By OBAKENG MAJE
18 September 2025- The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration said it welcomes the development of plans and processes to identify ghost workers in the public sector, but insisted that this must be followed by prosecution where wrongdoing is established. The committee received a briefing from National Treasury and the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) on efforts underway to eliminate ghost workers in the public sector.
The Chairperson of the Committee, Jan de Villiers said the Office of the Auditor-General (AG) also briefed the committee on overpayment of salaries to ghost employees in the Mpumalanga Department of Education. De Villiers further said the National Treasury informed the committee that it has launched a data-driven audit of ghost employees and payment irregularities across national and provincial departments, where salaries account for more than 60% of expenditure.
“Using the PERSAL payroll system as a base, Treasury is cross-checking data with SARS, Home Affairs and other institutions to identify ghost employees, duplicate IDs, multiple salaries and unauthorised allowances.
“Members heard that preliminary anomalies have been flagged, but verification is ongoing. The process will include a two-month window for employees to confirm their status. Salaries of confirmed ghost employees will be frozen, funds recovered and criminal or disciplinary action pursued,” said de Villiers.
He added that the committee noted the cooperation among the DPSA, National Treasury, the Auditor-General, SARS and other stakeholders. De Villiers said, however, it emphasised that cooperation and planning alone are insufficient.
“There is the need for regular engagements to present clear outcomes and progress. We will assess progress not based on strategies but on outcomes. Our future engagements must provide evidence of results, including the number of ghost employees identified and removed, the monies recovered and the number of prosecutions.
“The committee also urged the department and Treasury to work closely with anti-corruption agencies such as the Special Investigating Unit, the Hawks, the National Prosecuting Authority and other relevant agencies to ensure that investigations culminate in prosecutions and successful convictions,” he said.
De Villiers said the committee also emphasised the need to modernise identity systems and expressed its support for efforts by the Department of Home Affairs to develop digital identity systems. He said the committee believes this will go a long way to help address vulnerabilities and strengthen controls.
“Another concern was over the possibility that ghost employees may be receiving pension contributions from the Government Employees Pension Fund. This possibility, while alarming, may provide an opportunity to strengthen detection systems by also auditing the fund’s records and database.
“The committee also noted the AG’s presentation showing that the provincial education department of Mpumalanga disclosed R28.3 million in salary overpayments made to employees after their services were terminated due to death, resignation, retirement or dismissal,” said de Villiers.
He said the members were stern in their rebuke of accounting officers, who preside over such losses without consequence and questioned how such conduct is not deemed criminal. De Villiers said the committee acknowledged the frustration felt by South Africans regarding corruption in the public service.
“I would like to describe this sentiment as “corruption fatigue”, as the public is growing weary of hearing about corruption without seeing any consequences.
“The South African public has the right to see concrete outcomes such as ghost employees removed from the system, perpetrators prosecuted and jailed and public money safeguarded for service delivery,” he said.
The Guardian 