Page 36 - Service Delivery Review

Profile of Public Service

Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka

in the lives of many in her community. However, the In his book “People, Power and Profits: Progressive
political system of that time, which sought to dehu- Capitalism for an Age of Discontent”, economist Jo-
manise particularly black people, contradicted the seph Stiglitz, says that “there is a high correlation be-
interventions of public-spirited human beings like tween the education and income of a parent and the
Mlambo-Ngcuka’s mother, who were committed to educational attainment of the child; and between ed-
uplifting the welfare of their communities. And this ucation, in turn, and future income”. In other words,
is what drove many into the struggle against apart- education can only have an equalising effect if access
heid, including her daughter Phumzile, who became to it is based on the principle of equality and its qual-
a teacher. The liberation struggle Dr Mlambo-Ngcuka ity, not on who can afford it or not, but on necessity.
was involved in was also a public service as it was This explains her social philanthropy interventions in
a selfless pursuit of what was in the public interest. disadvantaged communities to create educational
She became the first president of the Natal Organisa- opportunities.
tion of Women – an affiliate of the United Democratic
Front (UDF). The UDF was established in 1983 as a Upon her return from Geneva, Dr Mlambo-Ngcuka
platform for, in the words of its former General Secre- focused on “promoting economic self-reliance and
tary, Popo Molefe, “united action by hundreds of or- running skills training programmes for women in in-
ganisations and thousands of activists who yearned
for freedom”. formal settlements” and “promoting literacy and rural
development”, according to her biography on www.
A global public servant sahistory.org.za. This was through development or-
In 1984, Dr Mlambo-Ngcuka left the country to be- ganisations, TEAM and World University Service, re-
come the Young Women’s Association Board youth spectively, between 1987 and 1990. Both these were
director in Geneva, focusing on educational issues based in Cape Town.
in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. She became a
global public servant with the ethos to serve. Educa- Reconstruction and development
tion has always been her passion. That she read to In 1994, Dr Mlambo-Ngcuka became a Member of
the highest qualification – a PhD in Education at War- Parliament and chaired the public service portfolio
wick University in the United Kingdom typifies this. committee. This was when Dr Skweyiya was the Min-
Dr Mlambo-Ngcuka knew that the key to any nation’s ister of Public Service and Administration. The portfo-
success is education, but only where the principles lio committees mirror the structure of the executive to
of egalitarianism are entrenched – lest it recreate in- enhance accountability and optimise policymaking.
equality. Mlambo-Ngcuka’s portfolio committee and Skwey-

36 SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW | Volume 15. No. 3 of 2023