President Cyril Ramaphosa and His Executive to Undergo Lifestyle Audits, SA Remains Sceptical

• President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that the seventh administration cabinet will undergo lifestyle audits
• The president, deputy president, all ministers, as well as the deputy ministers, have consented to the upcoming audits
• South Africans remained sceptical on social media about the transparency of the lifestyle audits

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

GAUTENG – Every member of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s executive will undergo lifestyle audits.

Lifestyle audits for the executive were first promised in 2018, but nothing ever came of it until now. The president, deputy president, all the ministers, as well as the deputies, have agreed to lifestyle audits for the current financial year.

Which agency is responsible for the audits?

In response to a Parliamentary question by Rise Mzansi’s Makashule Gana, Ramaphosa noted that the audits would be conducted by the staff within the Office of the Director-General, who are qualified auditors.

He also confirmed that all members consented to the audits.

“For the 2024/2025 financial year, all members of the executive of the 7th administration have granted consent to the Director-General and the Secretary of the Cabinet to conduct the lifestyle audits,” he said.

Will the results of the audit be made public?

While the news was promising, there were some concerns. Gana also questioned whether the results of the audits would be made public, but Ramaphosa could not give a definitive answer.

“The limitation of the legal framework in conducting the lifestyle audits of the members of the executive and publishing them is a matter that is under consideration,” he said.

How did South Africans react?

Social media users were less than enthused by the news, with some questioning whether anything good would come of it. Others questioned how transparent the process would be.

Lozy Phuti suggested:

“They will be audited by their firms that are registered under their friend’s names.”

Morisky WA lepara stated:

“They are trying to play damage control. We all know they are going to be audited by their own comrades, who are going to easily fabricate the reports.”

Pierre Roux asked:

“And lie detectors? Then we might believe.”

Ras Magosi St. Magakwe suggested:

“Audited by a cadre's cousin's firm, of course.”

Tollo Hatem asked:

“And lifestyle audits will solve the problem?”

Anne Kriel questioned:

“Who is going to confirm their income and assets? The ANC leaders will probably check up on each other. There has to be a totally neutral and qualified auditor.”

Jaytee Hove stated:

“This will be very interesting indeed. Let’s see if anything will come out of this.”

Mitchel Landsberg said:

“Comrades auditing comrades. Winning combination.”

Charles Sithole added:

“It’s just to distract us from his spineless decision to not fire Mr Mchunu.”

Thembelani Malefane stated:

“Hurry up before they hide some portion of the money in offshore accounts.”

Source: Briefly News