Building a Culture of Accountability - a Call to Action

This statement by Collette Schulz Herzenberg of the Institute for Security Studies argues that South Africa's ethics infrastructure is ineffective due to poor implementation and a lack of political commitment. It calls for a shift from a rules-based society to one based on values, alongside specific policy reforms to combat corruption and conflicts of interest in public life.

• South Africa possesses an ethics infrastructure that appears strong in theory but fails in practice due to poor compliance, inconsistent application, and a lack of follow-through regarding prosecutions and investigations. This failure indicates a lack of commitment from officials and politicians to their public obligations and suggests weaknesses in integrity systems and oversight.
• The failure to enforce ethics rules and sanction unethical conduct erodes public trust in democratic institutions. When citizens perceive that officials misuse their office for personal gain or fail to act for the public good, government loses the credibility and authority required to govern effectively and implement policies, often leading to cynicism and passionate protests.
• Several unregulated or under-regulated activities in South African public life contribute to corruption and conflicts of interest. These include the 'revolving door' movement of individuals between the private sector and government, the private funding of political parties, and public procurement and tendering, particularly when companies owned by political parties or relatives of officials are involved.
• To improve integrity in public life, the author recommends a series of institutional and policy reforms, including the introduction of an Integrity Commissioner with investigative powers, the implementation of lifestyle audits, the enforcement of whistleblower protections, and the regulation of secret private funds flowing to political parties. Other suggestions include standardizing codes of conduct, increasing access to government information, and introducing a Bid Protest system for public procurement.
• Meaningful integrity requires a transition from a society based solely on rule compliance to one based on internalized values. The author asserts that rules alone are insufficient and that public officials must be committed to ethical principles, accountability, transparency, and openness, using the founding principles of the Constitution as a guide.

APA

Herzenberg, C. S. (n.d.). Building a Culture of Accountability - a Call to Action. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/building-a-culture-of-accountability-a-call-to-action

Chicago

Herzenberg, Collette Schulz. Building a Culture of Accountability - a Call to Action. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/building-a-culture-of-accountability-a-call-to-action.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Herzenberg |first1=Collette Schulz |title=Building a Culture of Accountability - a Call to Action |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/building-a-culture-of-accountability-a-call-to-action |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{herzenbergndbuilding, author = {Herzenberg, Collette Schulz}, title = {{Building a Culture of Accountability - a Call to Action}}, publisher = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/building-a-culture-of-accountability-a-call-to-action}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }