Cape Town – The Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling for immediate and mandatory lifestyle audits across the public service, with a particular focus on law enforcement agencies and the criminal justice system, arguing that the move is essential to tackling corruption.
The party confirmed that it has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa requesting that he issue a proclamation authorising the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to work alongside the State Security Agency (SSA) to conduct comprehensive lifestyle audits of public officials.
According to the DA, South Africans are growing increasingly frustrated by politically connected officials who appear to accumulate unexplained wealth while corruption, organised crime and state capture continue to drain public funds.
DA MP Lisa Schickerling said empowering the SIU to participate in the process would strengthen the state’s ability to uncover illicit wealth and hold those responsible accountable.
“If President Ramaphosa does the right thing, this would empower the SIU to apply its extensive forensic, financial and investigative expertise to verify lifestyle audit findings, investigate unexplained wealth, recover state losses where appropriate and refer matters for prosecution,” she said.
NEWS: The DA has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa and asked him to authorise the SIU to carry out lifestyle audits on employees within the country’s law enforcement agencies and the criminal justice system – KZN Tonight Podcast pic.twitter.com/ZBc9EcduB5
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) July 15, 2026
Schickerling said the DA has long argued that lifestyle audits should serve as a robust anti-corruption tool rather than a routine administrative exercise. While the State Security Agency already conducts certain lifestyle audits within government, she said these have failed to deliver the accountability South Africans were promised.
According to the party, too many public officials continue to enjoy lifestyles that appear inconsistent with their declared income, yet few have been required to explain the source of their wealth.
The DA further claimed that evidence emerging from commissions of inquiry, corruption prosecutions and ongoing investigations points to a troubling pattern of organised criminal networks infiltrating parts of the state, allegedly with the assistance or protection of public officials whose wealth far exceeds what their salaries could reasonably support.
Schickerling also highlighted concerns about alleged corruption within the South African Police Service (SAPS), noting that while the country’s most senior police officers can earn up to R2.5 million annually, allegations of corruption at the highest levels persist without comprehensive lifestyle audits to scrutinise their financial affairs.
“South Africans deserve a police service that fights crime, not one that is top-heavy, riddled with allegations of corruption, and increasingly detached from the realities faced by the men and women on the ground,” she said.
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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi
