South Africa's Basic Education Director-General Mathanzima Mweli has fired back at reports that he refused a lifestyle audit. In a statement issued through his attorneys, Mweli said he had proposed to Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube and Deputy Minister Reginah Mhaule that the three of them voluntarily undergo lifestyle audits. He also encouraged his deputy directors-general to do the same. Mweli's statement contradicts reports that he had refused the audit.
According to Mweli, his objection concerns how his own audit would be run, including how his confidential information would be handled. He referred to the Guide to Implement Lifestyle Audits in the Public Service, which sets standards of confidentiality, fairness, and independence. Mweli said he had already begun talks with the head of the Special Investigating Unit on arrangements for the audits when they were publicly presented as an instruction from the minister to senior managers.
The dispute over the lifestyle audit is the latest clash between Mweli and Gwarube. The two have been at odds over various issues, including a new Grade 1 to 3 textbook catalogue that Gwarube suspended on September 2. However, Mweli informed the Publishers' Association of South Africa last week Friday that provinces could buy learning materials from it. The ANC backed Mweli in a statement on September 11, raising concern over growing instability in the department since Gwarube's appointment in 2024.
Gwarube published an open letter on March 27 in which she described bringing in the SIU to conduct lifestyle audits as her decision. She warned that those with the most to lose from the clean-up would fight back. Gwarube's spokesperson, Lukhanyo Vangqa, said the department and the SIU signed a secondment agreement on June 15 this year. The first phase of the audit focuses on the director-general, deputy directors-general, and staff in high-risk areas such as supply chain and human resources.
Mweli, who has served in government for more than 40 years and as director-general since 2015, rejected suggestions that his stance cast doubt on his integrity or his handling of public money. He said he would not debate the details of the process publicly. The Sunday Times reported last week that Mweli had sent Gwarube a lawyer's letter refusing the audit, citing his constitutional right to privacy and arguing that a lifestyle audit was not an obligation under his employment contract.
The DA's Geordin Hill-Lewis raised the matter at a party event in Ekurhuleni, saying that Mweli's refusal to undergo a lifestyle audit was suspicious. Hill-Lewis asked why Mweli would refuse a simple confirmation that his lifestyle matches his income. Gwarube, however, said she had undergone a lifestyle audit herself and that all senior officials would have to do the same.
Mweli said he supports lifestyle audits in the public service and is willing to undergo one. He emphasized that his raising concerns about the process should not be portrayed as a refusal to account or submit to legitimate scrutiny. The audit dispute highlights the ongoing tensions between Mweli and Gwarube, with the ANC and DA weighing in on the issue.
Key points
- Basic Education Director-General Mathanzima Mweli disputes reports that he refused a lifestyle audit.
- Mweli proposed the idea of a lifestyle audit to Minister Siviwe Gwarube and Deputy Minister Reginah Mhaule.
- The dispute over the lifestyle audit is the latest clash between Mweli and Gwarube.
