Public comment | Public Service Commission Bill 2023: Submission to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature

Public Service Commission Bill (2023): Submission of public comment to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature Submitted by the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI), University of Johannesburg and The Ethics Institute (TEI) 30 June 2025 PARI, with the Ethics Institute (TEI), recently made a submission to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature on the Public Service Commission (PSC) Bill. The PSC Bill aims to strengthen the independence of the PSC. The PSC has an important role to play in oversight of the public administration in South Africa, as a custodian of section 195 of the Constitution. Section 195 envisions a South African public administration that is professional, effective, impartial and developmentally directed. The PSC Bill also outlines a role for the PSC in oversight of municipal administrations: until now, the PSC has focused its work on the national and provincial spheres of government. PARI and TEI support the Bill, though we have argued that more could be done to support the PSC’s independence, including removing political discretion in the appointment process for the CEO of the PSC’s Secretariat and placing this appointment process under the Commission.