What happens when government inefficiency becomes more than an administrative failure — and starts benefiting those who have an interest in keeping the system broken? In this episode of CheckPoint: The Podcast, Nkepile Mabuse questions Professor Somadoda Fikeni about what he calls South Africa’s political economy of inefficiency. Their conversation explores how corruption, patronage, prolonged acting appointments and employees being paid while absent from work can undermine the public service.
Fikeni argues that the consequences extend far beyond wasted taxpayers’ money, weakening institutions, damaging employee morale and compromising services intended for the public. Mabuse challenges him on political accountability, the effectiveness of oversight institutions and whether meaningful reform is possible when entrenched interests resist change. Can the Public Service Commission, working alongside other institutions and civil society, help dismantle a system that may reward dysfunction?
Catch up on all CheckPoint Podcast episodes here: https://www.enca.com/checkpoint-podcast-0
Chapter List
(00:00) Has Government Failure Become A Business Model?
(01:38) Did Democracy Inherit A Corrupt System?
(03:21) When Inefficiency Becomes Profitable
(06:36) Can The Public Service Be Reformed?
(09:15) Government Money Is Taxpayers’ Money
(11:31) Why Do Acting Appointments Last So Long?
(13:20) Paid Suspensions And Ghost Workers
(17:59) The President And The Accountability Question
(20:14) Who Will Form A Coalition For Change?
(22:36) Why Are Accountability Bodies Ignored?
(25:14) The Cost Of Speaking Truth To Power
