A preliminary audit of South Africa’s public payroll has identified 4,323 possible “ghost workers” across government departments, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration said on Thursday, warning that the findings highlight deep vulnerabilities in the state’s financial controls.
Committee chairperson Jan de Villiers said the early results of the verification process point to potential large‑scale payroll fraud at a time when compensation of employees already consumes nearly one‑third of consolidated government spending.
“Employees who cannot be verified must be dealt with swiftly and in accordance with due process,” de Villiers said.
He said the committee expects detailed breakdowns of the flagged cases, including which departments and provinces are implicated and the financial exposure involved.
“The integrity of the public service is foundational to constitutional governance, and verification and decisive action in this regard cannot be delayed.”
The committee also urged National Treasury and the Department of Public Service and Administration to accelerate the verification process, which includes facial matching against the National Population Register and physical checks.
The next phase should integrate improved payroll systems and a single sign‑on platform for public servants to reduce irregularities, he said.
South Africa has grappled with entrenched corruption for more than a decade, with public sector payroll fraud repeatedly flagged by the Auditor‑General as a persistent risk.
Ghost workers – individuals listed on the payroll but not actually employed – have cost the state billions of rand over the years, particularly in provincial departments and municipalities where oversight is weakest.
The committee said the current audit is a critical step towards rebuilding a professional and ethical public service after years of governance failures linked to state capture and widespread financial mismanagement.
It welcomed new budgetary allocations to modernise the government payroll system and expand the national e‑government procurement platform, saying these reforms are essential to improving transparency and reducing opportunities for fraud.
JN/APA
