Strategic roles in government have in the past been used as a reward mechanism for those who support the president or some sort of loyalty retainer. This has to change, writes Thembinkosi Gcoyi.
The appointment of advocate Shamila Batohi as the national director of public prosecutions (NDPP) in December 2018 can be regarded as the first shot in what is likely to be a long running battle against graft, incompetence and political meddling in the public service.
It will be recalled that the National Prosecutions Authority (NPA) is one of those institutions regarded as having been instrumental in enabling the rot in government and society in general to go unchecked for a very long time under former president Jacob Zuma. The manner of her appointment is instructive of the difficult task that she faces in restoring the credibility of the organisation.
The president has sought to distance himself from the fall-out that will ensue when she pursues senior politicians in the ANC for their role in degrading the South African state. The establishment of an advisory committee to advise the president on who to appoint to the role, despite the power to appoint being vested solely in him, also speaks of his quest to curb the unholy interference of the ruling party in the running of the state, particularly the employment of senior civil servants.
During his January 8th address at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on 12 January 2019, President Ramaphosa once again reiterated his commitment to running a public service that is free from corruption and responsive to the needs of South Africans. This is encouraging in an environment in which the vast majority of citizens cannot afford to procure private services for health, security and many other vital areas of their lives.
2 priorities for meaningful progress
In my view, there are probably two overarching priorities that South Africa ought to be obsessed with to achieve meaningful progress; one is the provision of quality education for all. The other is the establishment of a competent and responsive public service.
On the former, much has been said in the recent past. It thus does not warrant a repetition in this piece. However, it would appear to me that not much focus is paid by society at large on the need to have a fully functioning, competency driven public service that is capable of carrying out the many important tasks that confront South African society.
At the core of South Africa’s policy conceptualisation and implementation weaknesses is…
