Pressure mounts on Ramaphosa to sign Bill ending cadre deployment
President Cyril Ramaphosa is under pressure to sign the Public Service Amendment Bill separating political power from administration.
Image: Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspapers.
THE New South Institute (NSI) has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to urgently sign the Public Service Amendment Bill into law, arguing that swift assent would decisively separate political power from public administration and end the practice of cadre deployment in the state.
The Bill, which completed its final parliamentary process in the last quarter of 2025, is now awaiting presidential assent. NSI says any delay risks prolonging political interference in the administration and undermining efforts to build a capable and professional public service.
At the centre of the legislation is a clear distinction between political leadership and administrative management. The Bill limits the role of elected officials to policy formulation and political oversight, while assigning operational control, appointments and management to a professional public administration.
According to NSI, this effectively closes the door on politicians appointing loyalists to senior administrative posts, a practice widely blamed for weakening state capacity and enabling corruption.
The Bill draws a firm line between politics and administration. It removes the ability of political office-bearers to use the public service as a site of patronage and places administration on a professional, merit-based footing.
The legislation also introduces strict prohibitions aimed at reducing conflicts of interest. Public servants will be barred from doing business with the state and from holding political office, reinforcing the principle that administrators serve the state and the public, not party or private interests.
NSI said these provisions are essential to restoring institutional integrity and public trust, particularly after years in which state institutions were hollowed out by political interference and corruption.
Ivor Chipkin, NSI Director said, “Signing the Public Service Amendment Bill will initiate a third transition in South Africa. After the democratic transition in 1994 and the constitutional transition in 1996, this Bill marks the start of a transition towards a relatively autonomous and professional public administration, the foundation of an effective and prosperous state.”
Chipkin said that over the past five years, committed senior officials, academics and think tanks have been working to build a capable and professional state.
"This Bill builds on that work by providing a strong legislative foundation for restoring confidence in the state and improving the quality of services that citizens rely on every day,” he said.
The Bill is the product of years of public consultation and parliamentary debate and has been strongly supported by governance experts, academics and senior officials concerned about declining state performance.
NSI has launched a public campaign calling on the President to sign the Bill without delay so that it can be implemented. The organisation says early implementation would send a strong signal that political interference in the public service will no longer be tolerated.
As pressure builds on the Presidency, NSI has called on civil society and public servants to support the Bill, warning that failure to act now would entrench the very problems the legislation is designed to resolve.