Parliament, Wednesday, 28 May 2025 - The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration on Wednesday called for solution-driven, accountable action on ghost workers in the public sector.

The committee received a briefing from the Department of Public Service and Administration on Wednesday. This follows the Minister of Finance, Mr Enoch Godongwana's recent announcement in his budget that the government will initiate a data-driven approach to detecting payroll irregularities that will replace the more costly method of censuses. This initiative will cross-reference administrative datasets to identify ghost workers and other anomalies across government departments.

Welcoming the announcement, especially the planned audit of ghost workers, Committee Chairperson Mr Jan de Villiers said that the National Treasury cannot tackle this challenge alone - it requires a joint, coordinated strategy involving the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) and all other relevant departments.

The committee expressed frustration over the prevalence of ghost workers despite repeated calls to act, as these "ghosts" are a drain on the fiscus. Members also called for ghost employees and officials involved to be named and shamed and face disciplinary action. The committee was particularly concerned about the weaknesses in current payroll and human resource management systems in the public sector, which are still primarily paper-based, with internal registers lacking physical or biometric verification.

Moreover, the committee was also frustrated over the lack of statistics and detail in the department's presentation, stressing that for oversight to be meaningful, members need details on the number of ghost employees, their locations and the financial impact, among other things. The collective sentiment of the committee was that ghost employees are a significant drain on already limited public funds, hinder the hiring of new talent and, more importantly, undermine public trust.

Demanding that the integrity of payroll systems is protected at all costs, members insisted that public money must be spent responsibly. Members noted that although policies may exist, there is little evidence of standardisation, implementation, or adequate enforcement. They demanded a national framework to eliminate ghost employees, similar to the professionalisation and digitalisation strategies underway in the public sector.

Said the Chairperson: "The remarks and frustrations voiced by members reflect the urgency and seriousness of the issue, and the DPSA must take them seriously," he said, stressing that the credibility of parliamentary oversight depends on results and cannot just be talk shops. He said follow-up engagements must demonstrate that action is being taken against errant officials, including disciplinary and criminal accountability where appropriate.

The committee resolved to convene a follow-up meeting with the department, the National Treasury, and the relevant departments across national and provincial governments.