The public sector is burdened with systemic challenges ranging from alleged political interference and politicised recruitment, to institutional capacity inequalities, funding constraints, poor performance oversight and weak accountability. These hamper adequate service provision and present challenges to the original social contract of post-apartheid SA, based on dignity, equality and development.
The visible arm of the state, the public sector, is at the centre of this crisis. The department of public service & administration has a critical mandate to drive administrative reform and translate the state’s development aspirations into a capable, responsive, citizen-centred bureaucracy. Professionalising the public service is concerned with, among other things, strengthening institutional meritocracy and the talent pipeline, promoting human capital formation efforts to enhance the state’s capacity, and stabilising the political and administrative interface.
A professionalised public service features public professionals responsible for driving institutional performance and the service delivery agenda. Former public service & administration minister Noxolo Kiviet defined the desired effect of professionalising the public service as “accelerating service delivery, addressing poor performance and skills among some senior staff, and improving retention levels in the public service”. The overall impact of a professional public sector is that the people of SA can access quality services from government institutions.
The recent 2025/26 budget vote of the public service & administration ministry clearly articulated the mandate and policy regime that is in place. Minister Mzamo Buthelezi focused on progress in implementing the professionalisation framework as approved by the cabinet in 2022, governance, accountability and ethics, digitisation and citizen engagement. He reflected on the ministry’s portfolio amendment bills, which are in the National Council of Provinces process, and said it was hoped that these bills would be concluded within the current financial year.
The speech covered familiar administrative reform policies, some dating back to the dawn of our democracy. For instance, professionalising the public service has been a central theme in administrative reform efforts since the early years of SA’s democracy. The National Development Plan (NDP) later reframed professionalisation as essential to building a capable, developmental state, leading to the cabinet’s approval of the Professionalisation Framework in October 2022.
Deputy minister Pinky Kekana complemented the high-level policy focus with an update on execution, partnerships and people-centred interventions. She focused on several interventions by the department, including employee welfare, innovation and collaboration, accountability and transparency, and the national dialogue as an engine for reform.
While appreciating the progressive policy regime and progress articulated, all state institutions must be nudged to reflect on visible, measurable reform delivery. It is pivotal to use data and evidence to showcase progress and account for the government’s performance in general - in this instance, the contribution of administrative reforms in shifting institutional culture and restoring the state’s developmental character.
The public service & administration minister reflected that as part of implementing the Professionalisation Framework a human resources management and development directive was issued in 2023/24 for implementation by all provinces and national departments. Several implementation-related questions arise, including how the provinces and national departments have performed against this directive, and how those heads of department who are failing to implement are held accountable. By sharing preliminary successes using data and evidence, the government will demonstrate the work being done to improve service delivery and contribute to building trust.
The public service & administration minister has done well in promoting ethics and rolling out lifestyle audits since its introduction in April 2021. Recently, there have been reported successes on lifestyle audits in Gauteng, the resultant consequence management being announced by premier Panyaza Lesufi. There will also be an expanded rollout to 400 high-risk officials within the department of public works & infrastructure. However, a question must be asked: are these ethics frameworks and training programmes changing the behaviour of public servants? If so, how is such behavioural change tracked, and what is the impact on organisational culture?
Where to from here?
The deputy minister has stated that the department of public service & administration is leading the public service pillar of the planned national dialogue. This is welcome as it elevates public service reform initiatives from being the preserve of an elite group in government to a national agenda. This will ensure that all sectors, including government, oversight structures, academia, organised labour, civil society structures and the people of SA, actively rebuild the state’s integrity and capability.
Recently, deputy president Paul Mashatile hosted the Roundtable on Strengthening the Political Administrative Interface in the Public Sector and a commitment was made that the outcomes would be integrated into the national dialogue process. The roundtable brought together the best minds from the various sectors to explore ways to strengthen the link between political leadership and public administration to support implementing the NDP 2030.
Key thematic areas affecting reforms that were discussed included leadership turnover in government, the political administrative interface, political interference and organisational culture. The national dialogue must place building a capable, professional and ethical public service that is responsive to the needs of people and grounded in constitutional values at the forefront. Central to this is implementing the professionalisation framework and amendment bills once finalised, holding the bureaucracy accountable for the performance of their departments, and strengthening governance and accountability systems.
SA has no shortage of visionary policies; the democratic government is celebrated globally for progressive policy leadership and establishing institutional frameworks and legal instruments. However, there is a lack of political courage, administrative resolve and a sense of urgency. The national dialogue will fail the people of SA who depend on government services if it does not place the administrative reform agenda at the centre and contribute to improving public services.
• Makhasi is head of the public service reform programme at the New South Institute.
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