Media alert: facing the crisis in the public service – and how to escape it

Urgent and thorough reform of South Africa’s public service is essential if the country is to move onto a high-growth path. This will not be simple, but it is achievable.

This is the thrust of a new study by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR), In Service of the Public: Reforming South Africa’s Public Administration, which is to be launched at an online webinar on Tuesday 6 May at 11am (details below).

Much of the South African state is in a profound crisis. While this is now common cause, action on addressing it has been slow, halting and desultory.

The study discusses the roots of the crisis in the failure of the post-1994 state to introduce a meritocratic and professional public service. On the contrary, considerations of demographic representivity and the underhanded intrusion of politics into state institutions have sharply detracted from creating a public service able to support the very considerable developmental agenda it has been assigned.

Indeed, the state has now become one of the key barriers to a pro-growth future.

At next week’s webinar, authors Terence Corrigan and Sara Gon will elaborate on the state of the public service, and more importantly, on what can be done to deal with the crisis.

Webinar details:

Date: Tuesday 6 May

Time: 11h00

Participants: Sara Gon, FSU SA director, Terence Corrigan, projects and publications manager at the IRR

Link: https://streamyard.com/watch/vRStK3jAQT8N

Media contact: Terence Corrigan IRR projects and publications manager Tel: 066 470 4456 Email: terence@irr.org.za  

Media enquiries: Michael Morris Tel: 066 302 1968 Email: michael@irr.org.za