Minister of Home Affairs Dr Leon Schreiber announces the launch of a new digital verification platform aimed at eliminating ghost workers and enhancing payroll integrity in South Africa.
The Department of Home Affairs has unveiled a new real-time digital employee verification platform for National Treasury aimed at tackling payroll fraud and eliminating so-called ghost workers, which is estimated to cost the state R3.9 billion in 2025.
The online system, set to go live on 15 June 2026, will be rolled out across national and provincial departments for an initial two-month verification period. It forms part of government’s broader digital transformation drive to strengthen accountability, improve data integrity, and safeguard public funds.
According to the Department of Home Affairs, the platform is built on its advanced trusted digital identity verification systems and is directly linked to the national population register. It will use biometric authentication and liveness detection technology to confirm that public servants on the payroll are real, active individuals.
The initiative is expected to provide National Treasury with a more accurate and secure mechanism to verify employee records across the public service, reducing the risk of fraudulent or duplicated payments.
