The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration on Wednesday expressed its support for legislative reform that would empower the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to conduct lifestyle audits routinely and systematically across government departments, without relying on proclamations or invitations from the President or departments.
 
The SIU briefed the committee on the development and implementation of the National Corruption Risk Management and Prevention Framework. This Framework provides several proactive and preventive measures, including vetting and lifestyle audits. Among the recommendations the SIU made during the meeting was that the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) should adopt a blanket lifestyle audit proclamation to enable the SIU to conduct lifestyle audits on high-risk departments to fast-track implementation and facilitate uniformity.
 
The committee Chairperson, Mr Jan de Villiers, noted that lifestyle audits are an important lever for strengthening accountability and promoting ethical conduct among public servants. The President first suggested lifestyle audits for the public service during the debate of his 2018 State of the Nation Address. These audits help ensure that public servants’ lifestyles match their income and combat corruption. From 1 April 2022, they became mandatory for all national and provincial departments.
 
The committee also received an overview of the DPSA’s monitoring of departments’ implementation of lifestyle audits and noted the growing uptake in implementation. The data shows that in 2025, among senior management service members, over 90 per cent of government departments were implementing audits. Members heard that although cases are being identified and referred for investigation, a small number are fully investigated. An even smaller number leads to sanctions. In 2025, 44 per cent of cases were finalised and resulted in sanctions. The committee further noted that there was greater uptake (over 160 000 in 2025) of these audits among public servants who are not in senior management.
 
The committee stressed that these weaknesses in accountability mechanisms have been consistently flagged by commissions such as the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector, including Organs of State (Zondo Commission), as well as previous parliamentary processes. It also noted that implementing lifestyle audits remains uneven across the public service. 
 
Members also expressed concerns about verification processes, particularly the limited use of financial records such as bank statements. Some members also had questions about the extent to which accounting officers implement recommendations following investigations and the coordination with law enforcement agencies. They also had questions about the protection of investigators and whistleblowers.
 
The committee noted that lifestyle audits must now move beyond a mere compliance exercise towards a system that actively detects, investigates and sanctions wrongdoing once it is proven. Several committee members also called for stricter consequences for those implicated in wrongdoing. Some argued that poor consequence management will weaken the credibility of lifestyle audits to the extent that it will fail as a deterrent.
 
“Lifestyle audits are a crucial tool to identify and stop corruption,” said the Chairperson. “We acknowledged the improvement in uptake, but there is still room for improvement.” The Chairperson emphasised the need to legislatively empower the SIU to initiate and investigate on its own. “This,” he said, “will ensure that all departments are automatically and annually scrutinised by the SIU. Corruption can then be identified continuously.”
 
The Chairperson said that the committee will call on the Minister of Public Service and Administration to urgently move towards the required legislative reform because this is a critical reform in the fight against corruption. “The committee stands ready to support and play its part in the required legislative and oversight process to strengthen the use of lifestyle audits,” said Mr de Villiers.

Issued by the Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration, Jan de Villiers