Picture: for illustration purposes
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has formally verified that the process of implementing lifestyle audits on members of his Cabinet is on track, and is projected to be completed by the end of the current financial year. The initiative was announced as a response to a written parliamentary question from the Democratic Party (DA) leader John Steenhuisen.
The president emphasized that the process of conducting these lifestyle audits had no existing legislative framework. Consequently, the authorities had to devise creative strategies for implementation, striking a balance between the usage of State's internal resources and external professionals' expertise.
External input would primarily focus on data analysis, a critical component of lifestyle audits. Actively considering the State Security Agency (SSA) or the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) for involvement, the government plans to complement these departments by recruiting external service providers.
The actual auditing process will procure consent beforehand from the Ministers. However, if that does not materialize, the Director-General in the Presidency, currently working on the situation, could potentially step in.
Despite having fielded criticism about the delay in instituting this audit system, initially announced five years ago during his State of the Nation Address, Ramaphosa maintains that a dual approach is essential. The first phase will use an external service provider for pre-investigation, while subsequent phases may deploy internal resources.