Launched earlier today, 17 June 2025, the inaugural Africa Public Service Day (APSD) Public Lecture raised critical questions about the role of the public service in restoring and redressing the wrongs of the past.
Held under the continental theme “Empowering a Citizen-Centred Public Service for an Inclusive and Thriving 21st Century Africaâ€, the Guest Lecturer, Advocate Mojanku Gumbi, delivered an in-depth analysis of the historical context driving the global imperative for restorative justice and reparations. In her lecture, Advocate Gumbi was particularly scathing about how weakened and self-serving state institutions continue to undermine these efforts.
With the APSD Public Lecture taking place a day after the commemoration of June 16—a pivotal moment in South Africa’s history when young people faced the might of the apartheid regime—Advocate Gumbi bemoaned how both political leaders and public servants are “spitting on the graves of the young martyrs who died 49 years ago.â€
“The demand for reparations is not a call for favours to be extended to victims [but] is about accountability,†said Advocate Gumbi.
Three respondents—Mr. David Letsoalo from the University of South Africa, Prof. Somadoda Fikeni from the Public Service Commission, and Advocate Aubrey Sedupane from the Department of Justice—all echoed the core arguments of Advocate Gumbi’s lecture.
Addressing the issue of restorative justice and reparations within the context of the South African public service, Prof. Fikeni noted that apartheid was deliberately designed with the involvement of academia. Undoing its legacy, he argued, similarly requires critical and sustained dialogue between the public sector, civil society, and academic institutions.
“Given the scale of the problems that we have, we can no longer have the luxury where there is no meaningful dialogue between theory and practice, and between knowledge and development,†reflected Prof. Fikeni.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister for the Public Service and Administration, Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi, the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) Acting Deputy Director-General, Dr. Patrick Sokhela, announced that the APSD Public Lecture will become a recurring feature in South Africa’s annual APSD commemorations.
Dr. Sokhela also acknowledged the many challenges facing the public service, emphasising the need for discussions on platforms like the APSD Public Lecture to translate into impact where it matters most—service delivery.
“There are challenges as far as service delivery is concerned [and for this reason] we must frame these discussions to the realities on the ground,†Dr. Sokhela concluded.
