The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for urgent transparency from the Government Pensions Administration Agency (GPAA) following revelations of a questionable R1 billion lease agreement with Shula Developers for a building the company neither owns nor can access.
DA MP and Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration, Jan De Villiers, has summoned the GPAA to account for the deal, while the party prepares to use the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to obtain all related documents.
Reports indicate R62.6 million has already been paid—with a further R270 million committed—to contractors renovating offices that Shula Developers has no legal rights to, and which are already occupied. The DA has condemned this as a blatant misuse of government employee pension funds, which the GPAA manages (R3 trillion in assets for 1.7 million public servants and pensioners).
“This is not just mismanagement—it’s theft from workers’ futures and the South African economy,” the DA stated, linking the scandal to broader concerns over politically connected pension fund abuses.
The party highlighted previous cases, including:
R52 billion in pension savings allegedly written off over a decade due to high-risk, politically influenced investments.
A R74.4 million tender awarded to a Kenyan firm for non-existent Congo houseboats, facilitated by businessman Ken Ogwang, known for controversial PIC and IDC deals.
The DA vows to push for accountability and recovery of misused funds, reinforcing its stance against corruption and for responsible economic investment.