Lifestyle Audit Failures: Time for Parliamentary Summonses

Statement by Eleanore Bouw-Spies MP – DA Spokesperson on Public Service and Administration:

The DA will write to the Chairperson of the Committee on Public Service and Administration to call for the biggest offending departments to be summoned to account for their failure to implement consequence management following lifestyle audit findings.

It is concerning that 11 departments, of which three are national and eight provincial, received referrals for investigation but failed to submit any progress reports to the DPSA on actions taken. These include the national departments of Independent Police Investigative Directorate, Military Veterans, and Science and Innovation, as well as several provincial departments across Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and the Northern Cape.

The discovery of a lower-level public official holding more than R50 million in a personal bank account illustrates the serious risks that arise when financial scrutiny mechanisms are not effectively enforced.

The evidence presented by the Department of Public Service and Administration to Parliament revealed that while compliance with lifestyle audits has improved, consequence management has not kept pace.

Lifestyle audits risk becoming a compliance exercise rather than a meaningful anti-corruption tool if departments fail to investigate and act on the findings.

Departments that have ignored referrals, failed to investigate flagged officials, or neglected to report back on the implementation of lifestyle audit findings must explain their conduct before Parliament.

The DA will continue to push for stronger oversight to ensure that lifestyle audits serve their intended purpose: detecting corruption early, preventing the abuse of public resources, and restoring public trust in government institutions.