A civil society-led body aimed at promoting integrity and combating corruption in the Gauteng government has called on the provincial leadership to demonstrate ethical leadership and refrain from any association with improper acts.
The Gauteng Ethics Advisory Council (GEAC), which was established in 2017 to provide oversight and promote integrity in the provincial government, released its biennial state of ethics report in Johannesburg on Thursday.
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi said integrity and ethics within the government would help to deter fraud, corruption and maladministration while promoting good governance, transparency and accountability.
The report was a vital tool in providing a comprehensive review of ethical governance within the provincial government, he said.
GEAC chair Rev Solomuzi Mabuza said the report reaffirmed the council’s commitment to its mandate of “eradicating corruption”.
“In compiling this report, we were responsible for consolidating data and information from the various stakeholders — a task that I firmly believe enhances transparency in government processes,” Mabuza said.
“A well-informed citizenry is better equipped to hold public representatives to account, strengthening both democracy and governance in SA.”
Gauteng, which contributes nearly 40% to national GDP, is dogged by a litany of service delivery and governance challenges that has resulted in lax supply chain management processes. That has led to fraud and corruption charges being levelled against some of the provincial government employees.
According to the report, of the 750 senior managers in Gauteng, only 170 had been vetted by the State Security Agency. A total of 562 had submitted their vetting forms, while 17 were yet to do so.
Of the 2,174 supply chain management officials, 268 had been vetted, with 1,888 vetting forms submitted and 18 outstanding.
While government employees are strictly prohibited by law from conducting business with the state, the report notes that the number of employees doing business with the provincial government decreased from 175 recorded in 2021/22 to 152 in 2024/25.
Investigations
The report also shed light on ongoing investigations by law enforcement agencies into fraud and corruption, theft of laptops, and procurement irregularities, among others.
Regarding lifestyle audits, the Special Investigating Unit submitted its audit report to Lesufi on August 30 2024, which showed that a total of 19 lifestyle audits were conducted, encompassing accounting officers, CEOs and heads of department.
According to the audit report, 37% of the audited accounting officers were categorised as high risk or failed the assessment, 16% medium risk and 47% deemed low risk.
“In response to these findings, the premier has communicated with the affected accounting officers, instructing them to address and rectify the identified issues promptly to avoid potential disciplinary actions,” the report stated.
It called on Lesufi, his provincial cabinet members, heads of department, CEOs and mayors to demonstrate ethical leadership.
“They should serve as ambassadors of integrity, setting a moral example for public servants and citizens alike. Public trust in leadership is strengthened when senior officials visibly commit to ethics and integrity,” the researchers said in the report.
“Any allegations linking leaders to corruption undermine public confidence and weaken efforts to mobilise society in the fight against corruption, thereby threatening the vision of an integrity-driven Gauteng City-Region.”
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