Effective Leadership: The Solution to End Corruption in the South African Public Sector?

Hendri Kroukamp
(Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa)

Abstract: Much of the current theory attempting to explain the high prevalence of corruption within African states starts from the assumption that the continued prevalence of traditional moral values within African societies is a key enabler of corrupt behaviour. Since the 1960’s every modernizing system was regarded as being susceptible to corruption, which had manifested peak levels of corruption as they experienced socio-political development. Corruption in developing countries was therefore assumed to be part of the natural maturation process. South Africa was no exception. The problem of corruption has captured the minds of all South Africans who are committed to good governance as reflected in terms of value driven perspectives which manifest itself in effective, legitimate, democratic government, and high levels of institutionalization or combinations of the above. One needs, however, to move beyond debates about whether traditional African culture inadvertently lends itself to corruption, and focus on mechanisms to minimize or prevent these activities from taking place as, despite the introduction of various legislative and organizational measures, it is still rife in the South African public sector. Leadership can play a meaningful role to ensure that the measures to minimize or eliminate corruption are effectively implemented and will be discussed in this article.

Key words: leadership; South African public sector; corruption

JEL codes: H1, H83, H590