While the Institute of Directors in South Africa (IoDSA) welcomes these intentions to restore good governance and professionalise the public sector, it notes that the President has now promised the same thing in many successive years.

“This track record of empty promises makes us feel like we will just hear the same again at next year’s Sona without seeing any change,” says Parmi Natesan, chief executive officer of IoDSA.

In this year’s Sona, Ramaphosa spoke of building a state with “leaders who are prepared to serve our people with complete dedication, and public servants who are ethical, skilled and properly qualified”.

He added, “To achieve these objectives we are strengthening the role of the Public Service Commission in the appointment of the key people who direct the affairs of our state such as Directors-General, Deputy Directors-General, Chief Executive Officers of SOEs and board members and other senior positions.”

However, this approach is unlikely to bring the desired improvements in leadership and governance, because the Ministers will still have the power to make board appointments, which historically has seemed to be according to political lines and patronage.

Ethical Board appointments

To ensure that SOE board members are indeed “ethical, skilled and properly qualified”, the IoDSA strongly recommends thorough due diligence in the appointment process, in line with the principles of King IV.

“King IV advocates for a competency-based approach to board composition, ensuring that directors collectively have the knowledge, skills, experience, and personal qualities necessary for effective governance and oversight,” says Natesan.

“Furthermore, the IoDSA’s formal Chartered Director and Certified Director designations provide a framework for directors to acquire and demonstrate the specialist skills, experience and integrity needed to discharge their duties with mastery, in line with its Director Competency Framework.”

The IoDSA has, over many years, advocated for improvements to the nominations process, as well as the professionalisation of board members in the public sector in general.

SOEs, in particular, play a critical role in the South African economy and society; and need to be governed well. “We even provided extensive input to the Department of Public Services and Administration many years back on a guide to the appointment of SOE directors – a step we were confident would make a positive difference – but unfortunately we are not aware of it ever being approved or applied,” says Natesan.

“South Africa cannot afford another cycle of unfulfilled promises. Instead of annual Sona's filled with familiar commitments, the country needs tangible action,” she cautions.

“Professionalising the public sector and enforcing rigorous, competency-based board appointments is a crucial step towards realising the capable and competent state that the President envisions. Without decisive implementation, governance failures will persist, and trust in leadership will continue to erode. It is time for action, not just words.”