Parliament, Wednesday, 13 May 2026 – The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration today adopted the Budget Vote Reports for the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) and its entities, with critical recommendations on whistleblower protection and anti-corruption training for senior management officials in the public sector.
During its deliberations today, the committee considered and agreed to three additional recommendations. The first was that the department should strengthen support mechanisms for whistleblowers, including confidential reporting systems, awareness campaigns and interdepartmental coordination to protect whistleblowers from victimisation.
The second recommendation was that the department should develop a funded vacancy-reduction and succession-planning strategy to address persistent senior management vacancies and instability in leadership positions. The third recommendation was that the National School of Government should develop compulsory consequence-management and anti-corruption training modules for senior management service (SMS) members, linked to disciplinary accountability, ethical leadership and financial governance.
Following engagements with the department and its entities, including the Public Service Commission (PSC), on their annual performance plans and budgets over the last few weeks, the committee recommended that the PSC develop an independent recruitment database for SMS positions. The PSC should also publish an annual report listing the appointed officials. This, the committee noted, will help improve transparency and accountability to legislatures and the public.
The committee recommended that the report form part of oversight of personnel practices in the public sector. Furthermore, the PSC must ensure that the recruitment database assists the Commission in identifying repeated appointments of unqualified candidates, detecting trends of political interference and exposing departments with high rates of irregular appointments.
On the issue of lifestyle audits, the committee noted progress made by departments undertaking such audits. It recommended that the department expedite finalising and implementing the planned memoranda of understanding with the Special Investigating Unit and the State Security Agency for vetting purposes as part of the lifestyle audit process. The committee noted that this should be prioritised as a key institutional mechanism to strengthen integrity management systems and ensure the effective detection and prevention of unethical conduct in the public service.
The committee scrutinised the department and its entities’ strategic and annual performance plans, as well as their budgets for the 2026/27 financial year, as part of its Budget Vote process. These deliberations informed the committee’s Budget Vote Reports, which will be debated and considered by the National Assembly. The debate is scheduled for 19 May.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION, MR JAN DE VILLIERS.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the committee’s media officer:
Name: Alicestine October (Ms)
Cell: 083 665 4345
E-mail: aoctober@parliament.gov.za
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