Parliament, Wednesday, 22 October 2025 – The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration, in its Budgetary Review and Recommendations Reports (BRRRs) for the 2024/25 financial year, urged the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) and its entities, including the Public Service Commission (PSC), to intensify efforts to build a professional, ethical and accountable public service that upholds the principles of integrity, good governance and public trust.The committee adopted the BRRRs today.In the report, the committee expressed concern that despite the significant policy and legislative reforms introduced in recent years, unethical conduct and corruption continue to undermine service delivery and weaken public confidence in state institutions. The committee, however, acknowledged initiatives underway to strengthen the fight against corruption through the Public Administration Ethics, Integrity and Disciplinary Technical Assistance Unit and the enforcement of the Financial Disclosure Framework, which now extends to finance and supply-chain-management officials.The committee also welcomed the progress in conducting lifestyle audits, the physical verification drive underway to identify ghost employees and expanding monitoring systems to detect conflicts of interest. However, it also highlighted the need for stronger enforcement mechanisms and disciplinary action against repeat errant officials.The committee commended the PSC for its good audit outcomes and noted that the commission’s investigations, compliance monitoring and guidance on the implementation of the professionalisation framework have strengthened accountability. While the committee acknowledged that budget cuts are a reality across government departments, it remains concerned that the cuts undermine the PSC’s oversight capacity. Nearly 70% of the PSC’s budget is spent on personnel, which leaves limited resources for physical inspections, citizen forums and investigations.As the custodian of good governance and ethics in the public service, the PSC must be adequately resourced, the committee stressed. This is crucial for the entity to maintain its independence and effectiveness. ‘Budget cuts must not cripple the very institution tasked with safeguarding accountability and professional integrity in the public service,’ said the Chairperson of the committee, Mr Jan de Villiers.The committee also welcomed the National School of Government’s (NSG) contribution through its training and development programmes, particularly those focusing on ethics, consequence management and gender-responsive planning and budgeting. It is recommended that these courses be made compulsory for senior managers.In the report, the committee noted that professionalising the public service is a central pillar of building an ethical state. This framework seeks to ensure that merit-based recruitment, ethical leadership and continuous development are embedded across all spheres of government.The committee reiterated that the fight against corruption and the drive to build an ethical state require sustained and coordinated action across all institutions in the public service portfolio. It stressed that the DPSA, NSG, PSC and Centre for Public Service Innovation must work collectively to promote a culture of integrity, professionalism and service excellence.The Chairperson emphasised that public servants must be competent and also principled. ‘Ethics can never be optional. We must entrench a culture of integrity and accountability so that citizens can once again trust in the institutions that serve them.’The reports will now be tabled in the National Assembly.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION, MR JAN DE VILLIERS. For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the committee’s media officer:Name: Alicestine October (Ms)Cell: 083 665 4345
E-mail: aoctober@parliament.gov.za
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