?For over two decades, South Africa has grappled with challenges in its public administration, particularly at the senior leadership level of directors-general (DGs) and heads of department (HoDs). A recent roundtable hosted at the Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria brought this issue to the fore with renewed urgency and a clear commitment to change.
The roundtable, convened by the Presidency, focused on strengthening the political-administrative interface – a persistent source of tension and dysfunction in public sector leadership.
Stellenbosch 肆客足球's (SU) Policy Innovation Lab works closely with the Presidency to explore ways in which digital tools and artificial intelligence can contribute to renewal. “We are grateful for the continuing opportunity to unlock the intellectual resources at SU in service of an improved public sector," said Prof Willem Fourie, Chair of the Policy Innovation Lab. Fourie presented the key take-aways at the final session of the roundtable discussions.
In preparation the Lab, located in the School for Data Science and Computational Thinking, convened a series of webinars on topics related to this event. “The webinars provided a strong platform for open and honest discussion on how to identify and address some of the main challenges faced in public administration," said Monique Bennett of the Lab and organiser of the webinars.
The challenge of instability
At the heart of the discussions were the draft findings of a report by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) on its study titled “Synthesis Evaluation of State Capacity".
The HSRC's evaluation paints a sobering picture. High turnover among senior leaders, often driven by politicisation and unclear legal frameworks, undermines continuity and weakens institutional memory, which could potentially disrupt service delivery. The resultant instability is further compounded by a lack of clarity on the roles of executive authorities and senior administrators.
Opening the dialogue, Minister of Public Service and Administration Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi acknowledged these challenges and called for decisive steps to professionalise the public service. In his keynote address, Deputy President Paul Mashatile emphasised the need to establish trust, continuity and competence at the highest levels of government administration.
The roundtable included a presentation of the HSRC's findings by Prof Narnia Bohler-Muller and advocate Gary Pienaar, who underscored the urgency of implementing structural reforms. Chief among the report's recommendations is the establishment of the position of a Head of Public Administration (HOPA) – a central figure to oversee the career progression, accountability and performance of DGs and HoDs, thereby insulating these roles from undue political interference.
Echoing these concerns, Prof Mashupye Maserumule, an expert in the field of governance and public administration, highlighted that South Africa's constitutional and policy architecture already provides the tools for a professionalised, accountable public administration. However, he cautioned that the persistent gap between policy design and implementation has allowed instability at the political-administrative interface to persist, undermining governance despite well-intentioned frameworks.
Good practices
The roundtable featured several case studies, including a presentation by former Minister of Trade and Industry Prof Rob Davies on stabilising leadership in developmental states. Another session explored intergovernmental collaboration for service delivery, reinforcing the value of alignment and shared accountability across different spheres of government.
Breakaway sessions later in the day focused on practical themes such as building robust regulatory frameworks, strengthening leadership and skills development and addressing the high turnover. These discussions paved the way for concrete suggestions on how to improve recruitment processes, how to expand mentoring and induction programmes, and how to better incorporate ethical leadership principles like ubuntu into civil service training.
From dialogue to implementation
As South Africa strives to build a capable, ethical and developmental state, leadership stability remains a central concern. The reforms proposed in the HSRC report that were reinforced at the May roundtable, represent a bold yet necessary shift in the governance landscape.
“We look forward to strengthening our collaboration with government departments and hope to support reforms that are both ambitious and grounded," Dr Itai Makone, researcher at the Policy Innovation Lab, reflected on its involvement.
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Prof Willem Fourie, Chair of SU's Policy Innovation Lab, spoke at the high-level event attended by members of the Presidency, ministers and directors-general.
