Eradicating Corruption in Public Service Entities through Ethical Leadership

Abstract

This paper investigates the need to eradicate unethical practices in the public service. It responds to high levels of corruption in the public service and explains why ethical leadership is critical to engaged ethical employee outcomes. When there is ethical leadership, the work engagement of employees is higher and they view their roles as being meaningful. The values associated with the public service need to be ethically driven and self-interest must have no place. There is no doubt whatsoever that corruption in the public sector has a hugely negative impact on a country’s service delivery quality. In South Africa, despite a carefully crafted superior legislative framework and stratagems to combat corruption in the public sector, it is on the increase and invariably affects the poor the most. This is a predominantly worrying phenomenon in developing nations like South Africa where billions of dollars are required to make a success of a country. Needed resources are stolen by corrupt individuals and this means that the much needed socio-economic and developmental plans are scuppered and not achieved as planned. The apparently weak application of legislation promotes corruption and is exacerbated by a meritocratic mindset and seeming lack of political will. The public sector urgently need to lay stress on nurturing ethical leadership and motivate employees to act ethically through effective recruitment and selection, training, codes of ethics and a sense of significance in what they do at work. The oversight mechanisms also need to be carefully administered. The public service needs to nurture ethical leadership which role-models desired behaviours and stimulates employees to act ethically. An ethical stance will reduce corruption, improve the integrity of governance, public values, and also improve the societal perception of the public service.