The Department of Public Service and Administration outlines its vision for a capable, ethical and developmental state – one that learns, thinks, innovates and serves with integrity.
The 5th Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) Summit 2026 has affirmed a clear imperative: a changing world requires a changing public service. For the Department of Public Service and Administration, this means a public service that is capable, ethical, innovative and adaptive, one that is grounded in service to the people of South Africa.
It also invites us to reflect on the language we use. The language of human potential better reflects a developmental State. It recognises that public servants are not simply resources to be utilised, but people whose capability, judgement, ethics, creativity and innovation must be developed in the service of society.
In this context, we encourage the Departments of Basic Education and Higher Education and Training, together with academia, to advance reading as a national habit and to promote young authors – especially women and persons with disabilities.
“Early childhood is the most decisive stage of brain development, when neuroplasticity is at its peak, and neural pathways are formed at extraordinary speed.”
Reading in infancy and the foundational years shapes cognitive architecture, strengthens human potential and builds the intellectual capital on which a capable, ethical and developmental State depends. Development is achieved through more than certificates, competencies on paper, or isolated training events. It is advanced through the unlocking of potential and the building of habit.
One of the most powerful ways to advance human potential is to build a reading nation, and a public service that learns continuously, thinks critically and serves with insight. It is in this spirit that the DPSA tables its commitment.
DPSA Commitments
- – Creating a capable, ethical and developmental public service through professionalisation, leadership, ethics and merit.
- – Building a skilled and future-ready workforce through continuous learning, innovation and responsiveness to change.
- – Strengthening the human resource management and development value chain through better alignment, workforce planning and reduced fragmentation.
- – Advancing an ethical and accountable State through reform, integrity and stronger governance.
- – Supporting a developmental public administration that is citizen-centred, responsive and delivery-focused.
- – Working with academia, partners, allies and friends to promote practical, affordable and continuous learning.
The DPSA therefore commits to strengthening the professional foundations of the public service and to helping build a State that can learn, think, innovate, adapt and deliver – with integrity and ethics at its core.
