17 September 2026

The African National Congress (ANC) grounds its support for the signing of the Public Service Commission (PSC) Bill into law. The PSC Act has a significant role in the Developmental State’s ideological imperative, a doctrine asserting that structural transformation, poverty eradication, and economic growth require an interventionist, highly efficient, and politically insulated public administration. 

Rooted in its historical National Democratic Revolution (NDR), the ANC has always advocated moving away from nepotism and maladministration toward a meritocratic, professionalised, and depoliticised civil service capable of driving South Africa’s socio-economic trajectory.

At the heart of this legislative endorsement is the National Development Plan (NDP) Vision 2030, which explicitly designates “building a capable, ethical, and developmental state” as the primary engine of national progress. The ANC views the signing of the PSC Bill as the long-overdue institutional mechanism needed to fulfill Chapter 13 of the NDP. By expanding the Public Service Commission’s mandate to cover all three spheres of government (national, provincial, and local) as well as public entities, the legislation closes governance loopholes that previously enabled systemic corruption and administrative collapse at the municipal level.

Crucially, the ANC’s endorsement of the law reinforces the National Framework for the Professionalisation of the Public Sector. By strengthening the PSC’s independence, operational autonomy, and oversight authority, the legislation enforces merit-based recruitment, insulation from political interference, and accountability and ethics. It also strengthens consequence management, mandates lifestyle audits, and operates a centralised register to prevent dismissed, unethical officials from moving across government bodies.

The ANC’s declarations reaffirmed at its National and Policy Conferences explicitly acknowledge that no progressive policy can succeed without an operational machine. The PSC Bill reflects the recognition that state legitimacy rests on service delivery.

Ultimately, the ANC’s support for the Public Service Commission Bill is an unequivocal declaration that state capability is non-negotiable. By transforming the PSC into a formidable guardian of public-sector integrity across national, provincial, and local spheres, the party asserts a definitive stance: the era of administrative impunity is over, and an ethical, non-partisan, and highly capable civil service is the foundational precondition for South Africa’s future.

Issued by the Whip of the ANC Study Group on Public Service and Administration, Cde Pretty Xaba-Ntshaba

For enquiries

Please contact: 0641473276
Cde: Hlengiwe Hadebe
Media Liaison Officer