‘We need to build a public service that is professional, ethical and driven by merit’ – Ramaphosa

CYRIL RAMAPHOSA|

ONE of the bitter lessons we take from the state capture era is how fragile our public sector can be and how we need to strengthen it.

The report of the State Capture Commission lays bare how organs of state were systematically weakened by undue political and corporate interference. It further details instances where individuals without the necessary competence and experience were appointed to strategic positions so that they could be manipulated by private interests.

As we recover from state capture, we must ensure there are consequences for the perpetrators of state capture. We also need to make sure that public institutions can never be weakened in this way again.

This means we need to build a public service that is professional, ethical and driven by merit.

Building such a public service is one of the main aims of the National Framework towards Professionalisation of the Public Sector,