Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has vowed to remove all provincial department heads implicated in unethical conduct, starting with those entrenched in supply chain management.

They believe this move will restore public trust and purge corruption from government ranks

The crackdown follows a scathing report from the Gauteng Ethics Advisory Council, which exposed a disturbing pattern: senior government officials enjoying opulent lifestyles starkly misaligned with their official earnings.

The revelations have sent shockwaves through the provincial administration and triggered immediate action from the Premier.

Speaking to journalists in Midrand on Thursday, Lesufi was resolute, saying that they will not hesitate to act and that heads will roll.

He emphasised that the implementation of the report’s recommendations will be monitored with rigour and urgency.

By October 2024, the provincial government had 750 senior managers. Of these, 732 had either completed or were undergoing intensive vetting—achieving an unprecedented 98% compliance rate.

But Lesufi insists that vetting alone is not sufficient.

Ethics must not only be verified—they must be lived, he declared.

“I have received the final report of the lifestyle audits with outcomes for two heads of department. One HOD has successfully passed the audit, and the other one will be going for the final round of audit.

“Gauteng has now started the process to vet all SCM staff, anyone who is managing our contracts is going through their lifestyle audits as well, and their financial disclosures,” he said.

He added new MECs, Vuyiswa Ramokgopa (Rise Mzansi), Sheila Mary (Patriotic Alliance) and Bonginkosi Dlamini – eGov (IFP) in the provincial unity government were yet to conclude the audit process.

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za

IOL Politics

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