Minister of Public Service and Administration Mzamo Buthelezi
SCORE: C
Minister for Public Service and Administration Mzamo Buthelezi has stepped up efforts to reform South Africa’s public service, placing a strong focus on fighting corruption and improving performance.
Under his leadership, the government intensified ethics training, lifestyle audits, disciplinary oversight and protections for whistleblowers. Buthelezi also released a Presidential Productivity Report that exposed gaps in efficiency, leadership and innovation across the public sector, calling for reforms to strengthen accountability and service delivery.
His tenure has seen the expansion of Thusong Service Centres, aimed at bringing government services closer to communities, particularly in rural areas.
At the same time, lifestyle audits under his watch flagged 24 senior public servants for suspected undeclared assets or unexplained wealth, findings which he made public.
Parliamentary disclosures also highlighted ongoing challenges in the system, revealing that R118 million in public funds had been spent on salaries for suspended officials, underscoring weaknesses in disciplinary processes.