The Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (Mistra) has proposed policy reforms aimed at rebuilding SA’s state capacity, integrity and legitimacy and to help turn the tide against poor service delivery, the critical skills shortage and entrenched corruption, among other deepening developmental challenges.
The independent research institute launched “The State of the SA State: Capacity, Capability and Ethics”. The new study, launched on Tuesday, is aimed at assessing the performance and resilience of SA’s public institutions three decades into democracy and just more than a year after the formation of the government of national unity.
Some of the findings were that while SA had made progress in expanding access to electricity, housing and social grants since the dawn of democracy in 1994, over time “efficiency and effectiveness in public service delivery have steadily declined”.
“Many state institutions suffer from inadequate technical capacity, weak professional cultures, high vacancy rates and poor leadership, which undermine both policy-making and execution,” the study reads.
“There are also critical shortages in the skills of financial management, engineering and planning. Yet, alongside this erosion, there have been determined efforts by reform-minded leaders, civil servants and activists to restore the state’s capacity and capabilities. These efforts include the work of the National School of Government, partnerships with universities, talent retention strategies and a shift towards professionalism.”
Many state institutions suffer from inadequate technical capacity, weak professional cultures, high vacancy rates and poor leadership, which undermine both policy-making and execution.
— Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection
The study found the fiscal position was under strain, with a narrow tax base and growing debt limiting the state’s ability to fund reforms and provide quality services.
While the National Treasury allocated nearly half of its budget to social spending, the results were inadequate: “There is scope for reforms to broaden the tax base, reduce waste and ensure fiscal sustainability.”
It pointed out entrenched corruption and capture of state institutions by private interests, which hollowed out capacity and redirected resources away from development priorities. “While there are attempts to address the causes of such corruption and to make the perpetrators accountable, there is a long way to go before the culture of corruption is rooted out from the state,” the study found.
Structural weaknesses in the economy and ineffective policy implementation worsened unemployment, poverty and inequality, which were at “crisis levels”.
Professionalised public service
The study recommended a reorganisation of the state for effective service delivery by improving the capacity of the presidency to co-ordinate, integrate, monitor and evaluate the work of government departments and agencies. There was a need to professionalise public service and expand e-government platforms to improve service efficiency, reduce corruption opportunities and enhance citizen access.
Other policy recommendations pertained to strengthening the state’s technical and institutional capacity, insulating the state from corruption and building a stronger fiscal base and middle economy by expanding the tax base and combating illicit financial flows, reducing tax evasion and broadening personal and corporate tax contributions.
The state could also align its foreign policy with development and maximise African Continental Free Trade Area opportunities by using regional integration to expand markets for SA goods and services while encouraging regional value chains.
The government could use SA’s role in the AU, Southern African Development Community, Brics and the Indian Ocean Rim Association to attract investment, secure trade opportunities and build capacity in sectors such as energy and infrastructure.
‘Crisis and resilience’
“This study affirms that the SA state is complex and marked by crisis and resilience,” Mistra research director Sandy Africa said. “Our findings reveal that rebuilding state capability is not only about rooting out corruption or filling skills gaps. It requires rethinking how the state is organised, how it collaborates with society and how it restores purpose and integrity in governance. Despite the challenges, there is room for optimism.”
Africa said the evidence showed that renewal “is possible with decisive reform, professional leadership and public trust”.
Delivering the keynote address at the launch, Public Service Commission chair Somadoda Fikeni, said: “The report invites us to reflect on the moral and institutional foundations of our democracy.
“The SA state stands at a crossroads; it carries within it both the seeds of renewal and the scars of decay. To rebuild we must restore the moral and professional core of the public service and cultivate leadership that places national interest above factional or personal gain.”
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