The DA has called for an immediate lifestyle audit of newly appointed social development minister Dina Pule, intensifying pressure on President Cyril Ramaphosa over one of the most controversial appointments in last week’s cabinet reshuffle.The party said it has written to the director-general in the presidency and secretary to the cabinet requesting that a lifestyle audit be conducted as soon as possible. The letter was delivered to the presidency on Monday.The call follows Ramaphosa’s appointment of Pule as social development minister last week, a decision that has drawn criticism from opposition parties and civil society because of findings made against her in her previous stint in the cabinet. The DA said a lifestyle audit should establish a baseline of Pule’s assets, finances and lifestyle before she assumes full responsibility for the department.In a statement, DA social development spokesperson Nazley Sharif said the party believes Pule’s record in public office warrants additional scrutiny.“There is no reason or evidence to show that she will not do again what she did before,” Sharif said.Pule served as communications minister in 2011-13 under former president Jacob Zuma before being removed from the cabinet after investigations by parliament’s ethics committee and the public protector.The investigations centred on allegations that her then-partner, businessperson Phosane Mngqibisa, improperly benefited from his relationship with the minister through sponsorships linked to the department’s 2012 ICT Indaba. Parliament’s joint committee on ethics and members’ interests found Mngqibisa had improperly benefited through payments amounting to about R6m and that Pule had failed to disclose their relationship. The committee recommended a criminal investigation and imposed parliament’s harshest available sanctions, including a public reprimand, suspension from parliamentary proceedings and a financial penalty. In a separate investigation, then-public protector Thuli Madonsela found Pule had acted unlawfully, improperly and unethically, and had persistently misled parliament and investigators during the inquiry. Madonsela also recommended that she apologise to parliament and repay costs associated with her partner’s travel. The controversy about Pule’s return to the cabinet dominated the ANC’s media briefing last week, where secretary-general Fikile Mbalula mounted a robust defence of her appointment. Mbalula acknowledged public concern but argued that Pule had already been held accountable more than a decade ago, accepted the consequences of her conduct and rebuilt the trust of the ANC through years of party work. He said South Africa should not impose “life sentences” on leaders who have served their sanctions and demonstrated rehabilitation.According to Mbalula, Pule underwent ethics counselling in the ANC, consulted party veterans and intends to appear before the ANC integrity committee for further guidance. He said the ANC stands fully behind Pule and Ramaphosa’s decision to appoint her.The DA rejected that defence, saying Pule’s record makes her unsuitable to oversee a department responsible for billions of rand in social grants and welfare spending.The party said it will continue opposing her appointment and insisted that an immediate lifestyle audit is necessary to protect public resources.Business Day