Abstract:
Corruption is recognised as a major hindrance to good governance in the South
African (SA) public sector. The government has prompted the public sector to
focus on anti-corruption measures as part of their mechanisms to prevent and curb
corruption. Some departments have considered these controls. However, it is evident
that these mechanisms are insufficient to prevent and curb corruption, due to poor
governance practices, such as weakness and gaps in legislation. Furthermore, the
public sector has seen that there are unethical and even toxic leaders, who exploit
the loopholes in the systems and processes and seek to fulfil their personal desires
at the expense of their departments. It is therefore argued that there is increasingly
a need for ethical leadership in the public sector. This article therefore suggests
the need for ethical leadership to prevent and curb corruption and to promote
good governance in the SA public sector. Ethical leadership is associated with
leader effectiveness and good governance. Leaders need to demonstrate ethical
leadership in their daily behaviour, decisions and actions. By sending out strong
messages about ethics and establishing clear reward and sanction systems to hold
the employees accountable for their actions, leaders can promote good governance
in the public sector.
