Webinar Focuses on Efficient Administration and Good Governance

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Is South Africa Succeeding in Promoting Efficient Administration and Good Governance?

This was the topic debated by Dr Maropeng Mpya, Advocate at the Johannesburg Society of Advocates, and Ms Nomusa Dube-Ncube, MEC for Finance in KwaZulu-Natal at a webinar hosted by UKZN’s Graduate School of Business and Leadership (GSB&L).

The event was part of GSB&L’s Webinar Series that aims to empower postgraduate students, alumni and business partners with information that will enable them to navigate the unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mpya’s stance was that South Africa’s current governance problems are not new and highlighted that the situation will not improve should government not end “cadre deployment” and hire officials who care about the people.

‘We are in the 28th year of the so-called constitutional dispensation wherein we were promised that our lives will be better because we live in a democratic order. However, the following has become a fixture of an administration and governance in decline,’ he added.

Mpya elaborated his case by focusing on three themes: the State of the African State; a diagnosis of the inefficiencies and lack of governance; as well as solutions. He drew parallels between the governors and the governed and how unequal power relations between capital and its subject make it impossible for there to be an efficient administration and good governance. Mpya also spoke on the role of government in issues facing the country such as corruption, high unemployment and crime rates, ailing state-owned enterprises, poor service delivery and the lack of proper roads and dilapidated infrastructure.

‘Because of the lack of governance, the lie of good governance is perpetuated for the illusion of all of us and unfortunately, the authors of the lies are beginning to believe their own fairy tales. There are no miracles or special remedies for this and we all know the solutions for efficient administration and good governance and that is to have a government that practices Ubuntu.’

In her response, Dube-Ncube acknowledged that government is not delivering on the mandate of its people. ‘It is true that some of the issues we currently facing can be traced back to pre-1994. One of the hindrances to effecting administration and good governance is the high retention of officials and lack of ethical leadership as integrity, morals and ethics are the cornerstone of good governance,’ said Dube-Ncube.

Another burning issue that Dube-Ncube had to respond to was the issue of municipalities drowning in financial crisis.

‘There is a notion that if you work in government, you can’t be expelled. This is not true because you can be fired in government however, the issue is that managers are not managing and following protocols in place for this process to happen. There is room for improvement, that is why we are strengthening programmes that will deal with building ethical leadership as they will propel us towards good leadership.’

Words: Thandiwe Jumo

Image: Supplied