Media alert: IRR webinar to launch new report, In service of the public: Reforming South Africa’s public administration

Event details

Date: Wednesday 28 August 2024

Time: 10h00

Speakers: IRR Projects and Publications Manager Terence Corrigan and IRR Head of Strategic Engagement Sara Gon

Register to attend: https://streamyard.com/watch/pr3tKuRFi6zW

Public administration in South Africa is in a state of profound crisis. Far from providing an enabling and developmental framework for society and for the economy, the state is all too often a hindrance.

Even the government acknowledges the depth of the problem, and is currently undertaking a programme to “professionalise” the public service.

How did South Africa get to this point and, more importantly, what can be done to get the country back on track?

These key questions are addressed in the latest report from the Institute of Race Relations (IRR), In service of the public: Reforming South Africa’s public administration, by Sara Gon and Terence Corrigan. The latest in the IRR’s Blueprint for Growth series, this analysis looks at the serial missteps that have politicised and deskilled South Africa’s public service, and sketches a programme for dealing with the problems as they currently exist.

The report argues for multiple reforms encompassing policy, upskilling staff and addressing often overlooked imperatives of management. It also emphasises reducing the political and ideological overreach that have characterised so much of South Africa’s governance – and which lies at the heart of much of the administrative malaise.

The media and the public are invited to join Sara Gon and Terence Corrigan at 10am next Wednesday for an online discussion on the future of public administration and what it means for economic growth and societal well-being.

Media contact: Terence Corrigan, IRR Projects and Publications Manager Tel: 066 470 4456 Email: terence@irr.org.za

Media enquiries: Michael Morris Tel: 066 302 1968 Email: michael@irr.org.za