Good governance challenges in the South African public service

Journal of Social Sciences Vol. VIII, no. 2 (2025), pp. 155 - 170 Fascicle Social Science ISSN 2587-3490 Topic Sociology eISSN 2587-3504 Journal of Social Sciences June, 2025, Vol. 8 https://doi.org/10.52326/jss.utm.2025.8(2).12 UDC 35.07:338.46(680) GOOD GOVERNANCE CHALLENGES IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN PUBLIC SERVICE Shikha Vyas-Doorgapersad *, ORCID: 0000-0002-8146-344X School of Public Management, Governance and Public Policy, College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg, South Africa * Corresponding author: Shikha Vyas-Doorgapersad, [email protected] Received: 05.12.2025 Accepted: 06.12.2025 Abstract. The article examines the various causes of ineffective governance in South African public service: the lack of transparency, accountability, effectiveness and efficiency, ethical norms, and others. The main rationale of the study is that even though the country has anticorruption legislative and institutional frameworks, implementing good governance principles remains a challenge. The study used a qualitative approach to compile information. Literature and document reviews were considered to gather relevant information that was then assessed through conceptual and document analysis. The findings show that South Africa lacks adequate resources and technological skills to establish transparency, the lack of digitalised platforms leads to poor citizen participation in the governance processes, and political will is lacking to enhance openness in government structures, processes, and decisions, to name a few. The findings suggest that maintaining ethical standards in public administration necessitates that public officials demonstrate openness in fulfilling public responsibilities. Transparency constitutes a fundamental principle for the success of any public organisation. The study offers policy recommendations for improvement. Keywords: good governance, public service, qualitative, transparency, South Africa. Rezumat. Articolul examinează diverse cauze ale guvernării ineficiente în serviciul public sud-african: lipsa de transparență, responsabilitate, eficacitate și eficiență, norme etice și altele. Principala justificare a studiului este că, deși țara are cadru legislativ și instituțional anticorupție, implementarea principiilor bunei guvernări rămâne o provocare. Studiul a utilizat o abordare calitativă pentru compilarea informațiilor. Au fost luate în considerare recenzii ale literaturii de specialitate și ale documentelor pentru a colecta informații relevante, care au fost apoi evaluate prin analiza conceptuală și a documentelor. Constatările arată, că Africa de Sud nu dispune de resurse adecvate și de competențe tehnologice pentru a stabili transparența, lipsa platformelor digitalizate conduce la o participare slabă a cetățenilor la procesele de guvernare, lipsește voința politică pentru a spori deschiderea structurilor, proceselor și deciziilor guvernamentale. Constatările sugerează că menținerea standardelor etice în administrația publică necesită ca funcționarii publici să demonstreze deschidere în îndeplinirea responsabilităților publice. Transparența constituie un principiu 156 S. Vyas-Doorgapersad Journal of Social Sciences June, 2025, Vol. 8 fundamental pentru succesul oricărei organizații publice. Studiul oferă recomandări de politici pentru îmbunătățire. Cuvinte cheie: Bună guvernare, serviciu public, calitate, transparență, Africa de Sud. 1. Introduction Good governance in public service is imperative as it establishes the norms and principles to maintain a culture of ethics. It should be noted that good governance is about transparency (openness), solidarity, and democracy [1, p. 64]. It has significant major characteristics: It is participatory, meaning public officials must include the public in making decisions. It is required to be consensus-oriented, meaning decisions must be made with consensus. It demands accountability whereby public servants must answer for everything they do. It seeks transparency, so data must always be accessible to the public when needed. It expects responsiveness, so the government must react to societal demands. It demands effectiveness and efficiency, and that services be provided economically. It is concerned with inclusion and equality and expects that all members of the community be included and treated fairly, and it adheres to the law, requiring public servants to behave lawfully in their duties [1, p. 64; 2, p. 29]. When these rules/guidelines are adhered to, the concept of good, ethical and normative governance may evolve. Good governance has become the favoured paradigm in the field of public management due to the new public management (NPM) values not being upheld by the neoliberal paradigm shift, pure marketplace ideology, and private sector efficiency approaches [3, p. 3]. As governments increasingly recognise that the lives of the majority, the regular citizens, cannot be neglected in favour of the few, the wealthy, particularistic elites of interest groups, it has produced an atmosphere in which the fundamental concerns of equity, fairness, and market failure are resurfacing [3, p. 3; 4, p. 3; 5, p. 80]. A trustworthy judicial system that efficiently provides public services through accountable administration is essential for good governance. Good governance requires that public sector management prioritise improving accounting, reporting, and budgeting as well as eliminating inefficiencies in public enterprises, enhancing accountability in public services, and encompassing decentralisation, efficient accounting, and auditing in addition to holding public employees responsible for their actions and increasing their societal responsiveness [6; 7, p. 12; 8, pp. 32–33]. Good governance requires a sound legal system with well-defined regulations, an independent and reliable judiciary, and effective law enforcement, and it expects that corruption can be reduced through transparency and information sharing to improve policy analyses and encourage public discourse [6; 7, p. 12; 8, pp. 32–33]. For good governance to be realised, it is expected that current and future organisational leaders abide by its tenets. However, it is necessary to measure two accomplishments to assess the quality of governance, that is, improvements in public policy outcomes and improvements in adherence to governance principles [8, pp. 32–33; 9, p. 2]. The article focuses on the challenges of transparency in South African public service. The other aspects of good governance will be explored in future publications. Good governance challenges in the South African public service 157 Journal of Social Sciences June, 2025, Vol. 8 2. Challenges Related to Transparency in the South African Public Service The concept of transparency has evolved from an ideology advocated by grassroots movements around the globe to a fundamental norm for contemporary governance, openly supported by the majority of the world's governments and promoted by multilateral organisations [10, p. 1094]. Open government has gained traction in administration discussions in prosperous and emerging economies in the past few decades. Transparency International promotes transparency to enhance government effectiveness with its worldwide assessment of national governments based on their level of openness [11, p. 565]. In line with this, it can be argued that promoting openness and transparency immediately improves public office bearers' responsibility to citizens, as it allows them to acquire accurate data about government operations [12, p. 3]. This concept's fundamental tenet is ensuring that citizens have access to all information held by the government and private parties necessary to exercise or defend their rights [12, p. 3]. Many statutory tools have been established to encourage transparency in the public sector, and the South African Government has not been immune to calls for open governance. Evidence points to the country having made some giant strides in terms of openness of government operations since the dawn of a new democratic era. In line with this, it can be outlined that even though South Africa's Open Budget Survey score declined from 92 in 2012 to 86 in 2021 (and predicted to be 86 in 2023), the national government still adhered to the principle of full disclosure in its budgeting and spending. It should be mentioned that the Promotion of Access to Information Act, No. 2 of 2000 (PAIA), was passed to put this essential capability into practice and create an atmosphere that encourages transparency in both public and private organisations [12, p. 4]. To promote transparency, the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, No. 3 of 2000 (PAJA), which mandates the explanation of administrative decisions, is a supplement to PAIA [12, p. 4]. However, numerous research investigations have found that the actual empirical impact caused by openness on governance is not easy to understand, and enhanced openness does not necessarily yield the expected benefits. Notwithstanding an upsurge of information, the increasing number of conspiracies purporting to reveal the concealed functioning of authority implies that citizens are becoming increasingly sceptical of those in positions of power [11, p. 566]. Despite advancements in government transparency, many people see their respective governments as mysterious and believe that their internal operations are obscure and sinister. The National Development Plan (NDP) describes South Africa's prospective growth vision, including important goals and methods [13, p. 23]. The NDP encourages the involvement of citizens, as well as openness and responsibility in administration. Despite adopting the NDP, South Africa has had obstacles in implementing transparency in government actions, as detailed below. 2.1 Resource Constraints Evidence points to the reality that many government departments in South Africa lack the resources and technological expertise to efficiently handle open information and efforts [14, p. 56]. Sufficient data gathering and management funding must be available to implement such efforts successfully. Financial resources are needed to store and maintain important data in formats suitable for open data and transparency projects [15, p. 258]. In line with this, it can be argued that insufficient monetary resources and experience can impede the government's ability to execute transparency policies successfully. The 158 S. Vyas-Doorgapersad Journal of Social Sciences June, 2025, Vol. 8 government's capacity to preserve adequate, trustworthy records and respond to and handle requests for such information on time becomes relevant [16, p. 142]. Similarly, it can be considered that if any of these aspects are missing, the opportunity for transparency is diminished [12, p. 4]. 2.2 Flawed Citizen Participation Mechanisms Limited consciousness, minimal level of digital literacy, and the digital divide hinder the successful implementation of open data and transparency efforts in South Africa, leading to weak citizen engagement by government employees [16, p. 162]. Additionally, it is important to consider that the public's usage of open data and transparency in initiatives in South Africa has been hampered by a lack of educational understanding regarding their benefits [14, p. 56]. Poor knowledge of digital technologies and internet access have hindered public participation in open data and transparency efforts, particularly in rural and informal settlements. Displaying important data on open data platforms impacts public understanding [17, p. 69]. Important data should be presented in simple, straightforward terms to enhance its accessibility and comprehension. Citizen engagement has become limited due to the lack of public participation in governmental operations and decision-making processes through open data and transparency efforts [14,18]. In this regard, public feedback on government procedures and decision-making mechanisms is limited or nonexistent. Such limited interaction between office-bearers and the public reduces openness and accountability for public leaders. 2.3 Lack of political stability and will Political stability is required to ensure that governance is effective. Typically, a lack of political stability leads to protests, chaos, and the disruption of government processes and service delivery; see Figure 1. Figure 1. Political stability and absence of violence or terrorism index in South Africa from 2015 to 2022 [19]. Good governance challenges in the South African public service 159 Journal of Social Sciences June, 2025, Vol. 8 South Africa’s political stability rating, based on the risk of terrorism or violence, went down 0.72 points in 2022. Protests broke in KwaZulu-Natal Province in 2021 following the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma for contempt of court. As people impacted by the economic disparity, made worse by the COVID-19 outbreak, joined in, this set off a wave of social upheaval that eventually stretched to the Gauteng Province. These violent riots were the worst the nation had witnessed since the end of apartheid, involving the destruction and looting of businesses, shopping centres, and property [20]. The South African political, social and economic landscape has also demonstrated a lack of political will to implement public transparency initiatives. The absence of political support hinders the successful enactment and enforcement of open data and transparency laws and regulations. In this line of thought, it can be noted that public authorities and legislators have accomplished little to advocate for and commit sufficient funding to open data and transparency projects. As a result, efforts towards implementing and sustaining transparency and accountability are significantly challenged. It is suggested that a lack of political will to invest in open data and transparency efforts could be due to various factors: The concept of government openness may require the revelation of confidential politicsrelated information that could prove detrimental to some public figures. This may result in limited dissemination and/or the distribution of inadequate and erroneous information to the general population [21, p. 5]. The urge to withhold information is worsened by an absence of a political will, affecting transparency among governmental institutions, legislators, and government employees [21, p. 17]. Corruption contributes significantly to politicians' and elected officials' dearth of political will. 2.4 Corruption Transparency in public service is also hindered by corruption. Corrupt government employees may deliberately reveal or give misleading data to protect their misconduct. This compromises the precision and authenticity of open data and transparency by disseminating false and misleading information to the public. It is argued that while misconduct in the government domain is not an entirely novel phenomenon, the form and scope of misconduct, which manifests predominantly through illegal contracts for procurement, were not completely understood until recently. This phenomenon is primarily the result of public servants prioritising their private interests over the needs of citizens and their rights enshrined in the Constitution. Considering the volume of evidence presented at the Zondo Commission, it is clear that openness has diminished [12, p. 9]. The Transparency International Corruption Perception rankings are used as a proxy for judging the extent of state corruption in each economy, with ‘0’ representing extreme misconduct and 100 indicating no perception of government misconduct [22]. South Africa has a score of 41, ranking it 82 out of 180 countries [22], see Figure 2. Figure 2. Corruption Perception Index [22]. 160 S. Vyas-Doorgapersad Journal of Social Sciences June, 2025, Vol. 8 In cases of misconduct, government employees may intentionally conceal facts, thereby rendering it impossible for citizens and community groups to obtain important details about government-related matters and the way decisions are made [23, p. 58]. 2.5 Poor data quality Accurate and complete information is essential for transparency initiatives to be reliable and efficient. Insufficient, incorrect, or obsolete information can significantly impact governmental operations and decision-making processes. It is noted that gaps in open data and transparency initiatives can limit public participation in government decisions [24, p. 3]. Inaccurate or obsolete data may contribute to misconceptions and judgments, hindering the public's comprehension of South African events [25, p. 75]. Insufficient quality of information may result in bias whenever particular viewpoints are overemphasised or underrepresented, resulting in distorted results [26, p. 8]. It is important to identify data bias as perpetuating current inequities and disinformation that harm others [26, p. 9]. Compiling information from multiple sources can be challenging, particularly when it is not structured effectively and appropriately, resulting in poor-quality/inaccurate information being disseminated to the public [15, p. 263]. Data producers and users must comprehend the significance of the accuracy of information and its influence on making informed decisions. Government agencies should distribute current data and interact effectively to improve data integration and standardisation [14, p. 56]. 2.6 Data Privacy and Security Concerns Transparency projects can be exploited by individuals who utilise private information for illegal activities like money laundering, manipulating markets, financing terrorists, and business fraud [15, p. 268]. The data shows yearly trends in incident types, 2010–2020, as shown in Figure 3. Figure 3. Yearly trends in incident types, 2010–2020. Source: [27] Good governance challenges in the South African public service 161 Journal of Social Sciences June, 2025, Vol. 8 Open data and transparency efforts should be carefully managed and monitored to address potential privacy and security concerns. Identity information must be anonymous to prevent owners from being identified in open data and transparency initiatives. Before publishing personal information for open data and transparency, legitimate authorisation must be obtained from all individuals involved [25, p. 387]. 3. Research methods The study used a qualitative approach, which describes any research that yields conclusions that are not supported by statistical analysis or other quantitative techniques [8, p. 10; 28, p. 600] but instead explains the environments in which the phenomenon of interest naturally occurs [8, p. 10; 29, p. 39]. The ability of the qualitative research methodology to support flexible, less systematic research that maximises the capture of subjective knowledge and multiple realities can, however, occasionally be seen as a drawback [30, p. 37; 31, p. 9]. Despite these drawbacks, qualitative research was the best method for achieving the study’s goal, especially when considering exploratory and descriptive research knowledge requires contextual depth [30, p. 37; 31, p. 9]. The material was gathered through a literature review. Finding experts in a particular field is one of the benefits of conducting a literature review. This is because numerous related articles will surface as the review progresses [32, p. 458; 33, p. 10]. A literature review also provides important questions regarding which subjects and perspectives require additional investigation and identifies the previous approaches employed [33, p. 10; 34, p. 1]. Information was also gathered by reviewing documents, that is, a document review. Using documentary methods involves examining documents that provide details about the phenomenon a researcher wants to investigate [35, p. 221; 36, p. 17]. Additionally, it can be further stated that documents can include all written texts. Individuals and groups create documents to meet their immediate practical needs during daily activities. During a document analysis, the researcher must be completely aware of the documents' original audience, purpose, and origins because they were written with a specific goal in mind, predicated on specific assumptions, and presented in a particular manner [35, p. 221; 36, p. 17]. Conceptual analysis was used to evaluate the study data. Conceptual analysis is the process of critically examining the logical relationships between concepts, terms, variables, constructs, definitions, statements, hypotheses, and theories, as well as exposing assumptions and consequences [8, p. 15; 37, p. 126]. Conceptual analysis, which encompasses the systems of concepts, assumptions, expectations, beliefs, and theories guiding research, is generally accepted as an explanation put forth to improve understanding of the social reality or phenomenon under investigation [38, p. 33; 8, p. 15]. The data was also processed using document analysis. Data selection is used in document analysis rather than data collection. Document analysis is convenient for qualitative researchers because documents are made available in the public domain, removing the need to get permission from the author. Additionally, document analysis is less expensive than other research techniques because the data has already been collected, and the researcher does not have to change the information presented in the documents, providing stability. Document analysis also provides broad coverage, which means it covers a wide range of periods, events, and environments [33, pp. 10–11; 39, p. 3]. 162 S. Vyas-Doorgapersad Journal of Social Sciences June, 2025, Vol. 8 4. Legislative frameworks to establish good governance in south african public service There are various legislative frameworks applicable in the South African context. A few of them are briefly discussed next. Chapter 10, Section 195 of the Constitution of the South African Republic (1996) emphasises that public administration must be accountable, and transparency must be fostered by providing the public with timely, accessible, and accurate information [40]. The Protected Disclosure Act of 2000 (PDA) [41], also known as the Whistleblowing Act, protects employees who disclose information about unlawful or irregular conduct. Accordingly, whistleblowing is one way to counteract fraud and corruption in society [42, p. 145]. The importance of whistleblowers in revealing unethical behaviour has been noteworthy in both the private and public sectors in many nations, including South Africa [42, p. 145]. Whistleblowing ensures that dishonest and avaricious top politicians and officials adequately safeguard the organisation's assets and reputation [43, p. 56]. The Protected Disclosure Act is an essential tool in the arsenal of anti-corruption initiatives to motivate truthful workers to disclose incidents of misconduct. This rule should be praised as an essential corporate governance instrument for fostering secure, responsible, and adaptable work environments within the public and corporate divisions [44, p. 3]. Note that even though these whistleblowers have received much praise for their actions, retaliation is regrettably frequent. This results from the ingrained belief that those who expose wrongdoing should be punished for their disloyalty [42, p. 145]. In recent years, South Africa's legal system has begun to examine the practice of whistleblowing. In the struggle against bribery, fraud, and corruption, the value of whistleblowers is becoming more widely recognised. Whistleblowing is a concept that applies to both the public and commercial sectors [43, p. 55]. The PDA has sparked various political, economic, and social responses since it was enacted in 2000. On one side is the idea that the PDA has the capacity to encourage the right environment for expressing and addressing concerns at work. However, the PDA does little to protect employees who expose wrongdoing from losing their jobs [45, p. 4]. South Africa also has implemented the Public Service Commission Act (No. 46 of 1997). According to Lindiwe Sisulu (the previous South African minister of international relations and cooperation), in a speech at the centenary of the PSC, by advancing, monitoring, and evaluating the constitutional ideals and public administration principles, the PSC contributes significantly to the strengthening the country's democracy. These values and principles represent how state activity aims to protect and advance the socioeconomic rights enshrined in Chapter 2 of the Constitution [46]. In terms of institutional frameworks, there is the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) Act. According to the FIC Act, the national centre for gathering and evaluating financial information in South Africa is the FIC. By contributing to preserving the soundness of South Africa’s financial system, the FIC also makes financial intelligence products available to investigators from law enforcement, the South African Revenue Services, intelligence agencies, and other authorities [47]. The Anti-Corruption Task Team (ACTT) was launched in October 2010. This coalition of agencies aims to fast-track high-priority inquiries and criminal proceedings for corruptionrelated charges by utilising a cohesive and multidisciplinary operational approach [48]. The Good governance challenges in the South African public service 163 Journal of Social Sciences June, 2025, Vol. 8 Justice Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) is the subcommittee for the ACTT. The National Director of Public Prosecution (NDPP) and the leader of the Directorate for Priority Crime and Investigations co-chair the ACTT [48]. 5. Findings Synthesis The principles and values of public administration are enshrined in Section 15 of the South African Constitution. It can be stated that these principles and values are meant to regulate the public sector`s operations to enforce and promote an economically viable system of government that prioritises responsive service delivery [49, p. 242]. This is meant to address South Africa`s long history of inadequate service delivery, as demonstrated by service delivery demonstrations and protests that have become the norm since the dawn of democracy [49, p. 242]. It is impossible to deny that the rendering of essential amenities requires a commitment from the government towards common will, empathy, and tolerance. Considering that the general population has an inherent entitlement to services based on the principles of democracy, the government is accountable for fulfilling these commitments [50]. Multiple issues related to ethics, including the assignment of cadres, have harmed the country`s public service governance [51]. Commissions like the Zondo and Mokgoro Commissions have demonstrated that the country`s system of government is experiencing turmoil, partly because of a high level of unethical and corrupt behaviour among public servants. This pandemic of corruption impairs the capacity of all government agencies and bodies to provide essential services effectively and efficiently. The South African Government faces many challenges, including a lack of oversight, openness, and effectiveness. In line with this assertion, it can be established that the government's public procurement procedures have become a sanctuary for fraud and poor management [52, p. 4]. A very high standard of competence and morality must be created and maintained as the core democratic basis for governance in South Africa. Given that this is a constitutional duty, it requires that national institutions, municipal governments, public enterprises, and those who interact with the governing body adhere to a higher ethical and moral standard [49, p. 244]. Even if the South African Government has made reasonable attempts to establish an appropriate framework whereby its employees are free to operate, public sector misconduct continues unabated [53]. In evidence of this, a research was conducted which explored government departments that reported 10 or more acts of misconduct in the 2021/2022 financial year [12, p. 5]. The Department of Correctional Services and the South African Police Service recorded over 1,500 incidences of misbehaviour. Many of these incidents involved unlawful absence from work, abandonment of duty, and legal noncompliance, such as violating laws and legal requirements [12, p. 5]. For the 2021/22 fiscal year, national departments documented 6,069 misbehaviour incidents. The Department of Correctional Services recorded more than 40% of these incidents, followed by the South African Police Service at 30% [12, p. 5]. Issues of misconduct and deviation from ethical values have manifested through financial misconduct. The monetary malfeasance has resulted in an enormous rise in the money involved, from R585m in 2020/21 to R931m in the 2021/22 fiscal year. Additionally, the amount that is being reclaimed is declining. National departments reported that 99.8% of the financial misconduct-related funds had not been returned at the time of reporting for the 2021/22 fiscal year, which is a cause for concern. As a result, the PSC believes that the accounting officers culpable for the noncompliance should be held accountable [12, p.7]. 170 S. Vyas-Doorgapersad Journal of Social Sciences June, 2025, Vol. 8 70. Jashari. M.; Pepaj, I. The Role of the Principle of Transparency and Accountability in Public Administration. Acta universitatis danubius 2018, 10(1), pp. 155-170. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/229465497.pdf Citation: Vyas-Doorgapersad, S. Good governance challenges in the South African public service. Journal of Social Sciences 2025, 8 (2), pp. 6-24. https://doi.org/10.52326/jss.utm.2025.8(2).12. Publisher’s Note: JSS stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Copyright:© 2025 by the authors. Submitted for possible open access publication under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Submission of manuscripts: [email protected]