Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, the Minister of State for Public Sector Reforms, has unveiled plans to implement a retirement age reform aimed at tackling age fraud within the public sector.
In a recent interview with Citi News, following a meeting with South Africa’s Deputy Minister for Public Service and Administration, Pinky Sharon Kekana, the Minister emphasized the necessity of assigning every child a unique identification number at birth. This number would serve as a lifelong identifier, tracking individuals through education, public sector employment, and retirement.
Akanvariba stated, “If there’s a way that, from birth, you can be given a certain number, we can track you from birth up to the time you enter services and go on retirement. This will simplify policy formulation and planning, eliminating the need for a census.”
To facilitate this initiative, the Public Sector Reforms Secretariat will collaborate with various agencies to develop an identification-at-birth policy designed to mitigate retirement age fraud.
The Minister also indicated plans to review the public service code of conduct, noting that the existing code must be updated to address contemporary challenges. This revision is expected to take place soon, ensuring that the sector remains responsive to current needs.
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