This was one of many pertinent issues explored at the Association of Southern African Schools and Departments of Public Administration and Management (ASSADPAM) Conference, hosted by Nelson Mandela University’s Business School from 3–5 November 2025.
Under the theme “Public Administration for a Future Developmental State”, experts, scholars, and professionals convened to exchange knowledge, explore emerging trends and offer innovative solutions.
Dr Jacqui Lück, Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, Cllr Babalwa Loboshe, Prof Somadoda Fikeni and Dr Amina Jakoet-Salie
In her opening remarks, Nelson Mandela University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sibongile Muthwa, noted that as society faces rapid technological change, geopolitical instability and eroding governance foundations, the role of public administration has never been more critical.
“Our task is not only to produce skilled technocrats, but ethically upright and courageous professionals,” she said.
Dr Muki Moeng
Delivering the first of two keynote addresses, the University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching, Dr Muki Moeng, offered a reimagination of public administration as a transformative, ethical, inclusive and sustainable force – one deeply grounded in African contexts and values.
Dr Moeng emphasised that universities and public service educators must cultivate graduates who care, put people first, and embody the values of service, integrity and empathy.
“Ethical governance is the cornerstone of public trust,” she said, noting that “unethical practices erode not only institutions but also the spirit of citizenship”, adding that sustainability is not only about protecting the planet but also about safeguarding the integrity of institutions for generations to come.
In closing, Dr Moeng challenged academics, practitioners and students to reimagine public administration not just as a technical function, but as a moral and strategic force for the public good.
Prof Somadoda Fikeni
Prof Somadoda Fikeni, Chairperson of the Public Service Commission of South Africa, delivered an equally compelling evening keynote, saying that ethics and the humanisation of public administration have returned to the centre of governance debates.
Cautioning against a purely technical or bureaucratic view of administration, Prof Fikeni argued that governance stripped of humanity becomes mechanical and morally hollow.
He highlighted South Africa’s coalition politics as a new governance test, noting that the collapse of single-party dominance demands an administration capable of resilience and neutrality.
“We must design disaster-resilient institutions, those that do not crumble each time political winds change,” he said, calling for institutions that remain effective amid political flux.
Prof Fikeni concluded by emphasising the need for stability during what he termed the “interregnum” – a transition period in which “the old is taking too long to die and the new is taking too long to be born.” He affirmed that public servants and scholars must guide society toward new, ethical paradigms rather than clinging to outdated systems.
Ambassador Rasool
Building on Prof Fikeni’s reflections, Ebrahim Rasool, South Africa’s former Ambassador to the United States, spoke on ethics, moral renewal and governance in an age of global turbulence.
He called for moral courage, expanding on the notion of the interregnum by describing the present as a time of “rapture and rupture” – a moment of profound moral and institutional testing where “the old order resists dying and the new struggles to be born”.
He urged universities and the public service to redefine their ethical purpose amid political and social turbulence, reminding the audience that the crisis of governance is not merely technical but deeply moral – a test of whether institutions can resist corruption, impunity and ethical fatigue.
“Your university must be reinvented, because its relevance will be tested; you must face this moment of transition so that you can navigate the rupture to arrive at the rapture,” he said.
Prof Mogie Subban (Chairperson of ASSADPAM)
Heeding that call, Prof Mogie Subban, Chairperson of ASSADPAM, reflected on the transforming landscape of public administration education. She urged scholars to innovate in their teaching and research to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world.
“As academics, we are called to develop new modalities of teaching, new pedagogies, and new approaches to prepare our students for the realities of today’s disruptive times,” she said.
Dr Jacqui Lück, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, added that the humanities are central to addressing the complex challenges of governance, ethics and development in Africa – a vision reinforced by the Faculty’s broader intellectual project to reinvigorate the humanities.
Dr Muki Moeng, Prof Mogie Subban, Dr Amina Jakoet-Salie (Public Management and Leadership HoD) and Dr Jacqui Lück
In addition to the keynote addresses, the conference featured interactive breakaway sessions that encouraged rigorous academic debate and cross-disciplinary collaboration among established and emerging scholars. These discussions marked a productive step toward achieving ethical governance, restoring public trust, and building a resilient public sector for the future.