President Cyril Ramaphosa says all members of his cabinet have agreed to undergo lifestyle audits for the 2024/2025 financial year.
Lifestyle audits will include the president, deputy president, ministers and deputy ministers.
In a written reply to a parliamentary question by Rise Mzansi MP Makashule Gana, Ramaphosa said the process would be led by the office of the director-general and the secretary of the cabinet in the presidency, who are qualified auditors.
The audits will be through lifestyle reviews and lifestyle investigations.
“The lifestyle reviews are the first step of the process and are conducted subsequent to the submission of financial disclosures by members of the executive. Lifestyle investigations will follow in the event the information provided during lifestyle reviews is not satisfactory,” Ramaphosa said.
Lifestyle audits are carried out to ensure the lifestyles of government employees are in line with their level of income.
Ramaphosa said the matter of making the results public is under consideration.
“The limitation of the legal framework in conducting the lifestyle audits of the members of the executive and publishing them is a matter that is under consideration. Members are requested to voluntarily consent to lifestyle audits.”
Political parties have long pushed for lifestyle audits. Recently, public works minister Dean Macpherson said he was conducting lifestyle audits on 400 “high-risk” officials in various departments. His department began the first audits in March and will finalise them in September, while the next batch will run from October to March 2026.
“In 2022/2023 we completed audits on 48 senior managers,” Macpherson said. “We have now launched a wider process, focusing on 400 high-risk officials in finance, ICT, procurement, leases and projects.”
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