South Africa has identified more than 4,000 suspected “ghost workers” on government payrolls as part of a sweeping audit aimed at curbing fraud and reducing pressure on the public wage bill.
The National Treasury says a review of the government’s Personnel and Salary System (PERSAL) has flagged 4,323 suspicious cases, with a nationwide verification process now underway, state media SABC reports.
Employees who cannot be physically verified risk having their salaries withheld and their employment status suspended pending investigation.
Authorities say fraudulent payments to non-existent staff — including cases involving duplicate identity numbers, salaries paid to deceased individuals and irregular bank account details — are costing the state billions of rand annually.
The audit forms part of a broader effort to rein in compensation spending, which accounts for nearly a third of consolidated government expenditure, the National Treasury says.
In parallel, government is rolling out an Early Retirement Programme designed to reduce headcount and generate savings. Treasury says 7,687 applications were approved in the first phase of the scheme, with projected savings of R2.6 billion in the current financial year.
A further R3.7 billion has been allocated to departmental baselines for the programme across the 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years.
South Africa has grappled with the issue of ghost workers for years. In 2025, a parliamentary committee engaged the Department of Public Service and Administration, the Auditor-General of South Africa and National Treasury to assess the scale of the problem, describing it as a national challenge that inflates the wage bill, drains scarce resources and undermines public trust.
Unlike previous headcount exercises, the latest audit relies on a data-driven approach. Treasury is cross-checking payroll records against tax data from the South African Revenue Service, identity and biometric records from the Department of Home Affairs, and banking information to detect anomalies.
Officials say the verification process will continue over the coming months, with disciplinary and criminal proceedings expected in confirmed cases of fraud.
SOURCE:TRT Afrika and agencies