Redefining political-administrative relationships in South Africa

Abstract

This article is an overview of shifting political—administrative relationships in South Africa, with particular reference to growing politicization (partisan control of the bureaucracy). Studies of politicization of public services are important because political involvement in management has often led to negative effects on service delivery. The article sets out a theoretical framework for political—administrative relationships, examining the growing politicization of public services, the impact of New Public Management (NPM) and political—administrative relationships in developing countries. It then looks at political—administrative relationships in South Africa, including the apartheid history, the development of a new framework in the democratic South Africa and politicization in the staffing of the public service. It examines three functional areas — the decentralization of powers, contract appointments and performance management — and discusses the implications of this changing framework for service delivery. The methodology consisted of interviews with a number of senior government officials, including three current directors-general and a former Minister for the Public Service and Administration, an analysis of government legislation, Public Service Commission (PSC) data including surveys, unpublished data of the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), policy papers of the African National Congress (ANC) and an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) study of political involvement in bureaucracies. The article concludes that growing politicization of the public service has contributed to poor service delivery, and that the South African government needs to place greater emphasis on merit as the basis for appointments and promotions. Points for practitioners This article is useful for professionals working in public management and administration because it looks at the following debates and issues, which have practical implications: frameworks for understanding political—administrative relationships in the public service; the impact of the politicization of staff in the public service; and how merit-based appointment can improve government effectiveness. The article also offers lessons to developing countries wishing to create more professional public services.

Provincial–regional ANC politics in the Northern Cape: corruption or everyday informal practices?

“…Within the blurred lines between the ANC party and the state, this paper provides evidence which supports the assertions made by scholars that the ANC regional executive committee attempts to control the agenda of policy decision-making through micro-management of councillors (Lotshwao 2009;Piper and Anciano 2015;Piper and Deacon 2015) and politically appointed municipal bureaucrats (De Visser 2010;Cameron 2010). While ANC regional structures have subordinated municipal structures, such as the municipal mayoral executive committee, into taking collective decisions that show loyalty for the party, this paper argues that loyalty and cooperation comes with a significant degree of resistance and unwillingness, which generate tensions between the "two centres of power" (Reddy 2014) i.e.…”

“…Public administration scholars such as De Visser (2010) and Cameron (2010) who paid particular attention to the functionality of municipalities, have directed attention towards the inefficiencies of municipal bureaucracies, arguing that political appointments and ANC interference in the running of municipalities have promoted widespread bureaucratic incompetence and inefficiency. Here analysts and academics begin to question not only the capability of the state to deliver on its constitutional 'developmental' mandate (Butler 2010;Von Holdt 2010;Fine 2010) but also the way in which the ANC has managed to conflate the party with the state (Booysen 2015).…”

Unmasking the open secret of posting and transfer practices in the health sector

“…Much of the public sector reform that has occurred over the last 40 years aimed to institutionalize merit-based bureaucracies. Though some disagree ( Marx 1963 ), a merit-based bureaucracy is widely perceived to be an important indicator and requisite of economic and political development ( Kearney 1986 ; World Bank 1997 ; Evans and Rauch 1999 ; Daddah 2000 ; Cameron 2010 ). Merit-based systems employ civil servants according to their qualifications.…”

The Rural Immigration Effects on Urban Service Delivery in South Africa (SA)

“…However, the government has special legislation for this drive in SA, known as the (White Paper on Transformation and Service Delivery 1997). The Batho Pele principles were developed by the country's administration from such a paper, in order to strengthen both the notion of service delivery and good governance, within the SA civic sector spectrum (Cameron 2010). While (Bell et al, 2009) hold that government service should aim at the satisfaction of members of the public who are its clients, notes evidence of the opposite, some years earlier already.…”

“…The site of accommodation should expedite spatial re-arrangements, corresponding to the supply of diverse accommodation kinds with demand and structure relationships across accommodation delivery (Benit-Gbaffou, 2011). The exact danger that arises from the cities is the accommodation projects that end up not satisfying basic community needs, recognized to the extent that they were emphasized in the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) (Cameron, 2010). Pressures therefore arise amongst local administration and elected councillors, and officials and the public because of the IDP process.…”