The Department of Public Service and Administration is currently embarking on an awareness campaign of the guideline to implement lifestyle audits in the public service space.
In October this year, the department issued a circular to all national and provincial departments requesting a template to be completed with the information required on the implementation of lifestyle audits.
Public Service and Administration Deputy Minister, Dr Chana Pilane-Majake, said departments and government components have been requested to complete the reporting template for lifestyle audits and submit it to the DPSA by end of January 2022.
Dr Pilane-Majake, who was responding to Parliamentary Oral questions, further said training is also being provided for ethics officers to be able to conduct lifestyle reviews.
“The first phase in the lifestyle audit process entails proper verification information disclosed on the eDisclosure system to be able to detect when lifestyle doesn’t match incomes.
“After analyzing the submitted information, the DPSA will undertake further action to address implementation gaps,” she said.
In March this year, the DPSA issued a guideline to implement lifestyle audits in the public service to guide departments and government components in their respective institutions.
Conducting lifestyle audits in the public service space has become compulsory for all national, provincial, and government components from April 1, 2021.
Deputy Minister Pilane-Majake said the DPSA does not have the mandate to conduct lifestyle audits on the employees of other departments, as this is a decentralized function of heads of departments.
However, she said departments may request the DPSA to provide technical assistance on the issue.
On a departmental level, the Deputy Minister said if evidence suggests that lifestyles do not match incomes, it is the responsibility of ethics officers of national and provincial departments to refer that specific case for lifestyle investigation, which is the second phase in the lifestyle audit process.
“When investigations found that there is evidence that lifestyles do not match incomes, based on the recommendation of the investigator, disciplinary action must be taken and where criminality is found, a criminal case must be opened.
“When the DPSA becomes aware of a situation where lifestyles do not match incomes, the DPSA will follow up with a respective department to determine the circumstances and to ascertain what steps were taken to address the situation.
“In the event where cases are reported to the DPSA and evidence is provided for lifestyles not matching incomes, such cases will be reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS) for investigations is required by law,” she said.
According to the Deputy Minister, the DPSA will be able to follow the progress made in the investigations and possible prosecution of the reported cases through the Fusion Centre, where the DPSA, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), and SAPS collaborate for the successful investigation and prosecution of reported cases against public servants accused of alleged criminality.
Departments and government components are required to report issues of misconduct emanating from lifestyle audits to the Public Administration Ethics, Integrity and Disciplinary Technical Assistance Unit (PA-EID-TAU) within the DPSA in terms of section 15 of the Public Administration Management Act (PAMA) 2014.
This newly established Unit has no criminal jurisdiction or investigative mandate, but, as part of the Anti-Corruption Task Team, it collectively contributes to the fight against corruption.
Cooperation between the Unit, law enforcement and other relevant agencies are key to identify public administration employees involved in corruption.
