New legislation and proposed legislation aim to limit political influence in government departments and to protect whistleblowers. However, writes Busisiwe Mavuso, they don’t go far enough.’n
Every piece of reform that gets implemented is hard-won. It usually goes through a drawn-out process of design, including multiple stakeholders, then it’s ironed out into a piece of legislation, where the public has input before going through parliamentary approval processes. Then the challenge of effective implementation begins.
This has certainly been the case with three important pieces of legislation flowing from Judge Raymond Zondo’s recommendations that recently took major steps forward – nearly four years after his final report into state capture was published in June 2022.
The Public Service Amendment Act, gazetted on 1 April, takes direct aim at cadre deployment by shifting administrative powers – including over appointments – from politicians to heads of department. Alongside it, the Public Administration Management Amendment Act strengthens ethical standards and accountability across the public service. Both acts go to the heart of what the Zondo Commission identified as a key enabler of state capture: the blurring of the line between political office and the professional public service.
The third law is the Protected Disclosures Bill, which was released for public comment this month with a deadline of 14 May 2026. Business...
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