The South African Police Service has formally asked the Special Investigating Unit to assist in conducting lifestyle audits on senior management members.

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia confirmed the request in response to parliamentary questions from DA MP Lisa Schickerling.

Cachalia said the National Commissioner signed the request on 5 August 2025, before it was submitted the following day.

“The National Commissioner signed a formal request on 5 August 2025, which was submitted on 6 August 2025, requesting the secondment of SIU personnel to support SAPS in conducting lifestyle audits,” he said.

He said talks with the SIU had started, but the secondment and full operational support were still in progress.

Senior managers being re-vetted

Cachalia said all senior management service members are currently undergoing re-vetting by the State Security Agency.

That process includes lifestyle audits.

The move follows similar steps taken elsewhere in government.

The Basic Education Department reportedly agreed with the SIU to conduct lifestyle audits on senior officials.

Gauteng and the Northern Cape have also used the SIU for lifestyle audits.

SIU spokesperson Selby Makgotho said the unit had held several meetings with SAPS, but no formal agreement had been signed.

DA says action overdue

Schickerling said the request to the SIU suggested SAPS did not have enough internal capacity to conduct lifestyle audits properly.

She said the intervention was necessary because of long-standing corruption concerns within the police service.

“Given the persistent concerns about corruption within SAPS, this intervention is both necessary and long overdue,” she said.

Cachalia confirmed that lifestyle assessments, reviews and audits had been conducted in SAPS over the past five years.

However, he said no senior management lifestyle investigations were escalated to full lifestyle audits during that period.

Disclosures and conflicts flagged

Cachalia said 4 608 financial disclosures from senior management members were verified over the past five years.

A further 450 lifestyle reviews were conducted.

Non-senior members submitted 42 935 financial disclosures during the same period.

One lieutenant-general failed to submit a financial disclosure during the 2024/2025 financial year while on suspension.

Cachalia said 1 227 lifestyle reviews from 2024/2025 were still in progress.

He also revealed that more than 100 senior managers were identified as potentially having conflicts of interest because of company involvement.

At least 23 employees had vehicle-related discrepancies, while three had property-related discrepancies.

Schickerling said the number of possible conflicts showed the need for independent scrutiny, not just administrative compliance.