Political Leadership and Ubuntu for Public Sector Performance in South Africa

Abstract

The performance of public sector institutions has always been contentious – this is as old as the system of government itself and its provision of collective goods, irrespective of whether they are tangible or intangible. In the context of South Africa, with its ever-increasing political competitiveness, this chapter assesses political leadership and the African philosophy of Ubuntu or humanism in improving public sector performance management in the country. It does so by addressing certain distinct questions: What is the state of public sector performance and leadership in South Africa? What have scholars contributed in linking public sector performance, and the politics and public administration dichotomy? Are the Batho Pele principles, underpinned by Ubuntu, a worthy notion on which to pillar African political leadership? By adopting an interpretivist, qualitative research design, the study reflects on the essence of a public administration that is effective in delivering political goods and managing the performance of bureaucracies and the political leadership therein. This chapter argues that the performance of public administrations remains a “wicked” problem in South Africa as political populism is on the rise in the country. However, the argument is made that with “good” political leadership – which naturally and effectively encompasses the philosophy of Ubuntu and which understands and mobilizes statecraft – great strides can be made beyond the current rhetoric.

Citation

Mthuli, S.A., Singh, N. and Reddy, P.S. (2023), "Political Leadership and Ubuntu for Public Sector Performance in South Africa", Elkington, R., Ngunjiri, F.W., Burgess, G.J., Majola, X., Schwella, E. and de Klerk, N. (Ed.) African Leadership: Powerful Paradigms for the 21st Century, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 27-43. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80117-045-120231004