Servant leadership: An urgent style for the current political leadership in South Africa

Mookgo S Kgatle

doi:10.4102/ve.v39i1.1815

Abstract

The aspects of the political leadership in South Africa discussed in this article include, among others, abuse of power, corruption and lack of public accountability. In response to these aspects, the article demonstrates that servant leadership is an urgent style for the current state of political leadership in South Africa. The article discusses key aspects of the current political leadership in South Africa as a point of departure. The article also discusses the theological foundation and key principles of servant leadership in order to apply them to the current state of political leadership in South AfricaIntradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Servant leadership principles as outlined from a theological point of view are applied to the aspects of political leadership in South Africa.

Highlights

When one follows the current affairs in the politics of South Africa, one can observe that there is fear among many South Africans that South Africa may become another failed African state
Servant leadership is an urgent style for the current political leadership in South Africa because in servant leadership there is no abuse of power but only servanthood
The current political leadership in South Africa should learn from companies like Starbucks, Southwest Airlines and Google that servant leadership can ensure the success of an organisation

Summary

Introduction

When one follows the current affairs in the politics of South Africa, one can observe that there is fear among many South Africans that South Africa may become another failed African state. These fears are caused by the current abuse of power, corruption and lack of accountability by the executive in the South African government. The abuse of power, corruption and lack of public accountability call for a unique approach to public governance, management and leadership.

Results

Conclusion