Governance and Corruption in South Africa's Public Sector: The Road Ahead
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12724/ajss.66.1Keywords:
Development, Support, South Africa, Growth, GovernanceAbstract
The development of any country hinges significantly on the availability of good governance and a well-functioning public sector. In the post-apartheid era, South Africa had to ensure that the public sector responded to the needs of the people through effective and efficient service delivery. However, immediately after apartheid, the public sector was engulfed by numerous governance and corruption-related issues, which have greatly discredited the public sector in the eyes of the public. This paper examines the governance and corruption dilemma in South Africa's public sector. It employs a narrative literature review and conceptualizes the origin and concept of good governance to answer the underlying question of this paper. The paper found that South Africa is suffering from years of corruption which has seen billions of taxpayers' money wasted through irregular expenditure in the public sector. The lack of transparency and accountability within the governance process in the public sector has consolidated corruption and impunity. Consequently, the implication is that the government will struggle to address the triple bottom issues of poverty, inequality and unemployment. In the future, this will affect South Africa's quest for inclusive socioeconomic development unless urgent policy interventions are implemented to address these challenges.
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