About 42% of public officers ‘fail’ declaration of assets test
Innocent Selatlhwa | Monday March 30, 2026 06:00
The consequences also seem not severe as the Directorate is yet to take action against any individual. She says the Directorate has not taken action against anyone and continues to encourage eligible declarants to declare in order to reach the 100% target.
Minister for State, President, Defence and Security, Moeti Mohwasa, recently revealed newly added categories, including procurement officers, project managers, engineers, licensing and inspection officers, and land board officials involved in adjudication, conveyancing, and technical processes.
A worrying picture is painted by statistics from the Directorate: dozens of those who should have declared their assets have failed to meet the obligation, undermining efforts to curb corruption.
“We have a total of 2328 declarants who have submitted their declarations out of an estimated 4000 eligible declarants, equating to 58.2%,” Director General Tiny Keseabetswe said in response to a questionnaire from this publication.
The DG, however, said that not all legislators have declared their assets, stating that while the Act requires members of the National Assembly to declare their interests, income, assets, and liabilities, their current compliance level is 81%. She said 56 out of the 69 Members of Parliament (MPs) 'have declared, which translates to 81% verification of the declared assets is ongoing and still at its initial stages'. She said amongst those who have declared are President Duma Boko and Speaker of the National Assembly Dithapelo Keorapetse.
Keseabetswe said out of 19 permanent secretaries, eight have declared, which equates to 42%. She said Permanent Secretary to the President, Emmah Peloetletse, is among those who are compliant.
Requested to provide a list of compliant senior officials, Keseabetswe said the law stipulates that the names of compliant declarants should be disclosed through a Public Register. However, the Register is yet to be made available to the public. To encourage compliance, Keseabetswe said the Directorate has also embarked on a series of outreach efforts. “A number of workshops have been held across the country to educate declarants on issues of ethics and integrity and the importance of declaring,” she said.
She said they collaborate with both the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) and the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) on information sharing and capacity building.
She said the major challenge in executing their mandate is the lack of a system for digital asset and liability declarations.
The EID was established under the Declaration of Assets and Liabilities Act No. 12 of 2019. The Directorate's primary mandate of the EID is to reinforce integrity in public service by maintaining an asset declaration system. This ensures that public officials disclose their financial interests, preventing corruption, illicit enrichment, and abuse of office.
Public officials are to submit detailed information about their income, assets, liabilities, and those of their spouses, dependents, and minor children. This mechanism serves as a safeguard against unjustified wealth accumulation and conflicts of interest.
Public officials must submit declarations: within 60 days of their appointment, assumption of office, or oath-taking; every 24 months following the initial declaration; five years after leaving office; and within 30 days of any significant change in assets, income, or liabilities exceeding P200,000.
Failure to comply with the Act can result in a fine of P20,000 or imprisonment for up to two years, or both. Breach of confidentiality can result in a fine of P500,000 or imprisonment for up to nine years, or both.