To download a soundbite of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration, Mr Jan de Villiers, click here: https://iono.fm/e/1738517
Parliament, Wednesday, 11 November 2026 – The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration on Wednesday called for stronger evidence that implementing lifestyle audits is resulting in disciplinary action and criminal prosecutions for public service officials when wrongdoing or corruption is proven.
The committee received a briefing from six government departments, including the departments of Public Works and Infrastructure Development, Human Settlements, Health, Water and Sanitation, Home Affairs and Agriculture.
While the committee welcomed the departments’ progress in implementing lifestyle audits and strengthening accountability in the public service, it stressed the need for consequences. The Chairperson of the committee, Mr Jan de Villiers, said that restoring the public’s confidence and trust in the public service will require departments to demonstrate that there are consequences for wrongdoing. He said that compliance with financial disclosure requirements must be enforced along with verification and investigation of all unexplained wealth of public servants.
“We must act against officials who abuse their positions for personal enrichment,” the Chairperson said. “South Africans do not just want offenders to be identified. They want them to be prosecuted and sentenced to the full extent of the law.”
The Chairperson acknowledged the work of departments to identify officials that may be living beyond their means and urged departments to lay criminal charges where applicable and institute disciplinary processes and suspensions. “Any criminal allegation must be referred to the relevant authorities for investigation and prosecution,” he said, adding that the committee will expect more detailed reports on the number of investigations completed, the outcomes of disciplinary processes and criminal prosecutions and reasons for delays.
The committee noted that statistics on financial disclosure provide an incomplete picture of departments’ efforts against corruption. Members were of the view that outlining how declarations are checked against reliable information, how any discrepancies are assessed and whether potential conflicts of interest result in further scrutiny will be useful. Members also sought clarity on departments’ capacity to investigate identified risks and finalise cases timeously.
The committee further expressed concern about allegations involving employees conducting business with the state. Committee members heard that, in the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure Development, lifestyle audits conducted through the Central Supplier Database have identified 19 employees whose companies were registered on the database, while six employees suspected of conducting business with the state involving about R9.8 million were flagged. Committee members stressed the need to protect procurement processes and public resources while investigations remain underway.
The committee also highlighted the importance of safeguarding the independence of ethics officers in departments and protecting investigations from interference. It also flagged the risk of investigations not being completed because officials resigned or their employment contracts expired while investigations were underway. The committee urged departments to manage this better.
The Chairperson reminded the meeting that departments must protect and use their budgets to provide quality services to South Africans. “Every rand stolen reduces the resources available for providing clean water, quality healthcare, housing and other public services to those who need it,” he said. “So, people want to see that there are consequences for unethical conduct and corruption,” he added.
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:
Name: Alicestine October
Cell: 083 665 4345
E-mail: aoctober@parliament.gov.za
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