Political will to fight corruption in the South African public service : an ethical political leadership perspective in line departments

Thesis (MPA)--Stellenbosch University, 2021.ENGLISH SUMMARY : This study explores the attribute of political will and ethical political leadership traits in fighting corruption in the South African public service. Despite institutional, legislative, and policy instruments to foster the fight against corruption, a lack of positive results to curb corruption in the public service exists. Efforts to establish institutions managed professionally, coordinated effectively, and committed to the sustainable delivery of public goods with high-quality services is destabilised by corruption. Political principals, accounting officers, senior managers, and their administrative officials (junior officials) do not advance common messages and objectives when fighting corruption. The anticorruption mechanism is ineffective and selective when investigating cases of fraud and mete out punitive measures in proportion with the offence, without fear of rank or political affiliation. This study is located within government departments at national level, namely, Departments of International Relations and Cooperation, the Department of Home Affairs, and the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development. The data were gathered using the mixed-methods research design, namely, qualitative and quantitative methods. Survey questionnaires, in-depth semi-structured interviews, case studies, and perusal of official documents and relevant literature were conducted extensively. Ethical political leadership and will, code of conduct and ethics training, organisational effectiveness and efficiency, and leadership and management were interrogated through a series of questions to assess critical components and attributes of political will and ethical political leadership to fight corruption in the public service. This study revealed by combining a literature review and empirical component that an obvious lack of accountability, consequence management, and punitive measures exist towards the so-called politically connected or politically exposed individuals and fellow political office-bearers. At the core of this endemic, corruption in the public service reveals no political will, including ethical political leadership to implement measures to inhibit corruption and institute consequence management and prosecution. International examples of political will were cited from Hong Kong, Singapore, and Indonesia to highlight the complex interaction of political will and ethical political leadership in the fight against corruption. The study recommends the implementation of the Singaporean model to fight corruption, which is credited internationally to have turned the tide against the rampant scourge in the 1960s, hinged, inter alia, on the four components. The study calls for systems and policy reform to advance digital governance tools in the fight against corruption. Implementing Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies in the value chain includes fighting corruption, strengthen internal structures with qualified personnel and resources, and improve cross-sectional collaboration, follow-upmechanisms on reported cases, and a feedback loop across sections and units to instil good governance. The study revealed that exemplary ethical political leadership and management ethos accompanied by political will are critical in contributing towards expediting policy implementation to divest the South African public service of corruption.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Die sentrale tema van hierdie studie is om die kenmerk van eienskappe van politieke wil en etiese politieke leierskap in die bestryding van korrupsie in die Suid-Afrikaanse staatsdiens te ondersoek. Ondanks institusionele, wetgewende en beleidsinstrumente om die stryd teen korrupsie aan te wakker, is daar 'n skynbare gebrek aan positiewe resultate. Pogings om instellings te skep wat professioneel bestuur word, effektief gekoördineer word en is verbind tot volhoubare lewering van openbare goedere met dienste van hoë gehalte, word gedestabiliseer deur korrupsie. Dit lyk asof senior bestuurders en hul administratiewe amptenare (gewoonlik junior amptenare genoem) nie algemene boodskappe en doelstellings positief is om korrupsie te beveg nie. Die anti-korrupsie-meganisme word beweer dat dit ondoeltreffend en selektief is in die ondersoek na sake van korrupsie en dat dit uiteindelik strafmaatreëls in verhouding tot die oortreding meet, sonder vrees vir rang of politieke affiliasie. Hierdie studie is op nasionale vlak binne staatsdepartemente geleë. Die data is versamel deur middel van navorsingsontwerp vir gemengde metodes, naamlik: kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe metodes deur middel van opnamevraelyste, diepgaande semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude, gevallestudies en deurlees van amptelike dokumente en relevante literatuur. Vier aanwysers is ondervra deur 'n reeks vrae om kritiese komponente en eienskappe van politieke wil en Etiese politieke leierskap om korrupsie in die staatsdiens te beveg, te beoordeel, naamlik: Politieke wil en Etiese politieke leierskap. Hierdie studie het aan die lig gebring dat daar 'n duidelike gebrek aan aanspreeklikheid, gevolgbestuur en strafmaatreëls teenoor die sogenaamde "politiek verbonde" en / of polities blootgestelde individue en mede-politieke ampsdraers bestaan. Die kern van hierdie endemiese korrupsie in die staatsdiens is dat daar geen 'politieke wil' is om gevolgbestuur en vervolging in te stel nie, weens 'n gebrek aan etiese politieke leierskap in senior bestuursondernemings. Die studie beveel die implementering van die Singapoer-model vir die bestryding van korrupsie aan, wat internasionaal erken word dat dit die gety teen die ongebreidelde plaag in die 1960's laat draai het, onder andere op die vier komponente. Die studie vra vir stelsels en beleidshervorming om instrumente vir digitale bestuur in die stryd teen korrupsie te bevorder. Implementering van die vierde industriële rewolusie (4IR) tegnologieë in die waardeketting om korrupsie te beveg; versterk interne strukture met gekwalifiseerde personeel, hulpbronne en verbeter deursnee-samewerking; opvolgmeganismes van aangemelde sake; en 'n terugvoerlus oor afdelings en eenhede om goeie bestuur in te stel. Die studie het aan die lig gebring dat voorbeeldige etiese politieke leierskap en bestuursetos wat gepaard gaan met politieke wil kan bydra tot die bespoediging van die implementering van beleid om die Suid-Afrikaanse staatsdiens van korrupsie te bevry.Master