African Public Service Research Articles

Efficacy of continuous employee learning and development in the South African public service between 2014 to 2023 era

Modern technologies have intensified innovations and necessitated changes in public service processes and operations. Continuous employee learning development (CELD) is one means of the molecule-atom that keep employees motivated and sustain competitiveness. The study explored the efficacy of CELD in relation to modern technology in the South African (SA) public service departments between 2014 to 2023 era. Departments are faced with challenge of equipping their employees with adequate professional and technical skills for both the present and the future in order to deliver specific government priorities. Data for the study were gathered utilizing a qualitative semi-structured e-questionnaire. The study sample consisted of 677 human capital development practitioners from national and provincial government departments in SA. The inefficacy CELD and the inadequacy of technological infrastructure and service delivery can be attributed to the failure by executive management and senior managers to invest in CELD to prepare employees for digital world. It is recommended that departments should use Ruggles’s knowledge management, Kirkpatrick’s training, and Becker and Schultz’s human capital models as sound measurement tools in order to gain a true return on investment. The study adds pragmatic insight into the value of CELD in the new technological environment in public service departments.

Mandating ethics to combat misconduct in the South African public service

Mandating ethics to combat misconduct in the South African public service

Causal theories explaining the erosion in South African state and public services: a theoretical overview

The erosion of the South African state and its public services can be understood through various social, political and economic factors. These issues are complex and multifaceted, often intertwined and mutually reinforcing. Several theories and patterns can help explain the erosion of the state and public services in the country. The core objective of this paper is to elucidate the foregoing factors, using purposely selected theories as philosophical lenses through which to understand why service delivery dilemmas prevail, and why state institutions are eroding. This paper is located within a qualitative paradigm, in particular narrative reviews, where secondary sources of information was consulted. This paper makes a conceptual contribution to the notion of the erosion of South African public sector institutions in general, and the field of Public Administration in particular. The paper recognises that addressing the erosion of the South African state and public services requires comprehensive strategies and reforms, including tackling corruption, improving the education and healthcare systems, creating jobs, and addressing economic inequalities. It also necessitates strengthening institutions and promoting good governance to restore public trust and to ensure sustainable development.

Consultocracy in South African public service: A case of repositioned public administration curricula

Background: This article attempts to make a reasoned case for re-thinking and repositioning public administration education curriculum in South Africa considering the emerging ‘consultocratic’ regime in the public service. It appears that public managers are determined to outsource private knowledge and expertise with little efforts made to build their own internal capacity.Aim: To establish ways in which the higher education sector can help in preparing future public servants in South Africa.Setting: The article is an extract of the study that was conducted in 13 Limpopo-based municipalities, including provincial Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) and South African local government association.Methods: Qualitative methods were used to obtain perspectives from officials and practitioners involved in local government in order to establish reasons why public institutions over-consult.Results: The main finding of this study shows that public institutions, municipalities in this case, over consult because of limited inhouse talent and skills shortage. Participants agreed that while municipalities take blame for ineffective recruitment strategies, higher education sector can play a bigger role in building future skilled graduates. A lack of critical thinking skills was said to be the main problem. With the backup from critical thinking theory, the study proved the need for revised Public Administration (PA) curricula.Conclusion: The repositioning of PA education is encouraged considering that the public sector governance approach is said to be inspired by the market – oriented ideology, the New Public Management, which favours outsourcing against the central role of government.Contribution: Inclusion of critical thinking as module in the PA discourse is recommended. Public sector is also urged to ease legislative red tapes to encourage innovation in the public service. This will guarantee skilled and readily available recruitment pool from which public sector can source talent from, but most significantly, a cultivation of tactical, critical, and strategic thinkers will positively challenge the prevailing consultocratic regime.

Linking monitoring and evaluation to performance management in the South African public service

The main focus of the article is the necessity of using M&E as a catalyst and accelerator for increased public service efficacy. The South African government has been under tremendous pressure lately to meet the needs of its people in terms of development. This needs to be carried out in a transparent and citizen-focused way. The purpose of this article is to provide a strong link between performance management and M&E, two enablers that are now essential to the success of public service delivery in the twenty-first century, in light of the requirement to guarantee that M&E enhances such service delivery to the public. Additionally, the corrupt existing condition of affairs belies our understanding of the amount to which programmes have the intended effects and the degree to which they may continue to supply services over time. A diverse look at the meaning of M & E will be offered in this presentation. This is a conceptual study based on an examination of the literature from many sources, such as academic publications, popular media pronouncements, and policies.

Influence of organisational climate on public service employee physical health.

The working conditions in the South African public service, notably its challenging environment, pose significant threats to the physical health of employees. Calls exist in understanding how this can be addressed. The study investigated the predictors of physical health, accounting for the role of organisational climate and decent work. The study was conducted in Bisho in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. An instrument was administered through a survey using a sample of 289 respondents. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to test the hypothesised relationships. No significant direct effect existed to show that the sounder an organisational climate, the better the physical health of employees will be (β = -0.014, t = -0.199, p = 0.843, 95% confidence interval [CI] [-0.153 to 0.125]). However, statistically significant evidence existed to show that the more focus on promoting decent work, the better the physical health of employees will be (β = 0.463, p = < 0.001, 95% CI [0.258 to 0.668]). Finally, decent work has a full mediating effect on the relationship between organisational climate and employee physical health (β = 0.105, 95% CI [0.054 to 0.167]). Public service organisations need to pay attention to the role of its climate and decent working conditions in promoting employee physical health. Interventions are needed centered on improving decent work and the organisational climate as identified predictors of employee physical health.

Agility in South African Public Service Leadership

Agility in South African Public Service Leadership

Challenges in promoting accountability and feedback mechanisms through customer complaints in the South African public service

The study examines whether the customer complaints management policy in the Department of Employment and Labour in the Free State province is effectively and efficiently implemented. Skilful and committed policy implementers are required to ensure that policies are implemented successfully. A descriptive qualitative research design was employed in this study using semi-structured online interviews, to gather data from 20 participants who were purposively selected. The major findings of the study reveals that a lack of clarity and accessibility of complaint channels, inadequate training of newly appointed officials in customer complaint management processes, and user-unfriendliness of the complaint processes flow are prohibiting factors of the implementation of the policy. Additionally, there was a lack of effective communication and coordination among both the internal and external stakeholders, and a noticeable absence of consequence management. The study recommend that the Department of Employment and Labour should consider to design a user-friendly customer complaints management processes flow as well as to incorporate customer complaints module during the induction of newly appointed employees.

The role of professionalization in the South African public service and its contribution to the UN’s SDGs, Agenda 2063, and NDP 2030

The South African National Framework towards the Professionalization of the Public Service, moots the belief that professionalizing public administration is one of the key requirements for building state capacity. An efficient and effective public service may positively impact the state’s development agenda. The United Nations’ (UN) 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) serve as a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all with the focus on an end to poverty, and inequality, the protection of the planet, and the assurance that global citizens enjoy health, justice and prosperity. The core question that this paper addresses is: To what extent will professionalization of the South African public sector through learning and training programs offered at the National School of Government (NSG), contribute to the UN’s SDGs specifically and Africa Agenda 2063 (Agenda 2063) and the South African National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 in general? The paper is premised on a systematic stand-alone literature review. Content analysis was used to make sense of the secondary data consulted by honing in on pre-identified search terms. The study found that while the training programs offered at the NSG are aligned with the government’s focus on professionalization of the public service, specific mention of the SDGs, the NDP and Agenda 2063, are not made. It is recommended that with much talk around the re-calibration of the public sector by way of the NSG, an opportunity exists to explicitly teach the principles, objectives and aims of the aforementioned SDGs, NDP goals and Agenda 2063 objectives, in all its training programs, or that new programs are devised by the NSG solely focused on the attainment of the SDGs.

The African National Congress and South Africa’s Public Service: A Crisis of Dominance and Accountability

This article explores the impact of African National Congress-led government’s dominance on South Africa’s public service. On onehand, the African National Congress since the 1994 democratic elections had many achievements in advancing South Africa’s democracy and responding to the citizens’ needs through countless development and policy initiatives that were designed to cater to the basic needs of the citizens. On the other hand, it has become less responsive to citizen needs and this is evident as citizens have taken to the streets to protest for service provisions throughout the country. Citizens’ discontent can be seen in the rapid decline of the African National Congress’ political dominance and the formation of political coalitions. South African public service delivery has been marked by a lack of public accountability, corruption, cadre deployment, state capture, and procurement system manipulation as a result of the African National Congress’s dominance since the country’s first democratic elections. It is important to note that most South African citizens depend on the public sector and the African National Congress’s dominance in the public sector has damaged its ability to be responsive to citizens’ needs. This article relied on secondary sources, by reviewing current literature on the ramifications of having one political party dominating the country’s political space for decades.

The positive mutually reinforcing dynamics of career-adaptive attributes in career human agency

Background: Empirical research on career-adaptive attributes that elucidate the dynamic interplay between resources of career self-reactiveness and career self-reflectiveness in career human agency theory (CHAT) is scant.Objectives: The objective of the study was to assess the simultaneous interplay between constructs of career self-reactiveness (career adaptability, psychological capital, career agility) and constructs of career self-reflectiveness (career resilience and career satisfaction).Methods: The cross-sectional canonical correlational design of the study involved a random sample of black African employees (N = 412) in a South African public service government organisation.Results: Adaptive readiness, goal-directed adaptability and career forethought and intentionality in goal achievement emerged as four common synthetic themes that illustrated the mutually reinforcing dynamics among the study variables.Conclusion: The reciprocal associations among the study variables offer promising support for career counselling interventions that apply the CHAT. The findings may guide the use of career assessments for career-adaptive behaviours that help cultivate career human agency.Contribution: The study contributed to career development in the African context by enriching understanding of the role of individuals’ adaptive readiness, goal-directed adaptability, career forethought and career intentionality in agentic career goal achievement.

Democratic centralism: The root cause of poor municipal performance in South Africa

This paper is a product of a Doctoral study that applied grounded theory to derive a performance improvement model for a particular Municipality in South Africa. Drawing from this study, this paper argues that democratic centralism, which manifests in politicised bureaucracy and implemented through the ANC policy of cadre deployment, is the root cause of poor performance across South African municipalities. In advancing this argument, the paper interrogates public management literature to conceptualise poor municipal performance and justify the relevance of the politics-administration dichotomy as a framework for positioning democratic centralism as the root cause of poor performance in South African municipalities. In addition, interrogating public management literature allowed the author to identify methodological limitations of past studies and select grounded theory as the most appropriate research design to address these limitations. In applying grounded theory, the author used purposive sampling to identify research participants who were subsequently interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. In preparation for data analysis, the author recorded and transcribed the information obtained from the interviews. Thereafter, the author used open coding with particular emphasis on constant comparative analysis and theoretical sampling. The use of these techniques allowed the author to move the level of abstraction from open codes through to empirical categories leading to generation of empirical explanations that link democratic centralism to poor performance in South African municipalities. To this end, the paper empirically linked poor municipal performance, often displayed through violent protests, to democratic centralism, a phenomenon entrenched into the South African public service through the ANC policy of cadre deployment.

Ethical violations: Shortlisting and interviewing processes in the South African public service

Background: Ethics, integrity and accountability in public service departments have weakened. These departments face ethical violations in recruitment, shortlisting, interviewing and appointment processes despite the presence of human resource management prescripts in place.Aim: This study aimed to probe the level of ethical violations in recruitment, shortlisting and interviewing processes, and describe the challenges faced by human resource practitioners and panel members in South Africa’s public service departments.Setting: Both the national and provincial public service departments of South Africa.Methods: The study adopted the qualitative modernistic research approach. A semi-structured electronic questionnaire was used to gather views from 528 participants, including human resource practitioners and line managers serving as panel members.Results: Ethical violations result in human resource practitioners and panel members being compromised, maltreated, victimised and bullied in the workplace. During recruitment, shortlisting, interviewing and appointment stages, abuses of power, undisclosed conflicts of interest and even patronage by political heads and top-and-middle management are acutely rife. Ethical violations inhibit the human resource functionary from building an ethical, professional and capable public service.Conclusion: Ethical violations during recruitment phases are exacerbated by political heads and top management’s observable disregard of prescripts.Contribution: This study will encourage management to consider human resource practitioners’ role in managing ethical dilemmas and galvanise employees towards maintaining ethics and jointly desisting from unethical practices.

Competency Frameworks in the South African Public Service: The Wrong Magic Bullets?

Competency Frameworks in the South African Public Service: The Wrong Magic Bullets?

Evaluating the effectiveness of a social grant regulating framework in South Africa

Orientation: Fraud and corruption have become a major concern for the South African government. However, the government has made attempts (often futile) to fight the scourge of corruption. The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) developed a framework aimed at minimising corruption; nevertheless, loopholes in its anticorruption efforts continue to be an encumbrance.Research purpose: This research sought to evaluate the effectiveness of the Fraud Management and Compliance Department (FMCD) in terms of its role in the prevention, detection, investigation, reporting and resolution of fraud, theft, corruption and maladministration within the SASSA.Motivation for the study: The study was based on public knowledge of the plethora of activities both by civilians and by the SASSA officials that are negatively affecting the SASSA’s achievement of its goals and objectives.Research design, approach and method: The study adopted a qualitative research approach, including 10 participants with whom one-on-one interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis was used.Main findings: The study mainly uncovered that the Special Investigation Unit, National Prosecuting Authority, South African Police Service and Public Service Commission each play a critical role in investigating corruption, fraud and maladministration within the SASSA, thus contributing to how future fraud situations are handled.Practical/managerial implications: The article recommends the training and development of relevant authorities to enhance the effectiveness of the FMCD within the SASSA.Contribution/value-add: This article contributes to the literature on proposed solutions in effectively diminishing corruption in a South African government entity.

Misconduct Impeding Good Governance in The South African Public Service

This study aims to explore corruption as a form of misconduct recorded in the South African public service in general. The systematic analysis of literary sources and methods for addressing the misconduct issue suggests that there are reasons for the wrongdoing that impede good governance and hinder efficient public sector governance. The reasons could be socio-economic, political, and institutional. The article explicitly explores institutional reasons for misconduct in public service. This study emphasises that encouraging good governance in the South African public service would remain difficult if the everyday occurrences of wrongdoing and corruption are not properly handled, making this scientific problem decision-relevant. The investigation in the article is carried out in the following order: the conceptual framework of the South African public service is described, followed by a discussion of the contextual framework and a detailed examination of the institutional reasons for corruption. Corruption is examined as a kind of wrongdoing that may obstruct good governance in the public service. Conceptual and document analysis were the methodological tools used in the study procedures. A desktop review of the available literature and the official legislation and regulatory papers necessary for the research are included in the methodological instruments of the research procedures. Corruption as misconduct is contextually analysed using qualitative research approaches. The results show that in every organisation and department of public administration are recalcitrant elements that oppose the order of authority and policy due to differences of opinion or outlook, and if no precautionary or reactionary measures are taken, management may be compromised. The article’s conclusion makes suggestions for policy modifications and remedial actions tailored to South Africa’s circumstances. Although corruption is not a new problem, there has to be continual discussion and involvement between stakeholders in order to develop solutions that are country-specific.

Ethical violations: Shortlisting and interviewing processes in the South African public service

Africa's Public Service Delivery & Performance Review is a peer reviewed journal, aimed at the promotion and sharing of knowledge, skills and innovations in government and the wider Public-Sector environment in South Africa and abroad. With a multi-disciplinary outlook, the journal will stimulate service delivery and performance challenges being faced in government.

Distributed public service broadcasting as an alternative model for public service broadcasting in South Africa

The purpose of this article is to propose/justify a new model for South African public servicebroadcasting, namely, distributed public service broadcasting. The justification is done againstthe background of a description of the changed and converged new media environment broughtabout by technological developments with the concomitant new production, content anddistribution challenges and with interactivity as the new foundation of communicator-audiencerelationships. It is argued that the new media environment requires new thinking about publicservice broadcasting (PSB). The need for a new model is further justified against the backgroundof the continued governance, managerial and financial problems the South African BroadcastingCorporation (SABC) has been experiencing for more than a decade, which has led to a new butcontroversial Public Service Broadcasting Bill (2009/2010) in an attempt to address the problems.It is argued that the problems will not be resolved. Instead, a new broadcasting model should ratherbe considered. It should, however, be emphasised that distributed public service broadcasting asa new model is only introduced in this article. Detail about the model is the topic of additionalresearch that has yet to be done. Finally, the article should be read against the background ofwhat were, at the time of writing in 2010, a number of serious governmental threats to freedomof expression with government proposing, inter alia, the introduction of a controversial Bill on theProtection of Information and also of a Media Appeals Tribunal – both of these constituting furtherthreats to the autonomy of the public broadcaster and which makes it even more urgent that anew broadcasting model be considered. The above topics are addressed in separate parts of thearticle dealing with context, problems besetting South African public service broadcasting, pastand present efforts to address the problems, a justification for a new model – one focusing on thenew converged and digitised media environment – new thinking about regulation, the changednature of social responsibility, a semiotic justification,

The intended and unintended consequences of remote working: Narratives from a sample of female public service managers in South Africa.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world of work. Stemming from this, new forms of work arrangements are proposed. One such arrangement concerns the use of remote working. Scholars appeal for more empirical inquiry into such work arrangements as an unintended consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study narrows its focus to investigating remote working experiences from the lens of female middle managers operating within the South African public service. A qualitative research approach utilizing narrative inquiry of 23 female middle managers was used. Based on the analyzed data, remote working is illustrated from the participant experience as having intended and unintended consequences. In illustrating these dual consequences is a nexus between opportunities and challenges. Based on the identified intended and unintended consequences as findings, interventions have been proposed that impact not just the experience of being a middle manager in the public service but also strategies in dealing with remote working. At the core are strategies for individuals and organizations. These strategies potentially allow for middle manager contributions to be enhanced while also enhancing organizational outputs while working from home.

Person–organisation fit, job satisfaction and intention to leave in the South African social development sector

Background: The South African public service sector continues to lose employees due to more favourable working conditions offered by organisations in the private sector. Understanding intention to leave (ITL) can help public service mangers and leaders retain their highly skilled and high performing staff.Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the direct and indirect relationships between person–organisation fit (POF), job satisfaction (JS) and ITL in the South African social development sector (SDS).Setting: The sample used in this study was drawn from the SDS in South Africa (n = 100).Methods: Cross-sectional survey data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 27. Hayes PROCESS macro was used to test the mediating effect of JS in the relationship between POF and ITL.Results: Results indicated that POF shared a negative relationship with ITL, independent of the indirect relationship via JS, suggesting a partial mediation effect. The size of the indirect effect of POF on ITL, through JS, was larger than the direct effect of POF on ITL.Conclusion: The study provides support for understanding the relationships between ITL, POF and JS. The findings of this study have managerial implications as it provides insights on how to retain employees and decrease turnover intention in the South African SDS.