Cutting Edge Reform to Eliminate Ghost Workers

Statement by Adrian Roos MP – DA Spokesperson on Home Affairs:

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the launch of the Department of Home Affairs’ new real-time employee verification platform for National Treasury to help eliminate ghost workers and protect public funds.

A “ghost worker” is a name put on a department or entity’s payroll but for which there is no person doing a physical job. Instead, the salary is paid into the account of the perpetrator of the ghost employee fraud, often through corruption, allowing the perpetrator to receive a monthly payment from taxpayer money for no reason.

For years, ghost workers and payroll fraud have drained billions from the public purse while frontline services remain underfunded and overstretched. The estimated R3.9 billion lost to payment irregularities in 2025 alone underscores the need for urgent reform.

The DA commends Home Affairs and Minister Leon Schreiber for advancing digital reform in government and using biometric verification to strengthen accountability across the public sector.

This initiative shows how effective reform and capable governance can deliver real benefits for all South Africans. A modern state must use technology not only to improve service delivery, but also to protect limited public resources from corruption and abuse.

The DA believes this verification process must be rolled out consistently and transparently across all national and provincial departments. Officials who enabled or benefited from fraudulent payroll schemes must face swift disciplinary and criminal action.

South Africans deserve a government that spends public money responsibly, values accountability, and uses innovation to build a capable state. This platform is a meaningful step in that direction.

The DA in national government will continue to drive reforms that strengthen clean governance, improve efficiency, and ensure every rand collected from taxpayers is used to serve the people of South Africa.