Public works minister Dean Macpherson says his department is extending the conduct of lifestyle audits on “400 high-risk officials” this year after completing audits of 48 senior managers in the 2022/23 financial year.
Presenting his budget vote in parliament on Wednesday, he said his department began in March 2025 to focus on the lifestyles of 400 officials in various divisions such as finance, ICT, procurement, property leases and other related projects.
“On lifestyle audits, in 2022/23 we completed audits on 48 senior managers. We have now launched a wider process, focusing on 400 high-risk officials across finance, ICT, procurement, leases and projects.
“The first batch of 69 audits began in March and will be finalised by September. The next batch will follow from October 2025 to March 2026, and the remainder by March 2027.
“These audits are being conducted independently, in partnership with the Special Investigating Unit, and include asset verification.
The department of public works, which among other departments is responsible for managing property leases of government departments, runs a budget of more than R7bn a year.
However, its procurement of property leases has often been mired in controversy with allegations of corruption and other financial irregularities.
Macpherson told MPs the clampdown on the “ghost workers phenomenon” in his department has yielded results.
In May, Macpherson directed all staff are required to physically present themselves at designated offices as part of a headcount verification process.
The initiative, which officials in the department said would be rolled out nationally, seeks to identify individuals drawing salaries without performing any work — a long-standing problem in the public sector.
The public works department manages some of the largest government assets and infrastructure programmes, making payroll integrity a critical component of its reform agenda.
“On the ghost employee phenomenon, our anticorruption unit is auditing the Persal system across the department and EPWP [Expanded Public Works Programme] to detect any fictitious employees drawing salaries without working.
“With the help of interns, we are conducting physical verification, ensuring that every person on the payroll exists, works and contributes. This is painstaking work, but it is necessary. We must ensure that we have a competent and present workforce to achieve our goals.
“Trust in public institutions depends on the public’s belief that we hold ourselves accountable for the work we do. One of these mechanisms is through lifestyle audits.”
He added that a full report on the first batch of lifestyle audits in the department of public works would be ready soon.
Macpherson also reported that the probe into the controversial purchase of the rundown Telkom Towers in Pretoria to house the headquarters of the police at a cost of R600m was nearing completion.
“It has not yielded any returns. Instead, we continue to pay security to prevent further vandalism. The draft investigation reveals a significant loss in terms of the value of the property owing to a series of damages to its infrastructure, and whether the project is still viable.
“The report should be finalised by the end of July, and where individuals have been implicated, we will not hesitate to act.”
With Hajra Omarjee
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