The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) has announced that all national and provincial government departments, along with their components, must submit their Lifestyle Audit Reports for the 2024/25 financial year by 31 January 2026.
In a circular issued to all heads of departments, Acting Director-General Willie Vukela outlined that submissions must be made via the official online portal at https://forms.office.com/r/0Fqkw6GP85. The Offices of the Premier in each province are tasked with ensuring that all provincial departments meet the deadline.
Lifestyle audits have been compulsory across the public service since 1 April 2021, in line with Regulation 22 of the Public Service Regulations, 2016, which requires heads of departments to analyse ethics and corruption risks as part of their risk management systems.
Vukela stressed the importance of lifestyle audits as a critical management tool for preventing and detecting fraud and corruption within the public service. “A Guide to implement lifestyle audits in the Public Service has been issued to assist departments and government components in carrying out these audits effectively,” he noted.
In accordance with section 15(5) of the Public Administration Management Act (PAMA), 2014, any misconduct uncovered through lifestyle audits must be reported to the DPSA’s Public Administration Ethics, Integrity and Disciplinary Technical Assistance Unit (PAEIDTAU). The unit is responsible for assessing and monitoring the implementation of lifestyle audits across government institutions
