DPSA Says 191 Senior Managers Referred For Investigation After Lifestyle Audits

The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) said that 191 senior managers or Senior Management Services (SMS) members in various public departments were referred for investigations following lifestyle audits.

Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria on Monday, Chief Director of Public Administration, Ethics, Integrity, and Disciplinary Technical Assistance, Salomon Hoogenraad-Vermaak, noted that the institutionalization of lifestyle audits in the public service continues to improve with 147 out of 160 national and provincial departments finalizing their lifestyle audits by the end of July 2024.

"These SMS members are from seven national departments and 20 provincial departments. The investigations include conflicts of interest but also include serious allegations of unexplained wealth and conducting business with the state," Hoogenraad-Vermaak said, SA News reported.

Hoogenraad-Vermaak said that the DPSA is still waiting for updates on 39 senior managers from national departments and 31 from provincial departments, noting that "these departments will be issued with non-compliance letters."

The Public Administration Ethics, Integrity, and Disciplinary Technical Assistance Unit (PAEIDTAU) helps departments with training on lifestyle audits.

The unit got help from the World Bank, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Strengthening Ethics and Integrity Program, and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to develop their training materials.

Hoogenraad-Vermaak also mentioned that during Public Service Month in September, there will be various sessions focused on departmental investigations.

"Discipline management is a decentralized function, meaning departments are responsible for the management of their own disciplinary cases and that the DPSA can not interfere in that," he said.

He went on to explain that the PAEIDTAU supports departments with managing discipline. The unit is responsible for setting standards for discipline, helping institutions handle misconduct, improving government oversight of discipline and providing technical support on these matters.

The department also reminded public servants that it is illegal for them to do business with the state. Public servants found guilty of this offense could face a fine, imprisonment for up to five years, or both.

The newly created PAEIDTAU is a Chief Directorate within the DPSA that oversees and supports departments in enforcing the ban on public servants doing business with the state.

In July 2020, the Ministers of Police, Justice, Correctional Services, and Public Service and Administration met with the Directors-General from their departments to develop strategies to tackle the issue of employees doing business with the state.