Parliament Targets Ghost Workers and Youth Employment in Public Service Reform Agenda
Cape Town, 9 June 2025 – Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration, Mr. Jan de Villiers, has called for decisive action to eradicate ghost workers from the public service, labelling the issue a form of “systemic corruption” and demanding urgent structural reform.
Speaking during a media briefing held by Parliament’s Governance Cluster, De Villiers welcomed the joint audit currently underway between the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) and National Treasury, which aims to detect fraudulent entries on government payrolls through cross-referencing administrative data. He called for this initiative to be bolstered by mandatory in-person verification and biometric registration of all public sector employees.
The committee highlighted evidence of ghost employees uncovered across all spheres of government, citing examples such as the R6.4 million in salaries paid to non-existent staff at Mpumalanga’s education department and 230 unverifiable employees in the Gauteng health department. De Villiers stressed that these cases are not errors but indications of organised fraud involving internal collusion.
To address the issue, the committee has committed to:
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Monitoring the progress of the joint ghost worker audit with a follow-up in Q3 2025;
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Advocating for formal, periodic payroll audits and digital HRM systems;
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Engaging the Auditor-General of South Africa to include ghost employee verification in routine audits;
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Calling for criminal prosecution and disciplinary action against fraudsters;
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Accelerating the digital transformation of human resource systems to eliminate vulnerabilities tied to manual processes.
De Villiers underscored that each ghost worker represents a missed opportunity to employ legitimate professionals, calling it “parasitic theft” from the state and citizens.
Youth Employment in the Public Service
In recognition of Youth Month, the committee also addressed youth employment challenges in government. While young people aged 31 to 35 currently represent 27% of the public service workforce, systemic issues persist. These include budget constraints, skills mismatches, lack of formal training recognition, and non-transparent recruitment practices.
The committee supports reforms such as youth hiring targets and voluntary early retirement schemes to create space for young professionals. However, it stressed the need for structured mentorship, clear exit pathways, and merit-based recruitment to make public sector employment meaningful and sustainable for youth.
De Villiers concluded by stating that promoting youth employment and eradicating payroll fraud are essential for building a professional, ethical, and future-ready public service.
Full briefing audio available at: iono.fm/e/1564387
