Gauteng Premier David Makhura, who appears to be following Ramaphosa’s lead, has claimed since at least December 2020 that lifestyle audits of Gauteng’s executive leadership were being conducted.
At the launch of Gauteng’s anti-corruption report in May, he said the results of the audit would be reported “shortly”.
The report, in fact, says that the State Security Agency (SSA) “has completed lifestyle audits of the executive council as requested by the Prime Minister” and the results “will be published separately once due inquiries are completed.”
Two months later, they seem to be nowhere to be found.
Unathi Mpendu, director of ethics and accountability at the Integrity Management Unit, said the prime minister was waiting for the final report from the SSA, but added: “The process is not yet complete.”
DM168 attempts to establish a time frame went unanswered.
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Mpendu said lifestyle audits were “a critical and legitimate management tool and are part of a department’s risk management system”. [under Public Service Regulations, 2016] prevent and detect fraud and corruption in the public service”.
He said: “They are conducted or carried out to determine whether an employee’s lifestyle is commensurate with that person’s known income stream.”
There are three tests in the civil service:
- Lifestyle Review: An amalgamation of reports from internal and external databases that provide a snapshot of certain aspects of an employee’s life;
- Lifestyle Investigation – Initiated when a lifestyle review finds that an employee’s expenses consistently exceed their income and this cannot be explained; i
- Lifestyle Audit: An investigator may need the help of an auditor to identify assets that may shed light on an employee’s unexplained wealth and/or identify potential proceeds from illegal activities.
Given MECs’ well-known penchant for big houses and flashy cars, as well as the whirlwind of corruption allegations, the delays must raise questions.
It’s a “capacity” issue.
Terence Nombembe, chairman of the Gauteng Ethics Advisory Council, said the delay in completing the audits did not point to a lack of political will or backsliding on the part of the MECs: “It’s not their fault, I promise you “.
He said that, given the sensitivity and seniority of the people involved, “they cannot be done by people inside the government, such as those responsible for ethics in the departments”.
“It has to be done by the appropriate authority, such as the SSA, and that’s where the problem lies. Their ability leaves a lot to be desired.”
Mpendu said the lifestyle audits were just one part of the integrity management programme, which included the vetting of all senior officials and financial disclosure requirements.
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He said the financial disclosure form was designed by the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA).
He said disclosures by members of the Senior Management Service are submitted electronically (in an electronic disclosure system also designed by the DPSA) and verified by the Public Service Commission.
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Other categories of employees, including assistant principal and assistant principal, are vetted by the department’s ethics officers, Mpendu said.
But ethics officers “must submit to the DPSA reports of their verification and actions taken against officials who are in conflict of interest.” DM168
This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 daily, which is available nationwide for R25.
