Sangweni’s spirit is here to stay for a public service that is upright

ON SATURDAY the 13th of September the inaugural lecture of a befitting to be Stan Sangweni Annual Memorial Lecture was hosted at Unisa under the joint authority of the Public Service Commission and the National School of Government. The lecture was addressed by a befitting President who in the words of Dr Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi said was the architect of the Public Service design with Dr Sangweni as the executor of the design. President Thabo Mbeki addressed the inaugural lecture.

- Dr Pali Lehohla is a Professor

What made the lecture more contextual was the developments in the Northern Cape ANC NEC, Here the ANC leadership pledged that it will not protect wrong doers any longer. The declaration on this stance ironically corresponded with advice contained in “The Future We Chose Scenario.”

One of the outcomes of this scenario was Muvhango, which to the day has with distinction played out in front of our very eyes. Its core features were first bang goes the boom.

As the fortunes of the first 15 years of freedom dry up, bang goes the boom mutate into a second feature of a politician against politician outcome. Because everything goes as life gets cheapened,

of fooling all the people all the time.

The question the stalwarts asked in 2017 and the advice they proferred was precisely about this. It was not heeded. President Mbeki quoted the full text of a disappointed Sangweni who when paying tribute to Dr Zola Skweyiya as he was laid to rest addressed President Cyril Ramaphosa directly.

He said that if a repentance moment were to be had, and if South Africa would show commitment to ethical leadership, it was on the occasion of the funeral of Skweyiya. Yet to date nothing happened to heed Sangweni. A dololo moment to date as President Mbeki put it.