The Public Administration Ethics, Integrity and Disciplinary Technical Assistance Unit (PAEIDTAU), in terms of Section 15 of the Public Administration Management Act, 2014, has the function to monitor the implementation of lifestyle audits. This Unit does not have an investigative mandate, so it will not conduct lifestyle audits.
Lifestyle audits became compulsory from 1 April 2021. To assist departments, the PDSA adopted a Guide on implementing lifestyle audits and started with awareness raising and the training of ethics officers.
Lifestyle audits could commence after Senior Management Members disclosed their financial interests in April (every year) on the eDisclosure system, and when the other designated categories did the same in June and July (of every year). The lifestyle audit process is dependent on the disclosure of financial interests on the eDisclosure system.
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The number of employees subjected to lifestyle audits and the outcomes of the process will only be known at the end of January 2022. In a Circular dated 25 October 2021 addressed to all departments and government components, departments were requested to provide feedback on their progress regarding the implementation of the Guide to the PAEIDTAU, by the end of January 2022.