwarded recommendations to his seniors to nip this

problem in the bud far sooner. He has now recommended that the

appointment of qualified officers would eliminate mismanagement and

lack of accountability. Not necessarily, of course; qualified

people do not steal or mismanage less than the unqualified, and the

problems at certain parastatals are ongoing proof of this. Perhaps

it is also too simplistic a solution to say that unqualified staff

are the cause, because it implies that the massive losses to the

Ministry can be ascribed to ignorance rather than intent. Perhaps

there is a combination of both, but neither is acceptable. The

issue of unqualified staff again raises the question of how the

policy of affirmative action is applied; and perhaps it calls for a

national debate on whether appointments are made simply because of

skin colour, not taking into account qualifications or skills at

all. If this is the case, there needs to be a reversal of this

policy, underpinning it with the need for appointments to be made

on merit as well. We would suggest that this key issue, which is

crucial to the good management of government at all levels of our

society as well as to the health of our economy, be widely debated

among Government, private-sector businesses, unions and others, in

order to arrive at a solution and eliminate financial waste of this

kind.

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