Parliament, Tuesday, 21 October 2025 – The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration today welcomed the directive for government departments to conduct mandatory physical verification of all personnel in an effort to root out ghost employees.
The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), in a circular, directed government departments to verify every individual currently listed on the payroll by 28 February 2026. This must include interns, advisors, traditional leaders, board members and project-based staff. Departments are required to confirm, among other things, the physical presence and performance agreements of each individual. Thereafter, the Head of Department or Director-General must sign off on a formal confirmation report of the physical verification process. This report must be submitted to the Director-General of the DPSA.
The committee notes the circular’s provisions for independent verification, unannounced audits and criminal referrals where ghost employees or fraudulent payments are identified. It also welcomes the requirement for departments to report cases of corruption to the police and to the Public Administration Ethics, Integrity and Disciplinary Technical Assistance Unit.
The Chairperson of the committee, Mr Jan de Villiers, said the initiative is a welcome step to restore confidence in the public service and the integrity of the public service payroll. He said this will go a long way in ensuring accountability. “This verification will help address longstanding weaknesses in payroll and human resource management systems. However, identification alone is not enough. What the public wants to see are prosecutions, recovery of monies and disciplinary action where wrongdoing is proven.”
The committee also welcomed the cooperation between the DPSA, National Treasury, the Auditor-General, SARS and other institutions to address the issue of ghost employees, but stressed the need for tangible results and consequences. “The committee supports this national roll-call and expects transparent reporting on the outcomes,” the Chairperson said. “Where ghost employees are found, there must be immediate freezing of salaries, recovery of funds and referral to law enforcement authorities. Accountability must be visible and consistent across all departments.”
The committee reaffirmed its commitment to monitor the progress of these efforts. There must be tangible consequences in terms of the number of ghost employees removed from the payroll, the money recovered and errant officials prosecuted to ensure that the public service wage bill serves only legitimate employees.
“We urge departments to take this directive seriously and to cooperate fully with the department’s verification process. This is an opportunity to restore integrity in the public service. It must not be wasted,” the Chairperson said.
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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