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The ghost worker scandal: A systemic corruption issue in public service

IOL News

10-06-2025

Politics
IOL News

The ghost worker scandal: A systemic corruption issue in public service

Mr Jan de Villiers, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration during a briefing by the Governance Cluster Oversight Committees on Monday. Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration, Jan de Villiers, said the persistent and corrosive problem of ghost workers in the public sector is not merely a payroll anomaly, but a 'deliberate and orchestrated form of systemic corruption'. De Villiers was part of the three chairpersons of the parliamentary Governance Cluster Oversight committees who held a briefing as part of the 7th Parliament's regular Committee Cluster Media Engagement programme on Monday. He said the true scope of ghost workers is not known, and an investigation into the problem is part of a joint audit now under way between the Department of Public Service and Administration and the National Treasury. 'Let us be clear, the phenomenon of ghost workers is not an issue of administrative error. 'The Department of Public Service and Administration confirmed before Parliament that ghost workers are present across all three spheres of government, affecting national and provincial departments, municipalities, agencies, and state-owned entities alike. 'For example, last year, the Auditor-General (AG) uncovered R6.4 million in salaries being paid to ghost workers at the Mpumalanga Department of Education. In May this year, the Gauteng health department froze the salaries of 230 employees who could not be verified,' De Villiers said. He added that the data-driven approach of the joint audit represents a departure from the fragmented, ad hoc audits of the past. He said they are also calling for this process to begin with a physical, in-person human verification audit of all government employees underpinned by mandatory biometric identification. 'Every person drawing a public salary must appear in person and be verified. The public has the right to know that the names on the payroll correspond to individuals who exist, who work, and who serve. 'We mustn't fool ourselves, the people behind the creation of ghost workers are syndicates - they are criminal organisations within the state. They work together. These aren't rogue individuals just taking the chance, it is a symptom of corruption within the state that is highly organised.' Cape Argus

Ghost workers are a 'deliberate and orchestrated form of systemic corruption'

IOL News

09-06-2025

Business
IOL News

Ghost workers are a 'deliberate and orchestrated form of systemic corruption'

Jan de Villiers, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration during a briefing by the Governance Cluster Oversight Committees on Monday. Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Media Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration, Jan de Villiers said that the persistent and corrosive problem of ghost workers in the public sector is not merely a payroll anomaly, but a 'deliberate and orchestrated form of systemic corruption'. De Villiers was part of the three chairpersons of the parliamentary Governance Cluster Oversight committees who held a briefing as part of the 7th Parliament's regular Committee Cluster Media Engagement programme on Monday. He said that the true scope of ghost workers is not truly known, and an investigation into this problem is part of a joint audit now underway between the Department of Public Service and Administration and the National Treasury. When tabling his budget, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced that government had set its sights on conducting headcounts in the civil service to root out ghost-workers, as one of the initiatives. Earlier this year, Northdale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg identified more than 120 ghost health workers, while the Msunduzi Municipality had discovered over 100 on its payroll. In Gauteng, the provincial health department is also conducting a similar audit and has frozen the salaries of 66 suspected ghost workers to date. De Villiers said that as a portfolio committee tasked with oversight of the public service, 'the time for half-measures and talk-shops is over'. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'Let us be clear, the phenomenon of ghost workers is not an issue of administrative error. 'The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) confirmed before Parliament that ghost workers are present across all three spheres of government, affecting national and provincial departments, municipalities, agencies, and state-owned entities alike. 'For example, last year, the Auditor-General (AG) uncovered R6.4 million in salaries being paid to ghost workers at the Mpumalanga Department of Education. In May this year, the Gauteng health department froze the salaries of 230 employees who could not be verified,' De Villiers said. 'These are not invisible names on paper. Real people are drawing fraudulent salaries, and real taxpayer money is being siphoned into private pockets under the guise of legitimate employment. The DPSA has disclosed that inserting a ghost worker into the public payroll system requires collusion between at least three internal officials. This means we are dealing not with random lapses in judgment but with embedded criminal syndicates operating in our public institutions.' Mr Jan de Villiers, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration during a briefing by the Governance Cluster Oversight Committees on Monday. Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Media He added that the data-driven approach of the joint audit represents a departure from the fragmented, ad hoc audits of the past. He added that they are also calling for this process to begin with a physical, in-person human verification audit of all government employees underpinned by mandatory biometric identification. 'Every person drawing a public salary must appear in person and be verified. The public has the right to know that the names on the payroll correspond to individuals who exist, who work, and who serve.' 'We mustn't fool ourselves, the people behind the creation of ghost workers are syndicates - they are criminal organisations within the state. They work together. These aren't rogue individuals just taking the chance, it is a symptom of corruption within the state that is highly organised.' He said that the whole purpose of the joint audit is to establish the seriousness, the scope and also the action plan to deal with ghost workers. De Villiers explained that they will reconvene with the DPSA and National Treasury in the third quarter of 2025 to receive a full progress report on the implementation of the joint ghost worker audit strategy. The committee will also call on the Auditor-General of South Africa to expand its scope, requiring that all department and entity audits include verification of whether internal ghost employee audits have been conducted and if they were done credibly. They will also push for disciplinary and criminal action to follow.

Ghost workers thrive while youth struggle for jobs, parliament warns

The Citizen

09-06-2025

Business
The Citizen

Ghost workers thrive while youth struggle for jobs, parliament warns

While unemployed graduates queue for opportunities, fake employees are drawing state salaries unchecked, and sometimes protected. Chairperson of the portfolio committee on public service and administration, Jan de Villiers. Picture: /@ParliamentofRSA While thousands of unemployed graduates struggle to enter the public service, parliament has warned that systemic corruption is enabling ghost workers to drain public funds, taking jobs and resources meant for real people. The chairperson of the portfolio committee on public service and administration, Jan de Villiers, said this during the governance oversight committee's briefing on Monday. This follows a committee meeting on 28 May to address payroll fraud and youth employment in government. 'Every ghost worker represents a post that could have been filled by a qualified graduate, a dedicated nurse, a teacher in a rural school, or a social worker supporting the vulnerable,' said De Villiers. Ghost workers are not errors De Villiers confirmed that ghost workers are not a matter of administrative oversight, but the result of 'deliberate and orchestrated systemic corruption,' requiring collusion between at least three internal officials. The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) acknowledged to Parliament that ghost employees exist across all three tiers of national, provincial, and local government, as well as in state-owned entities. In one case, the auditor-general uncovered R6.4 million in fraudulent salary payments at the Mpumalanga Department of Education. In May 2025, 230 unverifiable employees had their salaries frozen by the Gauteng Department of Health. 'Real people are drawing fraudulent salaries, and real taxpayer money is being siphoned into private pockets under the guise of legitimate employment,' De Villiers said. ALSO READ: State capture allegations come back to haunt RAF acting CIO Young professionals sidelined The committee also flagged serious concerns about youth employment in the public service, especially during Youth Month. According to the DPSA, youth aged 31 to 35 make up 27% of the workforce, more than 347 000 individuals, with most in finance, admin and technical roles. Yet many face poor mentorship, lack of formal skills recognition, and limited opportunities for absorption into permanent posts. 'Placements without professional development or recognition are insufficient. 'We must build a future-ready public service,' said De Villiers. The committee is pushing for early retirement schemes to create space for young professionals, but insists that only transparent, merit-based recruitment will restore trust. 'It is a national imperative to prepare the state for the future,' De Villiers concluded. NOW READ: SA's shrinking mining sector and the policies that brought us here

Top 10 stories of the day: Zille for Joburg mayor? Batohi clarifies NPA claims

The Citizen

08-06-2025

Politics
The Citizen

R6.4 billion for Polokwane

The DA in council said the budget speech was the same story, but with different characters. The Limpopo's Polokwane municipality has tabled a pro-poor budget of R6.4 billion, but the municipality's dream of becoming a metro is marred by acute water challenges, involving billions of rands. The council, with a population of nearly 1.2 million, is paying R22 million each month to the Lepelle Northern Water Board, a state-owned water utility under the national Department of Water and Sanitation. The utility is responsible for the bulk water supply in Limpopo. Although the municipality's mayor, Makoro John Mpe, unveiled several multi-year aggressive plans to thwart the water shortages, opposition parties such as the EFF and the DA voiced dissenting views. During the passing of his 2025/26 budget vote speech at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Thursday, Makoro, as he is affectionately known in local government and ANC politics in Limpopo, said his budget was underpinned by three key priority areas- driving inclusive growth and job creation, aleviating poverty and tackling the high cost of living as well as building Polokwane as a capable, ethical and developmental state. He said these priorities will serve as a guiding blueprint for the work his council shall undertake. 'I am pleased to announce that Polokwane municipality has adopted a R6.4 billion budget for the 2025/26 financial year. 'This exuberant budget is projected to grow to approximately R7 billion in the next two years. This positions us well on the path toward achieving our vision of becoming a metropolitan city,' said Makoro, smiling from ear to ear. The mayor, who recently won a third term as ANC Peter Mokaba regional chair for a third term, said approximately R823 million of the budget will be allocated to capital projects, with 83% of it directed towards critical infrastructure developments such as roads, water and sanitation, energy services and community services. This allocation, he said, reflects on the municipality's focus on strengthening service delivery capacity and improving the quality of life for all the residents of Polokwane. Where the money is going The total service delivery capital budget for the 2025/26 financial year, Makoro said, would be allocated as follows: Water and Sanitation: R370.9 million, Roads and Stormwater: R88.7 million, Electricity: R107.6 million, and Refuse removal: R36.7 million. 'In terms of revenue, Polokwane collected over R2.280 billion in the 2023/2024 financial year (excluding VAT refunds from SARS), an increase from R2.153 billion in the previous year. This, he said, was a positive sign of improved financial discipline and enhanced revenue strategies. ALSO READ: Gauteng budget: Here's where your money is going For the 2025/26 financial year, Makoro said his municipality would implement tariff adjustments. He said these increases were necessary to maintain consistent service delivery, especially in the face of economic pressures and utility cost escalations from primary service providers. Water increased by a block percentage ranging from 10.2% to 11.2%, depending on consumption levels, while other municipal services were adjusted by 6%. Rates and taxes increased by 3% for residential properties, agricultural land, public service infrastructure, and public benefit organisations. Out of touch with reality The DA in the council said his speech was the same story, but with different characters. 'The reality on the ground does not seem to hit the mayor. He talked extensively about economic activity in the city, but how is this possible when we have pothole ridden roads, pitch dark streets, including large parts of the CBD and most suburbs. 'Crime is out of control, and we are standing by doing nothing. It is obvious the mayor and his team have no clear plan to tackle these matters,' said DA council caucus leader Jacques Joubert on Friday. NOW READ: Here is how Tshwane will be spending its R54.6 billion budget

Latest news with #R6.4

The ghost worker scandal: A systemic corruption issue in public service

Ghost workers are a 'deliberate and orchestrated form of systemic corruption'

Ghost workers thrive while youth struggle for jobs, parliament warns

Top 10 stories of the day: Zille for Joburg mayor? Batohi clarifies NPA claims

R6.4 billion for Polokwane

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