Millions paid out to ‘nonexistent workers’

Timeslive · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · May 16, 2026 · 845 words · By Thabo Mokone

Anti-corruption efforts Public sector mismanagement Government accountability

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What to know about Anti-corruption efforts

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has reported the discovery of 'ghost workers' costing the department over R14 million annually, primarily in Durban. The Minister also highlighted resistance from senior officials regarding lifestyle audits and cited systemic governance failures within the Property Management Trading Entity (PMTE).

Propaganda risk 20%

Claims checked 15

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The department of public works is losing more than R14m in payments to ghost workers, with the bulk of them being made from its regional office in Durban.

Why it matters

At the same time, public works & infrastructure minister Dean Macpherson has reported to parliament that there had been significant pushback to his efforts to clean up the scandal-ridden department, with some senior officials refusing to subject themselves to…

Common ground

Macpherson unveiled the state of affairs at the department while presenting his budget vote in parliament on Wednesday.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Glittering Generalities: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Anti-corruption efforts story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The department of public works is losing more than R14m in payments to ghost workers, with the bulk of them being made from its regional office in Durban?
How does this story connect Anti-corruption efforts with Public sector mismanagement over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-05-16-public-works-shelling-out-m…

analyticsAnalysis

20%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 90%

Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Glittering Generalities 70% confidence

Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.

Why it matters: Recognizing glittering generalities helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 15 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 6

schedule Pending 5

help Insufficient Evidence 2

check_circle Corroborated 2

info

Claim 1: “The department of public works is losing more than R14m in payments to ghost workers, with the bulk of them being made from its regional office in Durban.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided web search results for this claim are completely irrelevant, discussing rural bridge projects, poverty statistics, and Oracle layoffs, with no mention of ghost workers or R14m losses in the Department of Public Works.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The National Department of Public Works hereby invites unemployed South African individuals and youth to apply for openings in the Welisizwe Rural Bridge Project for the Province of KwaZulu-Natal. The…
https://sassaupdate.co.za/welisizwe-rural-bridge-project-pos…

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web search NEUTRAL — While these statistics are across the entire South African population, the levels of poverty are more pronounced among black South Africans, where 29.9 million people are living underneath the upper-b…
https://businesstech.co.za/news/lifestyle/345026/more-than-h…

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web search NEUTRAL — Workers told TIME about being treated like "assets" and losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in unvested stock.As Oracle slashes jobs, some workers say they were helping develop the AI that displac…
https://time.com/article/2026/04/30/oracle-layoffs-ai-tech-j…

info

Claim 2: “A total of 69 participants were referred for lifestyle audits as part of the second phase of the audit programme.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided discusses general audits, NHBRC audits, and public service risk management, but does not mention the specific figure of 69 participants for the DPWI's second phase audit.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Financial audits are performed to ascertain the validity and reliability of information, as well as to provide an assessment of a system's internal control. The third party auditor will express an opi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audit

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Moemi said phases one and two of the lifestyle audits of 82 executives and the management personnel were completed at NHBRC. “Out of 82 employees, two employees were referred for the lifestyle audit, …
https://capeargus.co.za/news/2025-05-15-over-150-nhbrc-staff…

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web search NEUTRAL — That lifestyle audits be conducted as part of a department’s system of risk management.That corruption identified during lifestyle audits be referred, investigated and be acted on.
https://www.dpsa.gov.za/thepublicservant/2021/07/06/lifestyl…

info

Claim 3: “public works & infrastructure minister Dean Macpherson has reported to parliament that there had been significant pushback to his efforts to clean up the scandal-ridden department, with some senior officials refusing to subject themselves to lifestyle audits.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While web results confirm Dean Macpherson is the Minister and has tabled a budget vote mentioning 'fightback against reform', there is no specific corroboration in the provided evidence regarding senior officials refusing lifestyle audits.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Public Works & Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson tabled the Department’s R7.8 billion Budget Vote for 2026/27, outlining progress in unlocking infrastructure investment, stabilising the IDT, unb…
https://www.gov.za/news/speeches/minister-dean-macpherson-pu…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Parliament’s Ethics Committee has found Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson guilty of breaching the Code of Ethical Conduct after referring to ActionSA supporters as “amaphara” du…
https://thestar.co.za/news/2026-05-14-parliaments-ethics-com…

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web search NEUTRAL — “As the Department responsible for the accommodation of the Executive and Members of Parliament, we will house all members from the available properties of the State. We will not rent or lease any acc…
https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/those-days-are-over-publ…

schedule

Claim 4: “The department is currently exposed to a potential financial loss of approximately R14.718 million annually arising from these cases.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 5: “the government continues to spend approximately R6bn a year on private leases”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 6: “Macpherson — speaking through the department’s spokesperson, Lennox Mabaso — said he had now instructed the department’s director-general, Sifiso Mdakane, to take disciplinary action against defiant officials.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided consists of general dictionary and Wikipedia definitions of the word 'Minister' and does not mention Lennox Mabaso, Sifiso Mdakane, or specific disciplinary instructions.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Minister (government) ... A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, [1][2] making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minister_(government)

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 6 days ago · The meaning of MINISTER is agent. How to use minister in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minister

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A minister is a member of the clergy, especially in Protestant churches. His father was a Baptist minister.
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/mini…

info

Claim 7: “some high-ranking officials had even resigned from the department instead of undergoing lifestyle audits conducted by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists of dictionary definitions of the word 'high' and does not contain any factual information regarding officials resigning to avoid SIU audits.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · high implies marked extension upward and is applied chiefly to things which rise from a base or foundation or are placed at a conspicuous height above a lower level.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/high

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Define high. high synonyms, high pronunciation, high translation, English dictionary definition of high. adj. high·er , high·est 1. a. Having a relatively great elevation; extending far upward: a high…
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/high

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — We use the nouns length, width, depth and height and the adjectives long, wide, deep and high to talk about area and size: … We use the verb weigh to measure weight: … We use many different expression…
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/high

help

Claim 8: “they were at least 60 officials who could not be accounted for following a payroll verification process.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this claim.

schedule

Claim 9: “It has never achieved a clean audit since it was established in 2014”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 10: “The PMTE manages property leases on behalf of government departments to the tune of billions annually.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the existence of the Property Management Trading Entity (PMTE) and its role in managing government leases, with one source specifically mentioning projected revenue of R18 billion.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Head of the Property Management Trading Entity (PMTE), addressed concerns raised about the Department's leasing arrangements and outlined the steps being taken to reduce reliance on private leases.
https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/41007/

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web search NEUTRAL — The Property Management Trading Entity, which remains one of the most important areas of reform in this portfolio, has projected revenue of R18 billion for the 2026/27 financial year.The PMTE should b…
https://www.gov.za/news/speeches/minister-dean-macpherson-pu…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The plan involves restructuring the underperforming Property Management Trading Entity (PMTE) into a revenue-generating and investable entity, and to “ensure the asset base of the State is managed wit…
https://www.polity.org.za/article/macpherson-aims-to-restruc…

info

Claim 11: “According to the latest SIU progress report, 53 participants submitted a complete set of documents, six participants made partial submissions, one participant was fully non-compliant and non-responsive, and one non-compliant participant resigned during the audit period”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided discusses SIU reports related to Gauteng Health and NSFAS, but does not contain the specific statistics (53 complete, 6 partial, etc.) for the DPWI audit.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The SIU report, completed in 2018, found corrupt links between Hlongwa, department officials, and a small company called 3P Consulting.
https://centralnews.co.za/siu-report-sparks-response-from-fa…

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web search NEUTRAL — While the SIU completed its investigation, NSFAS has yet to hand over the findings to the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), raising questions about accountability and governance with…
https://zaupdates.co.za/nsfas-and-the-siu-report-delay-on-mo…

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web search NEUTRAL — This week the Special Investigating Unit’s report into corruption in the Gauteng Department of Health was finally made public. By all rights this devastating report should signal the end of former Gau…
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-06-22-damning-s…

help

Claim 12: “Some 41 of those were traced to the department’s regional office in Durban.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this claim.

check_circle

Claim 13: “Macpherson unveiled the state of affairs at the department while presenting his budget vote in parliament on Wednesday.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple search results confirm that Minister Dean Macpherson tabled the Budget Vote for the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (specifically mentioning the 2026/27 financial year).

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Minister Macpherson tables Public Works & Infrastructure Budget Vote, vows to defeat fightback against reform.Today, I table Budget Vote 13 of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure for the…
https://www.gov.za/news/speeches/minister-dean-macpherson-pu…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Public Works & Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson confirmed that the Department has terminated a lease agreement with Medicare 24 Tshwane District, a company linked to Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, fol…
https://infrastructurenews.co.za/2013/05/08/budget-vote-spee…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Our first pillar focuses on establishing Infrastructure South Africa as a public entity under the Ministry of Public Works and Infrastructure, whereas it currently has dual reporting lines to both the…
http://www.publicworks.gov.za/PDFs/Speeches/Minister/2024/Sp…

schedule

Claim 14: “two former employees were identified as having been remunerated by the department despite no longer being in the department’s employ”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 15: “The PMTE has been plagued by serious governance issues and has failed to achieve a clean audit for years.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.