The Politicisation of Government Administration: The Limited “Brutal” Options of the South African Government Administration

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to evaluate and analyse the politicization of the government administration in the South African context. This article challenges the view held by many scholars and practitioners of public administration and the public at large that there are available options dividing the politics and the administration of government, and that such is achievable in South Africa. In Africa and worldwide the citizens complain and associate the benefits of a government administration to be exclusive to a certain sector of individuals and their groups with sound political connections and inter-relationships. While today most government administrations claim to operate through systems that are fair, equitable and transparent, such claim remains relative because fairness, equity and transparency may only be a privilege to those within the circle of political friendship and ties in government. In essence, the general view held on the relationship between politics and government administration is that, there are alternative approachesto provide government administration that is neutral and objective to the politics ofthe country. The research question to be answered in this article is whether the South African government may have sound alternative approaches towards separating their government administration from their subjective party political agenda. This article argues, however, that South Africa’s claim of fair, equitable and objectively practised public administration free from political persecution of the opposition is a myth which started with the Mandela’s reconciliatory public administration through the Mbeki’s depoliticized bureaucracy and the current politicized bureaucracy of the Zuma administration. A fair public administration free from political interferences and interventions is likely not to exist even in the most highly respected democratic states of the globe.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n7p208