Net closes on more than 8000 high-risk ghost worker cases

THE government has identified 8854 cases as high-risk in its effort to eliminate ghost workers. The cases require further verification; a two-month verification process will begin in January 2026, followed by appropriate legal action.

The next phase of this project will use a single sign-on application being developed for public servants, as well as improvements to the government payroll system to automate monitoring to prevent irregularities and improve spending efficiency.

The high risk cases were identified thanks to a partnership between the National Treasury, the Department of Home Affairs and the South African Revenue Service.

In his 2025 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBS), Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said the government has initiated an audit to not only identify ghost workers, but also identify payment irregularities across national and provincial departments.

He said the 8854 high-risk cases requiring further verification include payments from multiple departments, inactive employees and those with bank account anomalies.

National Treasury Director-General, Dr Duncan Pieterse, said that it is difficult to state the monetary value saved while identifying ghost workers as “cases flagged still need to be verified” and that this will be done on an ongoing basis.

He also explained that this process is part of their Targeted and Responsible Savings (TARS) initiative, which systematically identifies duplication, eliminates waste, and reorganises programmes to deliver value for money.

Godongwana also highlighted that the Education Labour Relations Council is undertaking physical verification of teacher and learner numbers across all provinces to address concerns about the employment of ghost teachers.

“This audit will complement the government-wide ghost worker audit being coordinated by the National Treasury. Savings derived from this and other measures will be used by provinces to address funding pressures in the sector,” he said.

Engagements were already underway with the Eastern Cape Provincial Treasury to implement ghost worker detection within the provincial health department. 

“This multi-stakeholder approach aims to enhance the integrity, efficiency and accountability of public-service payroll systems.”

About the Early Retirement Programme announced in the 2024 MTBPS, Godongwana said: “Government set aside R5.5 billion during the 2025 MTEF period to enable 15 000 eligible employees to exit the public service between 2025/26 and 2026/27.

“Over the medium to long term this will achieve estimated average savings of R3.5 billion per year.

“In 2026/27, the National Treasury will launch a multi-year fiscal literacy campaign to build public understanding of and engagement with the opportunities and risks South Africa faces in managing spending, revenue and debt.” 

Early retirement without penalties and with added financial incentives has been implemented since October 15, 2025. This initiative allows qualifying employees to exit the public service, where possible, replacing them with younger employees.

Cape Times