The constitutional obligation on government to perform public administration efficiently and effectively
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Authors
Van Heerden, M.
Issue Date
2009
Type
Article
Language
en
Keywords
Bill of Rights , Constitution , Government , Obligation , Public administration , Public officials , Service delivery
Alternative Title
Abstract
Criticism of the deplorable or complete lack of public service is constantly voiced
by South African citizens. This article deals with the constitutional directives that
prescribe the way in which public administration should be exercised to deliver
public service efficiently and effectively to benefit the public. The contention of
this article is that, although constitutional directives place an obligation on public
officials to perform public administration in a particular way, public officials do
not have the knowledge they need to comply with this obligation. The article
describes the executive authority and its function vis-à-vis public administration,
and explains how the constitutional obligation originated in 1994 that changed
the execution of public administration. An attempt is also made to point out
the challenge that government has, to reshape the way public administration
should be exercised, and how public officials ought to adhere to the relevant
constitutional directives. Finally, the article discusses certain findings of an
empirical survey which indicate that public officials do not have the necessary
knowledge to implement the relevant constitutional directives to actually reshape
the way in which public administration is exercised.
Description
Citation
Van Heerden, M 2009, 'The constitutional obligation on government to perform public administration efficiently and effectively', Politeia, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 46-65.
Publisher
Unisa Press
License
Journal
Volume
Issue
PubMed ID
DOI
ISSN
0256-8845