400 'high-risk' public works officials face lifestyle audits, says Macpherson
Presenting his budget vote in parliament on Wednesday, he said his department began in March 2025 to focus on the lifestyles of 400 officials in various divisions such as finance, ICT, procurement, property leases and other related projects.
The department of public works, which among others is responsible for managing property leases of other government departments, runs a budget of more than R7bn a year. But its procurement of property leases has often been mired in allegations of corruption and other financial irregularities in which some of its officials have been implicated.
Macpherson told MPs they were also clamping down on the 'ghost workers phenomenon' in his department.
'Trust in public institutions depends on the public's belief that we hold ourselves accountable for the work we do. One of these mechanisms is through lifestyle audits,' he said.
'On lifestyle audits, in 2022/23 we completed audits on 48 senior managers. We have now launched a wider process, focusing on 400 high-risk officials across finance, ICT, procurement, leases and projects.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
7 hours ago
- IOL News
Public Works makes strides in reducing rental payments owed to landlords
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson says his department has put in controls that were monitored daily and were aimed to improve the functioning of their payment systems. Image: Henk Kruger / Independent Newspapers Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson said his department has managed to reduce to R20 million outstanding rentals owed to landlords that dated back three months ago. Macpherson said the department has put controls that are monitored daily and is looking at systems to improve the functioning of its payment systems. 'As at 6 June 2025, the outstanding rental amount is R2,540,382.42 (0.5%) and R19,897,707.26 (4.1%) for April and May, respectively,' he said. Macpherson was responding to parliamentary questions from Build One South African leader Mmusi Maimane, who enquired about the Information and Communication Technology outages that affected the ability of the Property Management Trading Entity to process rental payments to landlords in April. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Maimane enquired about the current status of rental payments, the total number of landlords that remained, the total monetary value of outstanding rental payments, and steps his department has taken to ensure that such delays do not recur. Macpherson said there were 1,991 leases for 1,274 landlords valued at R484,425,687.62 in the lease administration system and the payment system for April rental payments as of June 6. 'Forty-four leases (2.2%) affecting 26 landlords (2%) amounting to R2,540,382.42 (0.5%) failed Central Supplier Database (CSD) verification and therefore were not paid.' He also said there had been 1,995 leases for 1,269 landlords valued at R483,952,863.48 for May. At least 89 leases (4.5%) affecting 75 landlords (5.9%), amounting to R19,897,707.26 (4.1%) were not verified and were not paid. Macpherson said the payment system was still processing the June rental payments. 'The outstanding rental payments for April 2025 are 44 leases (2.2%) affecting 26 landlords (2%). The outstanding lease payments for May are 89 leases (4.5%) affecting 75 landlords (5.9%),' he said. 'It must be noted that the non-payment of transactions submitted on the payment system is primarily due to landlords not being compliant with CSD. In addition, 33 CSD non-compliant landlords from April are included in the May figure.' Meanwhile, the Independent Development Trust (IDT) has collected R882 million in payments in just three months from 15 departments that owed for infrastructure projects it implemented on their behalf. 'The IDT has been able to collect R882,374,561 between 01 April 2025 and 30 June 2025,' Macpherson said. The entity has paid a total of 1,366 service providers to the tune of R648,167,277. 'As at 30 June 2025, 790 service providers remained unpaid an amount of R1,394,036,545. The variance in the amount is due to additional invoices that would have been received between 01 April 2025 and 30 June 2025,' he said. Macpherson was responding to ActionSA MP Malebo Patricia Kobe, who enquired about the department's obligation to pay contractors after receiving money due from client departments. The IDT had informed the portfolio committee in June that it was owed R1.2 billion by client departments. It informed Parliament four months ago that it had been unable to pay service providers due to delays in payment by client departments. The entity has incurred R47m in total expenditure on legal costs and owed creditors for more than 12,000 invoices that could not be paid within the 30-day deadline as of the end of March last year.
The Citizen
12 hours ago
- The Citizen
ActionSA reports Macpherson to parliament's Ethics Committee for alleged ‘racist' remarks
Macpherson denies claims that ActionSA has placed a target on his back. ActionSA has reported Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson to the joint standing committee of ethics and members' interests in parliament. This comes after Macpherson allegedly referred to ActionSA supporters as 'Amaphara' and on a separate occasion as 'hobos'. This recently happened in Pietermaritzburg, where ActionSA and DA supporters had disagreements about sharing a picketing area during their court challenge against the eThekwini municipality. In a media statement on Thursday, ActionSA MP Alan Beesley described Macpherson's utterances as 'racist'. 'These terms, directed at a group of predominantly black ActionSA supporters, are not only deeply offensive but, in the context of our country's painful history, cannot be divorced from their racially charged and dehumanising connotations. 'It is unconscionable that a senior party official, member of parliament, and Cabinet minister would resort to such racist and inflammatory rhetoric,' he said. ActionSA still wants an apology Beesly said ActionSA had written to Macpherson requesting him to reflect on his utterances and make a public apology, but he had not done so. 'This kind of conduct is fundamentally incompatible with the values enshrined in the constitution and the responsibilities entrusted to elected public officials. 'Despite ActionSA's public call on 28 July 2025 for an immediate apology, Minister Macpherson has refused to retract his remarks or offer any sign of remorse for the harm caused,' he said. Beesly believes Macpherson had broken several sections of the code of conduct for parliamentarians. These include section 5 (e), which requires members to 'maintain public confidence and trust in the integrity of parliament,' and section 5(f), which requires members to 'be committed to the eradication of all forms of discrimination'. ALSO READ: Macpherson suspends EPWP funds to municipality Macpherson denies racism allegations In a response to The Citizen, Macpherson dismissed the complaints by ActionSA. He described the party as merely seeking attention. 'It's interesting that every time I am fighting corruption or dealing with critical issues in the department, ActionSA is trying to divert attention away from that issue. 'It was in January of this year; they called for me to be suspended after they tried to push claims that I bribed journalists in relation to the exposés being written about the IDT, and now they come up with bogus claims of racism just as we have concluded the investigation into IDT,' he said. He said ActionSA is just trying to discredit him. NOW READ: IDT CEO, officials must face disciplinary action over R800m tender
Eyewitness News
14 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Minister Macpherson says he has ‘great relationship' with Deputy Zikalala
JOHANNESBURG - Despite some ideological differences, Minister of Public Works Dean Macpherson said he has a 'great relationship' with his deputy, Sihle Zikalala. Macpherson replaced Zikalala as the DPWI minister following the 2024 general elections. ALSO READ: Macpherson: DA, ANC have to do things better for GNU coalition to work In the one year since the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU), the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the African National Congress (ANC) member have publicly squabbled. Due to their respective political parties, Macpherson and Zikalala stand on opposite ends of the conversation around the Expropriation Act. Earlier in 2025, Zikalala accused the new batch of DA ministers of taking credit for the previous administration's work. 'Plagiarism and data integrity are not taught at a basic education level.' Those comments were perceived to be directed at Macpherson, who doesn't have a tertiary qualification, while Zikalala has a master's degree. In an interview with EWN, Macpherson said comments made in Parliament must be taken with a pinch of salt. 'What I don't accept is people who want to continuously want to drive a wedge between myself and the deputy minister. We have a great relationship.' Macpherson said disagreements are expected when people come from different political parties.
