The state of the nation and its public service in contemporary South Africa

Abstract

The article is an analysis of the state of the nation and its public service in contemporary South Africa. It demonstrates that the Zuma administration is much more responsive to citizen and interest group interests than the Mbeki presidency was. This is not only reflected in the cabinet appointments, but also in the character of public policy, including economic policy. However, ideological divisions within the ruling party and a failure to contain elite and popular expectations have also accompanied this responsiveness. This, in turn, has hindered a social pact from developing between labour, business and the State. The article also demonstrates that state capacity has been compromised by a coupling of Affirmative Action with conservative macro-economics and an infusion of a corporate ethic into the public service. It concludes that this problem will only be addressed with a more nuanced Affirmative Action policy, a reconfiguration of the public mandate of the civil service, a more expansive fiscal agenda centered on the citizenry and firm proactive action taken against corruption