No lifestyle audit action

If anyone thought that things would improve or be different under Cyril Ramaphosa after the Zuma years, they were sorely mistaken.

In his state of the nation address in February, the president promised to implement lifestyle audits for senior officials in government. Replies to questions by the DA indicate that this was just talk with no action.

This was confirmed when Transport Minister Blade Nzimande replied that his department had initiated the “process” of carrying out lifestyle audits but could not conduct them due to “legal limitations to access to information in possession of third parties as it can only be accessed through law enforcement agencies”.

If this is indeed the case, why have law enforcement agencies not undertaken these audits to date? It is clear that there is no appetite on the government’s part to do this. There is nothing but politics stopping these agencies from undertaking these audits today.

In the meantime, those stealing from the taxpayer will continue to do so undetected, knowing full well that they can continue living and enjoying their high lifestyles and that they will never be audited. This is Ramaphosa for you: all talk, no action. SA should expect a continuation of what we had under former president Jacob Zuma. Nothing has actually changed.

Manny de Freitas, MP DA shadow transport minister