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The 2011/12 Annual Reports of national government departments show that more than R3 billion has been spent on consultants and legal fees. This is clear evidence of the crippling effects of cadre deployment and the public sector’s inability to attract and retain skilled personnel.

Spending on consultants, contractors, legal costs and outsourced services has increased by 6.5% (R680 million) from R10.3 billion in 2010/11 to R11.07 billion in 2011/12.

This includes spending on the following (see link <https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B_-slGu8-FTxSXBrZkJ6NXhCMVU> ):

• R2.6 billion on business and advisory services;
• R425 million in legal fees;
• R5.6 billion on contractors; and
• R1.9 billion on agency and supported/ outsourced services.

This spending, and what it implies about the quality of public service personnel and human resource practices, must be urgently investigated by the Public Service Commission (PSC). I will be writing to the chairperson of the PSC, Mr Ben Mthembu, to request such an investigation.

Out of the R425 million spent on legal fees, the departments of Police and Rural Development and Land Reform respectively cost South African taxpayers R135 million and R58 million defending themselves in court.

The highest spenders on business and advisory services were Transport at R664 million, National Treasury at R225 million, Defence at R219 million, Water Affairs at R166 million and Rural Development and Land Reform at R148 million.

With an average vacancy rate of 15% (19 950 positions) in the public service, it is hardly surprising that outside service have to be bought in. It is, however, worrying that the vacancy rates do not seem to correlate with savings on compensation for employees and that despite massive spending on consultants and R4.1 billion spent on salaries for senior managers, national departments only reached (on average) 52% of their performance targets.

As early as 2001 (when R1.5 billion was spent on consultants), the PSC has warned in their “Report on the State of the Public Service , that departments are making extensive use of consultants and noted that consultants are not only used for specialist services, but also “core competencies”. It suggested that there should be “intense scrutiny” on whether the use of consultants are justifiable, particularly in cases where former state employees are appointed as consultants.

In the PSC’s November 2011 presentatio  on the State of the Public Service to the Portfolio Committee on Public Service, PSC chairperson Ben Mthembu again noted that the “issue of consultants” is a major concern and that the commission would “look at conducting comprehensive research into this matter”.

We must move beyond concern now. The PSC must conduct a comprehensive investigation into whether this spending really serves the public and identify ways in which this drain on the public purse can be stemmed.