Abstract
The article examines the various causes of ineffective governance in South African public service: the lack of transparency, accountability, effectiveness and efficiency, ethical norms, and others. The main rationale of the study is that even though the country has anticorruption legislative and institutional frameworks, implementing good governance principles remains a challenge. The study used a qualitative approach to compile information. Literature and document reviews were considered to gather relevant information that was then assessed through conceptual and document analysis. The findings show that South Africa lacks adequate resources and technological skills to establish transparency, the lack of digitalised platforms leads to poor citizen participation in the governance processes, and political will is lacking to enhance openness in government structures, processes, and decisions, to name a few. The findings suggest that maintaining ethical standards in public administration necessitates that public officials demonstrate openness in fulfilling public responsibilities. Transparency constitutes a fundamental principle for the success of any public organisation. The study offers policy recommendations for improvement.