SOUTH AFRICA
South African Public Servants are being subjected to ‘lifestyle audits’ in an effort to curb financial losses incurred by wasteful spending and corruption.
The audits were proposed by Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Patricia De Lille (pictured) as part of a new Budget proposal. The audits would assess how employees’ lifestyles compared to their financial means.
Ms De Lille said the goal was to identify inconsistencies that might indicate that money had been looted from the Ministry.
“Positive audit outcomes are a litmus test of the Department’s performance to the citizens. They give public confidence in the work of the Department,” Ms De Lille said.
She said the audits of her staff would take place from this month to June 2020. She also volunteered herself as the first to be audited.
South Africa’s Special Investigative Unit has conducted more than 2,000 investigations into financial losses from corruption and says the equivalent of $39 million has gone missing.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said he supported the audits which would be extended to Public Servants in other Ministries.
It follows the creation of the Public Administration Ethics, Integrity and Disciplinary Technical Assistance Unit described as “the legal custodian of all integrity testing information in all spheres of government”.
Pretoria, 6 August, 2019
