Public Service and Administration Minister Inkosi Buthelezi has used his 2026 Budget Vote speech to outline a reform agenda aimed at building what he described as a “capable, ethical and developmental State” grounded in professionalism, accountability and public trust.
Delivering the department’s Budget Vote in Parliament on Tuesday, Buthelezi said recent amendments to the Public Service Act and the Public Administration Management Act marked a “defining moment” in the evolution of South Africa’s public administration.
He said the reforms would reinforce the separation between political and administrative authority by prohibiting heads of departments and senior officials from holding political office in political parties.
“For the first time in democratic South Africa, the separation between political authority and administrative authority is being reinforced with legal certainty,” he said, adding that a professional public service cannot exist where political and administrative lines are blurred.
Buthelezi said the legislation would also strengthen consequence management, improve oversight and allow government to recover irregular salary overpayments, while protecting constitutional rights.
The Minister said government intended to intensify oversight of senior appointments and strengthen merit-based recruitment as part of a broader professionalisation framework across the public service.
“Leadership positions in the public service must be occupied by individuals capable of managing complex institutions in difficult conditions,” he said.
He added that government would expand lifestyle audits and establish an Integrity and Interference Log across departments to identify governance failures before they became systemic crises.
A central register for disciplinary cases would operate across all spheres of government to prevent officials dismissed for misconduct from moving between departments without consequence.
Buthelezi said digital transformation would become a central pillar of state reform, arguing that a modern state had to be digitally capable to improve service delivery, institutional integrity and economic inclusion.
“Digital transformation is not simply about technology procurement. It is about institutional capability,” he said.
The Minister highlighted the role of the National School of Government, saying it had trained more than 600 000 individuals since its establishment and would continue expanding compulsory programmes in financial management, cybersecurity and governance.
He announced the formalisation of a ministerial advisory committee on curriculum development and quality assurance, chaired by former Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
On healthcare support for public servants, Buthelezi said the Government Employees Medical Scheme had reached agreement with labour and government to reduce a proposed contribution increase from 9.5% to 7.5%.
He said the adjustment balanced financial sustainability with the wellbeing of workers facing rising living costs.
The Minister described the Public Service Commission (PSC) as a constitutional safeguard for ethical governance and professional administration.
He said a new PSC Bill before the National Council of Provinces would strengthen the commission’s enforcement powers and expand its role in professionalisation, recruitment oversight, ethics investigations and anti-corruption work.
Buthelezi acknowledged former Public Service Commission Director-General Advocate Dinkie Dube on her appointment as Deputy Public Protector.
Buthelezi said South Africa could no longer afford “a public service that is politically contested, administratively weak and ethically uncertain”.
“This Budget Vote advances a simple but substantial proposition that the constitutional promise of a capable, ethical and developmental State must now move from aspiration to reality,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
