DA leader calls Ramaphosa out on lifestyle audits

DA leader John Steenhuisen has accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of furthering corruption by failing to punctually implement lifestyle audits for senior members of government.

Speaking during a question and answer session in the National Assembly on Tuesday, 19 March, Steenhuisen said if Ramaphosa had not dithered since 20 February 2018, when lifestyle audits were first promulgated, perhaps instances of corruption could have been unearthed sooner.

LIFESTYLE AUDITS FOR MASHATILE

“If you’d kept your promise, Mr President, perhaps many of the allegations of egregious corruption against your deputy president, Mr [Paul] Mashatile would have come to light and the requisite action could have been taken,” said Steenhuisen.

Mashatile has been accused of using his tenure as Gauteng MEC to benefit close friends and family members, including his son-in-law Nceba Nonkwelo. However, Nonkwelo has been cleared by a probe relating to improper loans from the Gauteng Partnership Fund to his Nonkwelo Investments.

Earlier when responding to Steenhuisen’s initial question, Ramaphosa said “after several delays, lifestyle audits of members of the executive are underway”.

“This process is being led by the Director-General in the Presidency and Secretary of Cabinet, [Phindile Baleni].

“The president, deputy president, ministers and deputy ministers are currently in the process of submitting additional information required for these audits,” Ramaphosa said during his last parliamentary appearance of his first term as president.

DA LEADER BLAMES THE PRESIDENT FOR MAPISA-NQAKULA SCANDAL

Steenhuisen then turned his attention to National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, whose Johannesburg house was raided by the Hawks on Tuesday morning over allegations of corruption. She is accused of taking bribes in return for government contracts when she was serving as the defence minister.

“Mr President, your failure to implement lifestyle audits, is what has facilitated this alleged corruption the speaker. Since you are the reason that lifestyle audits were not done, you are reason we are sitting with an allegedly corrupt deputy president, a speaker whose house is being raided and Cabinet that reads like Zondo’s most-wanted list.”

“Are you [Ramaphosa] going to take responsibility and accept that in this matter, you are accused number one?” Steenhuisen asked in conclusion.

LIFESTYLE AUDITS ARE FINALLY UNDERWAY

On Thursday, 14 March 2024, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni announced that Cabinet had received a progress report on the lifestyle audits of senior members of government.

“At the end of January 2023, [a total of] 24 national and 71 provincial departments reported concluding lifestyle audits. With further interventions, the number of compliant departments increased at the end of March 2023 to 36 national government departments and 89 provincial departments,” she said.

These long-overdue lifestyle audits came approximately six years after Ramaphosa first promised their implementation. And during the 2024 State of the Nation Address, he said the audits for the public service were necessary to root out corruption.

Government officials are obliged to supply bank statements, intra-family financial transactions, credit card records and details about their vehicles and residences, reported Eyewitness News.