Foreign nationals in sensitive government jobs pose security risk

Department of Public Service and Administration acting director-general Willie Vukela has demanded that critical data on foreign nationals in the public service be reported immediately.

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applied to intelligence, defence, IT and financial roles.

This is not the first time departments have ignored DPSA’s data submission calls. The memo references “earlier engagements” that failed to secure compliance, highlighting a culture of impunity.

SANSS is expected to identify and expose non-compliant departments now that the April 30 deadline has passed.

Last year the DPSA data showed that the government employed 5779 foreign nationals in 2023, comprising 3557 men and 2222 women. More than 60% of these employees fell within the 44-59 age bracket, reflecting a predominantly mid-career demographic.

By nationality, Zimbabweans formed the largest cohort at 2172, followed by Congolese (755) and Nigerians (367). O India (383) and Cuba (265) ranked highest among non-African nations represented in the public sector.

The overwhelming majority of foreign government workers were concentrated in health-care and education. Health care roles accounted for 2511 employees, while 2660 worked across basic and higher education departments.