Premier

When I became Premier in 2019, one of my most important commitments was to continue and enhance the Western Cape Government’s reputation for clean governance.

I committed then to full lifestyle audits for myself, my entire provincial cabinet, and for our respective spouses or life partners if applicable.

We made this commitment long before national government made this process mandatory. We did so because we believe that no-one should be able to enrich themselves with public funds due to their position.

In a country like ours where corruption at the national level is so prevalent, it is important that we not only make a solemn promise to our residents to act with integrity, but that we back that promise up with action.

That is a commitment and a promise that we continue today. With that in mind, I can report to this House that:

(a) End of term Lifestyle audits were conducted and completed on eleven (11) Members of the Provincial Cabinet, as well as their spouses or life partners.

(b) The results indicated that the lifestyles of the previous Cabinet were found to be commensurate with their incomes, and the audits did not identify any potential conflicts of interest on the part of any one of these 11 cabinet members, or their respective spouses or life partners. The process found that all cabinet members lived within their means, and did not appear to derive any undue material benefit from their positions. For the ministers that remained in the Cabinet, these end-of-term audits will become their baseline going forward.

(c) In addition to the audits which have been already been completed, our auditing service providers have begun the same process on the three new Members of the Provincial Cabinet who were sworn in for the first time this year. Those audits are currently in progress.