Abstract
The article is an analysis of the state of the nation and its public service in
contemporary South Africa. It demonstrates that the Zuma administration
is much more responsive to citizen and interest group interests than
the Mbeki presidency was. This is not only reflected in the cabinet
appointments, but also in the character of public policy, including
economic policy. However, ideological divisions within the ruling
party and a failure to contain elite and popular expectations have also
accompanied this responsiveness. This, in turn, has hindered a social pact
from developing between labour, business and the State. The article also
demonstrates that state capacity has been compromised by a coupling of
Affirmative Action with conservative macro-economics and an infusion
of a corporate ethic into the public service. It concludes that this problem
will only be addressed with a more nuanced Affirmative Action policy,
a reconfiguration of the public mandate of the civil service, a more
expansive fiscal agenda centered on the citizenry and firm proactive
action taken against corruption.