On 30 May, The Presidency hosted the Roundtable on Strengthening the Political-Administrative Interface, bringing together leaders from government, business, labour, civil society, and academia. The event provided a platform for reflection on the findings of a synthesis evaluation report conducted by the Developmental, Capable, and Ethical State (DCES) division of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), on state capacity with a special focus on Directors-General and Heads of Department.
As part of its commitment to strengthening evidence-based policy-making, The Presidency together with SDGi commissioned the synthesis evaluation aimed at deepening the understanding of the political-administrative interface. This work was undertaken in collaboration with the National School of Government (NSG), bridging academic insight with practical policy needs, in line with one of the priorities of the previous and current administration – building a capable, ethical and developmental state.
Some of the key findings that participants engaged in include:
- The negative impact of high turnover among Directors-General and Heads of Department on policy continuity and morale
- How political interference in administrative decisions across government and state-owned enterprises (particularly in appointments, procurement, and financial management) breeds instability and uncertainty
- Prioritising skills development for leadership
- How the public service’s performance management systems and legal frameworks overlook long-term collaboration and innovation by incentivising short-term, siloed compliance
The Roundtable signals the commitment to achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 16, “promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”.
SDGi provided both financial and administrative support for the development of the report, which is not yet publicly available.
For the full news clip from SABC, click here: https://youtu.be/mHCT3kLm-VA?si=Hc3aotk-ysl2eEtn