South Africa’s Special Investigating Unit recovered and protected R28.536 billion in public value during 2025/26, strengthening accountability through investigations, litigation, referrals and asset recovery efforts nationwide.
The Special Investigating Unit says the figure includes approximately R1.9 billion in potential financial losses prevented, alongside R936 million in cash and assets recovered for the state.
A further R25.7 billion relates to contracts that were set aside through proceedings before the Special Tribunal and the High Court of South Africa.
These interventions allow government to stop unlawful expenditure, recover public resources where possible and redirect money towards the services and programmes for which it was originally intended.
For the SIU, the results demonstrate the value of combining investigation, litigation, asset recovery and referrals to other law-enforcement and disciplinary structures.
Investigations remained at the centre of the unit’s work during the financial year, with 5,917 investigations conducted under published proclamations being closed.
The SIU also submitted 48 reports to the Presidency detailing findings from investigations involving institutions and projects across national, provincial and local government.
These included investigations involving the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport, Ithala Development Finance Corporation, Tshwane’s Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Works, Makana Local Municipality and Tembisa Hospital.
Other investigations covered the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality’s water and sanitation services and the Department of Home Affairs.
Where investigations uncovered evidence of civil wrongdoing, the SIU referred matters valued at approximately R10.7 billion for civil proceedings.
The PRASA investigation accounted for the largest portion, with civil proceedings valued at approximately R6.9 billion instituted and pursued by the unit.
The use of civil litigation is an important part of the SIU’s mandate because it allows the state to challenge unlawful contracts and attempt to recover losses even where separate criminal investigations may still be underway.
The unit also made 761 criminal referrals to the National Prosecuting Authority involving officials, private entities and individuals suspected of criminal wrongdoing.
A further 460 officials were referred to their respective state institutions for disciplinary action.
This allows misconduct uncovered during investigations to be addressed through employment and disciplinary processes in addition to any possible criminal or civil consequences.
SIU Head Leonard Lekgetho said reducing corruption requires cooperation extending beyond a single institution.
SIU corruption recovery
“Fighting corruption and demanding good governance is not one person’s job. It requires a whole-of-society approach involving government, law-enforcement agencies, investigative and oversight institutions, whistleblowers, civil society, the media, businesses and every citizen,” he said.
Lekgetho said effective anti-corruption work should reduce opportunities for wrongdoing, make corruption more difficult to conceal and ensure appropriate consequences for those responsible.
The SIU also continued conducting lifestyle audits across government departments and public entities.
Institutions subjected to these processes included the Community Schemes Ombud Service, Housing Development Agency, Independent Police Investigative Directorate, PRASA and several provincial government offices and departments.
Lifestyle audits can help identify discrepancies between an official’s known income and expenditure or assets, providing another mechanism through which potential misconduct can be identified and investigated.
The SIU operates under the Special Investigating Units and Special Tribunals Act, which enables it to investigate serious maladministration, malpractice involving state institutions, misuse of state assets and public money, and conduct that may seriously harm the public interest.
The scale of the 2025/26 results also illustrates that the value of anti-corruption work is not measured only by successful prosecutions.
Preventing losses before money leaves the state, cancelling unlawful contracts, recovering assets and improving institutional controls can protect resources before damage becomes permanent.
For communities, those recoveries ultimately matter because public money lost through corruption or maladministration is money unavailable for infrastructure, health, education, transport and other essential services.
The SIU said it will continue working to protect state resources and ensure that public funds are used for their intended purpose and for the benefit of South Africans.
