Minister Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi: Roundtable on Strengthening the Political-Administrative Interface

Programme Director - Mr Thamsanqa Ngwenya.
Deputy President of the Republic, Mr Paul Mashatile.
Director-General and Secretary of Cabinet - DG Baleni
Colleagues and leaders in Public Administration,
Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning.

It is both an honour and a responsibility to participate in this significant and critical dialogue hosted by the Presidency. A platform that calls on us to reflect on our collective resolve to reimagine and strengthen the interface between political leadership and the administrative machinery of our democratic state.

This matter lies at the very heart of a capable and developmental state.

Let me begin by thanking the Presidency for the foresight in convening this Roundtable. It comes at a time when the credibility, efficiency, and legitimacy of our public sector institutions are under intense public scrutiny, and rightly so.

We gather at a moment when public trust is strained, when service delivery expectations are high and when the need for a capable, ethical state has never been more urgent. This is where the demand for ethical, responsive, and accountable governance is not just a policy ideal, but a public imperative.

So, this engagement reflects a collective recognition that our public service must evolve structurally, ethically and strategically too - if it aims to serve the people of South Africa with the excellence and integrity they deserve.

Strengthening the political-administrative interface is more than a matter of administrative alignment but also about deepening democratic governance and realising the developmental promise of our Constitution. As the Minister for Public Service and Administration, I welcome this platform as an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between political leadership and public administration.

Strengthening the political-administrative interface forms a crucial pillar of state capacity as it invites us to look deeply at the architecture of governance. When it is misaligned due to role confusion or undue political interference, it results in efficiency, tension and diminishes public confidence. This roundtable helps to ask important question as to, “How do we lead with clarity of purpose while ensuring that the institutions entrusted to implement our policies are empowered, ethical, and efficient?”

Over the past three decades, our democracy has evolved and matured. And the political-administrative interface - as a pillar of state capacity rests on the quality of the relationship between its political leadership and its professional administration.

The role of political executives, including Ministers, is to provide a strategic direction and articulate the mandate of government by ensuring that it aligns with the electoral mandate. Equally, it is the responsibility of Director-Generals and the Heads of Departments to translate that direction into implementable plans and within the frameworks of legality, fiscal discipline and professional ethics.

Where this relationship is clear, constructive, and principled - governance thrives. But where it is blurred - the consequence leads to policy paralysis, weakened accountability, and service delivery failures. This interface, though delicate, is indispensable. It must be governed by mutual respect, clear roles, and a shared commitment to the public good. We cannot ignore the challenges we face like unstable relationships between Ministers and senior officials, administrative decisions subject to political interference as well as accountability gaps that undermines service delivery and erode public trust.

The Zondo Commission laid bare many of these weaknesses by revealing not only the consequences of blurred political-administrative boundaries, but also the moral cost of institutional compromise. When responding to such, we must respond not with defensiveness, but with courage and reform. Reform that protects the independence and integrity of the public administration, while ensuring that the political leadership remains firmly answerable to the people.

However, while we agree and appreciate what I have mentioned above, there is a mistake that we should not allow at all. We must avoid the mistake of generalising isolated failures into systemic norms.

Yes, while it is true that, “this interface must be guided by mutual respect and clear roles”, however, it is similarly important to understand that not only mutual respect and clear roles can guide us, but also clear and well managed delegated powers are part of the process that must be embraced and respected.

Today’s engagement is also a platform to examine whether our current institutional frameworks serve the goals of developmental governance.

For example, “Do we need stronger tenure protection for Directors-General? If so, are all DGs operating in the same manner and at the same level of performance to provide them with equal protection? Should performance contracts be more transparent and results oriented. And how do we ensure that political priorities are translated into implementable, budget-aligned, and measurable administrative plans? These are questions we should be asking, not ignoring.

These should not just be technical questions, but they should be fundamentally about the kind of state we wish to build. One that is people-centred, capable, and resistant to corruption.

Programme Director,

Allow me to reflect briefly on leadership and accountability. These are two words that are often mentioned but not always practiced with equal dynamism.

Leadership is not just about occupying a position, instead, it is about stewardship, foresight, and moral courage. While on the other hand, accountability is its twin - not in opposition, but in complement. Leadership without accountability is power without consequence while accountability without leadership is process without direction. And both must live at every level of the state.

We must professionalise our public service not just in skills, but in ethos too. We must insulate it from undue political manipulation but not isolate it from legitimate political direction. Our Constitution envisages a public administration that is professional, impartial, and development oriented. Our job is to give life to that vision - through policy, through systems, and above all, through our conduct.

The final dimension I wish to touch on is coordination. Too often, even the most well-intentioned policies fail not because of poor design, but because of fragmentation across spheres and sectors.

We need institutional mechanisms that promote horizontal and vertical coordination - across departments, across spheres, and between political and administrative leaders. Whether it's at the level of a municipal Integrated Development Plan (IDP) or a National Policy Directive - coordination must become a discipline and not an afterthought.

Colleagues, strengthening the political-administrative interface is not a theoretical exercise but a practical necessity if we are to realise the aspirations of our people. This Roundtable therefore gives us the opportunity to think deeply, listen honestly, and act decisively.

Your Excellency, Deputy President, Permit me to touch on an issue that may not be fully addressed in this forum, but which significantly impacts the political-administrative interface. Some of the challenges we face emanate not from the system itself, but from within political parties and their internal cultures. Individual behaviour and party dynamics often ripple into the governance space - sometimes with detrimental consequences. If we are serious about improving service delivery, we must also be prepared to confront these internal challenges with honesty and resolve.

In closing, I am confident that this roundtable with its commitments and outcomes will serve as a catalyst for strengthened political and administrative interface.

One that advances our collective resolve to enhance state capacity and resilience to effectively deliver on our promise to people of South Africa.

It is my hope therefore, that we emerge from today not only with ideas, but with commitments. Commitments to lead with integrity, to manage with competence, and to govern with the people of this country always in mind.

I thank you.

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