Public-service audit flags 891 potential ghost workers

Public Service and Administration Minister Mzamo Buthelezi said departments physically verified 809,086 employees and identified 891 potential cases for focused investigation. Image: Supplied Public Service and Administration Minister Mzamo Buthelezi said a total of 891 potential 'ghost workers' were identified since September 2025 after 131 departments conducted physical verification of over 800,000 civil servants. Buthelezi revealed this when he was responding to parliamentary questions from DA MP Jan de Villiers, who asked about "ghost workers" identified by his department since the activation of the real-time employee verification portal. He said the results arising from the activation of the real-time employee verification portal were not available to his department for reporting, as the portal is under the custodianship of the National Treasury. The minister said the Department of Public Service and Administration, however, has undertaken its own coordinated physical employee verification exercise across the public service in terms of Circular 36 of 2025 during the seventh administration. 'Departmental returns submitted under Circular 36 of 2025 identified 891 potential ghost worker cases. These cases remain subject to validation and triangulation by the National Treasury,' he said. How many employees were checked? Buthelezi explained that national and provincial departments as well as state-owned entities had been required to verify all personnel on their payrolls. This included confirming employment status and existence of all personnel, including those appointed to the establishment and additional to the establishment. 'Departments were required to conduct a physical verification exercise of all personnel listed on their payroll, including interns, special advisors, traditional leaders, board members, and any other allied occupations or allied persons,' he said, adding that employees and responsible managers had to confirm the payroll information. The chief financial officers or a delegated official conducted quality assurance, and each head of the department had to certify the results before departments submit signed reports to his department by the end of February this year. 'The intervention produced an immediate and measurable result. Returns from 131 of 158 departments covered 867,160 personnel records. Departments physically verified 809,086 employees, representing 93.3%, and identified 891 potential cases for focused investigation.' How this differs from the Treasury audit Buthelezi said where potential ghost employee cases were identified, departments are required to freeze payments pending investigation. 'Where evidence confirms a ghost worker, the relevant accounting officer or head of department must correct or remove the payroll record, terminate the service using the prescribed ghost employee termination type, audit the payroll, human resource and banking records, recover losses where applicable, institute disciplinary proceedings and report criminal conduct to the South African Police Service.' Buthelezi stated that heads of departments were required to maintain records of every employee and post, and that the Public Finance Management Act assigns financial controls and recovery responsibilities to the relevant accounting officer. Confirmed corruption has to be reported immediately to the police and related misconduct to be addressed through disciplinary processes in line with the Public Administration Management. 'The principle is clear: every person paid through PERSAL must be a legitimate employee who is lawfully appointed, present at work and entitled to receive a salary.' Earlier this year, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana revealed in Parliament that more than 4,000 'ghost workers' have been uncovered across national and provincial departments in an audit aimed at identifying and eliminating non-existent or ineligible individuals from the public-sector payroll. Godongwana said the "ghost worker' audit had identified 4,323 suspicious cases in the PERSAL system. Cape Argus