Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration Urges in-Person Verification of Government Employees to Combat 'Orchestrated Form of Systemic Corruption'

The chairperson of Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration, Jan de Villiers, has called for in-person verification of all government employees to combat the "orchestrated form of systemic corruption" draining state resources. The committee is working with the National Treasury and the Department of Public Service and Administration to tackle the widespread issue of ghost workers in the public sector. De Villiers emphasized the need for a joint, coordinated strategy to identify and address the problem, which he believes is not merely a payroll anomaly but a deliberate and organized form of crime within the state.

Key Takeaways:

The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration has called for in-person verification of all government employees to combat ghost workers.
The committee is working with the National Treasury and the Department of Public Service and Administration to tackle the issue of ghost workers.
The chairperson, Jan de Villiers, stated that the problem of ghost workers is not merely a payroll anomaly, but a deliberate and orchestrated form of systemic corruption.
The committee plans to reconvene with the Department of Public Service and Administration and the 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 Public Servants Association (PSA) supports a physical audit of ghost workers, stating that "the problem is widespread throughout the public sector — government departments, municipalities, and government entities."
The PSA has called for disciplinary and criminal action to follow every detection of ghost workers.
The Gauteng Department of Health has frozen the salaries of 230 employees who could not be verified, highlighting the need for a comprehensive solution to the problem.
The Auditor-General of South Africa has uncovered R6.4-million being paid to "deceased and terminated" employees, highlighting the extent of the problem.

Statistics:

The government has announced the sweeping of more than R300-billion in government spending since 2013, with the aim of identifying duplications, waste, and inefficiencies.
A preliminary report in November 2022 revealed that 1,480 employees could not be verified, while 1,000 others had resigned, at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa).
The verification project at Prasa is estimated to have saved around R200-million.
The number of ghost workers in the public sector is unclear, but De Villiers suggested that there are thousands.
The DPSA has confirmed that ghost workers are present across all three spheres of government, including national, provincial, and local governments, as well as government agencies and state-owned enterprises.

Sources:

"It’s time to end this ‘orchestrated form of systemic corruption’ draining state resources, says the chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration."
"Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration says public sector workers should report in person to prove they’re not ghost employees."
"Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, in his Budget tabled last month, announced sweeping of more than R300-billion in government spending since 2013, “with the aim of identifying duplications, waste and inefficiencies”."
"A preliminary report in November 2022 revealed that 1,480 employees could not be verified, while 1,000 others had resigned, Daily Maverick’s Suné Payne."
"The agency is estimated to have saved about R200-million through the verification project."
"The Public Servants Association (PSA) this as a “shocking misuse of public funds” and a “gross violation of financial accountability”."
"In May 2025, the reported that the Gauteng Department of Health had frozen the salaries of 230 employees who could not be verified."