Ethics in the Public Sector

From ancient times, the conduct of human beings, and what is deemed acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, has been an intriguing and much-debated topic for people from all walks of life. This is even more so for public officials, both appointed and elected, who by nature of the public duty they fulfil, are held to a higher moral standard by the broader society. Unethical conduct not only impacts negatively on the social contract that government has with the public but also affects the rights of citizens, who are taxpayers. Ethics in the public sector is being published at a time when the South African public sector is grappling with serious issues relating to ethics, with startling revelations of conduct by government officials that directly contradicts the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, which prescribe high standards of ethical behaviour. Ethics in the public sector is arranged in such a way as to provide a unique understanding of public sector ethics. It includes discussions of two other African countries, Botswana and Namibia, to provide perspective. Main themes include the theory and philosophical foundation of public sector ethics, the African context of ethics, the policy framework for ethics, role players in ethics, causes of unethical behaviour and remedies for unethical behaviour. It also comes at a time when most universities across South Africa are reconsidering curricula for alignment and relevance to the challenges that public officials and politicians deal with daily. Ethics is an area that has thus far received insufficient attention both at universities and in practice. Ethics in the public sector is aimed at students, officials and politicians.