Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has succumbed to pressure from the Democratic Alliance (DA) and has announced that he will release 47 forensic investigation reports to the public. This is out of 177 that are awaited. We note that these reports are still waiting for the promised publication on the website. This has been long overdue, and more reports are still outstanding. We will continue to exert pressure on Premier Lesufi using the mechanisms at our disposal to force him to release all the reports.
Gauteng residents are tired of empty promises and lack of consequence management against officials and politicians stealing money meant to improve their lives.
Since 2023, the DA Gauteng has been demanding that Premier Lesufi release the 177 forensic investigative reports.
Below is a timeline of all the efforts made by the DA Gauteng to ensure that these reports are made public:
• On 19 July 2023, we received a response to a question we tabled. It contained a list of 177 forensic reports. On several occasions after this response, we called for details of these in the Legislature.
• On 13 September 2024, we wrote to Premier Lesufi demanding the release of all the forensic investigative reports undertaken by the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) since 2016. There was no response.
• On 11 October 2024, we wrote another letter demanding the release of the reports, and there was no response.
• On 17 October 2024, we held a press conference to outline what we have done and what we will do because the premier had failed to respond to our letters.
• On 17 October 2024, we submitted a Promotion to Access to Information Act (PAIA) request, which was denied.
• On 18 November 2024, we submitted a PAIA appeal, which was also denied.
• On 21 December 2024, we took the matter to the Information Regulator of South Africa, which committed to investigate.
• On 19 March 2025, we received a preliminary report from the Information Regulator.
• On 27 March 2025, the DA issued a media statement on the Information Regulator’s preliminary investigation report.
Premier Lesufi’s pathetic and non-substantial excuses for not releasing these reports are his way of shielding his party-affiliated individuals implicated in corruption. Making these reports public is crucial in ensuring that GPG operates openly and transparently.
Based on these 47 reports, at least 88 people have faced disciplinary action, while 55 criminal cases have been opened by the departments at the South African Police Service (SAPS). We are yet to see these reports and are thus unable to conclude whether these actions were adequate. This government has a habit of nailing the small fry while the big ones go scot-free. Lesufi and his colleagues misuse the POPI Act to withhold the identities of those found guilty. The Act does not provide such protection to people who are misusing public funds.
Furthermore, the lifestyle audits have not been made public. For months, we have been hearing that these reports are nearing completion, but nothing is forthcoming.
We also note that Lesufi has yet to account to the Information Regulator. We will monitor that process with interest.
The DA Gauteng will study these reports as soon as they are available to the public. We will monitor whether the recommendations have been properly implemented. We will also follow up on the criminal and disciplinary cases to ensure no stone is left unturned. The past behaviour of Lesufi’s government has left us with no confidence that those guilty will be fully punished.
A DA-led Gauteng provincial government would have released the 177 forensic investigative reports when they were completed. We would name and shame corrupt officials and politicians, holding them to account.