Professionalising public administration is one of the key imperatives for building state capacity. Globally, the public grapples with issues of professionalism and professionalisation of state employees and its operations. South Africa is no exception. Various initiatives are undertaken to assert the public sector as the agency of democracy and the developmental state.
The National Framework towards the Professionalisation of the Public Sector combines various sources and views shaping the discourse on building the capacity of the State. Countries making progress in their development commitments have managed to institutionalise a merit-based public sector system.
This is important to ensure that the State is staffed by qualified and competent officials who know what they are doing. In other words, individuals who are fully equipped to perform their public function conscientiously with a strong sense of public service and ethical disposition towards the social and economic security of the country.
Almost two decades after the inception of the democratic system of government in 1994, the National Development Plan (NDP): Vision 2030 has brought professionalisation into sharp focus. It has been part of the broader project of strengthening the capacity of the post-apartheid state and transforming the public sector. The NDP states that “a developmental state needs to be capable”, but that capability can only come about if the public sector is professionalised.
The consultative processes for the framework directed that such professional capability includes having qualified employees and robust systems and processes of public administration steeped in the Batho Pele principles as based on the African philosophy of humanism (Ubuntu).