Enhancing Capacity Building for Public Service Ethics Management in South Africa

Abstract

This article focuses on enhancing capacity building for public service ethics management in South Africa. It attributes poor management of ethics in the South African government to a lack of capacity. The government seems to have no capacity to translate the many anti-corruption strategies into well-functioning deterrents of unethical conduct. It is a purpose of this article, therefore, to determine possible approaches to address this lack of capacity building in terms of the primary guiding research question: How can the South African public service build capacity in the area of ethics management? The article considers inter alia what capabilities exist, both legislative and functional, to address unethical conduct in the South African public service. The article adopted a qualitative observational approach by comparing, contrasting, critically analysing and synthesising relevant documentary and literature sources in terms of a desktop study methodology. Recommendations are presented on approaches that can be employed to strengthen the government’s capacity to manage ethics in terms of visible consequence management. While the article presented the reality of ethics management in the public service as a lethargic experience, certain positives have also been highlighted. This includes the state’s continuous attempts to recognise and address the burden of public service corruption. While recognising the problem is a step in the right direction, policy-prescribed initiatives aimed at curbing unethical conduct must be implemented in order to succeed.