Top Tweets for #statecraft2026
The passage of the Public Service Amendment Act marks an important moment in South Africa’s public service reform. Attention now turns to implementation.
At #Statecraft2026, NSI’s two-day International Congress on Civil Service Reform and Democracy, held in Johannesburg on 22–23 September, Ivor Chipkin opened the Congress by placing the current reform moment within a much longer story about government in South Africa: how political and administrative authority became intertwined, the consequences for public institutions, and why the conditions for change have re-emerged.
Our latest Histories of Government Substack draws from that address and traces how South Africa arrived at this reform moment.
The strange disappearance and return of administration in South Africa https://t.co/cgq5RcaHz1 @thedpsa @DpmeOfficial @PSC_ZA @opengovpart @GIBS_SA @PMG_SA @PresidencyZA @thensgZA
But a functioning Johannesburg is about more than fixing the machinery of government.
The #Statecraft2026 discussion also turned to what recovery should deliver: reliable services, safer public spaces, greater economic opportunity, workable housing solutions and a stronger voice for residents.
From supporting inner-city entrepreneurs to making the city safer for women, the discussion brought institutional reform back to its purpose: a city that works for the people who live in it.
What would it take to make Johannesburg work again?
Panel 8 of #Statecraft2026 pointed to some fundamentals: competent appointments, financial discipline, clearer accountability and institutions capable of implementing the plans the city already has.
The discussion also stressed that Johannesburg’s recovery cannot rest on a change of leadership alone. It requires deeper institutional reform, capable administration and coordination across all spheres of government.
@ferialhaffajee @annbernsteinSA @CDEsouthafrica @CityofJoburgZA
Day 2 of #Statecraft2026 is underway in Johannesburg, with comparative discussions on the institutions, leadership and professional norms that underpin capable government.
Panel 5 of #Statecraft2026 turned to a central challenge of civil service reform: balancing the mandate of elected governments with a professional and independent administration.
Drawing on Brazil, Slovakia and Latin America, the discussion highlighted the importance of building merit-based systems that can withstand political patronage and changes of government.
The challenge is not simply reform, but making it last.
#MachineryOfDemocracy
Panel 4 of #Statecraft2026 turned to what makes an SOE work: clear mandates, capable and independent boards, a proper separation between political oversight and management, and institutions that protect professional decision-making.
The broader lesson: reform must build organisations resilient enough to withstand changes in leadership and political direction.
#MachineryOfDemocracy
At #Statecraft2026, Portia Derby, Andrew Boraine and Cynthia Stimpel, moderated by Yoliswa Makhasi, examine the gap between legislation and practice.
From ministerial relationships and institutional cultures to whistleblower protection, the discussion asks how South Africa can build a professional public service in which officials have both the independence to do their jobs and the protection to do what is right.
Panel 1 of #Statecraft2026 brought together experiences from South Korea, Chile, Indonesia and the US on appointing senior officials.
A common theme emerged: reducing political discretion is not enough to produce a professional civil service.
Merit requires clear competency standards, competitive recruitment, independent assessment and transparency.
We are onto Panel 1: Appointing Senior Officials at #Statecraft2026
How countries appoint senior officials tells us a great deal about the relationship between political leadership and professional administration.
This panel looks at what South Africa can learn from reforms in South Korea, Chile, Indonesia and the United States.
Joining the discussion are Pan Suk Kim, Magdalena Rojas Wettig, Eko Prasojo and Margot Conrad, moderated by Brian Levy.
Not at GIBS? Join us online: Register to watch Statecraft 2026 online https://t.co/tD6AJCuOBs
@mrojasw
#Statecraft2026 begins this morning in Johannesburg.
The Congress comes at an important moment for public service reform in South Africa. The Public Service Amendment Act provides a new framework. The harder work is making reform work in practice.
Over the next two days, we turn to that challenge.
Join the livestream: https://t.co/tD6AJCuOBs
Another look at the #Statecraft2026 programme.
How can political leadership and professional public administration work together effectively? Panel 5 takes on the political-administrative interface.
22–23 September | @GIBS_SA + online
Register: https://t.co/YU6dZsIwbY @thensgZA
More from the #Statecraft2026 programme.
Training matters, but it is only part of the equation. Panel 6 asks what it takes to build capable, professional public institutions.
22–23 September | @GIBS_SA + online
Register: https://t.co/Gi7twxtlhB
More from the #Statecraft2026 programme.
What would it take for South Africa’s state-owned enterprises to work? Panel 4 turns to the governance and institutional choices that matter.
22–23 September | @GIBS_SA + online
Register: https://t.co/Gi7twxtlhB
We can’t wait for the ideas, conversations and debates that will emerge from #Statecraft2026.
Don’t be left out. If you haven’t registered yet, register here: https://t.co/Gi7twxtlhB
On Tuesday at 11:55 at @the_nsi, I’ll have the privilege of discussing some important matters at the INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON CIVIL SERVICE REFORM AND DEMOCRACY with Daniel Kaufmann, Bálint Madlovics, and Ivor Chipkin.
Join us online — registration link in the comment below.
Another glimpse into the #Statecraft2026 programme.
Protecting Civil Service Independence in South Africa turns to the realities of reform and what it takes to strengthen professional public administration in practice.
22–23 September | @GIBS_SA + online
Make sure you’re registered: https://t.co/YU6dZsIwbY
More from the #Statecraft2026 programme.
Political Patronage, Corruption and Informal Power looks at how informal power takes hold inside institutions, and what can be done to disrupt it.
22–23 September | @GIBS_SA+ online
Be part of the conversation. Make sure you’re registered: https://t.co/YU6dZsJ41w
Across two days, #Statecraft2026 brings public policy experts, scholars and former government officials from South Africa and around the world into conversation about the institutions that make democracy work.
From public administration and civil service reform to state-owned enterprises, city governance and public participation, the Congress brings different experiences into conversation around a shared concern: what does it take to build public institutions that work?
22–23 September | GIBS, Johannesburg + online
Five days to go. Secure your place: https://t.co/YU6dZsIwbY
We can’t wait for 22–23 September, and we hope you’ve registered to secure your place at #Statecraft2026.
Every session at the International Congress on Democracy and Public Institutions has been designed to encourage meaningful discussion, practical learning and the exchange of ideas.
From democratic governance and institutional reform to leadership, accountability and state capability, delegates will engage with questions shaping the future of public institutions around the world.
📍 @GIBS_SA, Johannesburg
📅 22–23 September 2026
🔗 Register: https://t.co/YU6dZsIwbY
What does democracy look like after the votes have been counted?
That question sits at the heart of #Statecraft2026, and a new article by @Social1Tv picks up on an important part of the discussion: the institutions that turn political decisions into effective public services and outcomes for citizens.
Schools that function. Municipalities that respond. Infrastructure that is maintained. Public resources that are managed responsibly. These outcomes depend not only on good policy, but on public institutions with the capacity to implement it.
These are some of the questions we will be taking up at Statecraft 2026, where policymakers, public servants, researchers and practitioners will come together to share experiences of building and reforming public institutions.
This year’s programme brings together speakers from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America, offering perspectives from different political and institutional contexts on the challenges of making democratic government work.
And the conversation is open to everyone. Whether you work in government, academia, civil society, the media, or simply have an interest in how public institutions shape everyday life, you are welcome to join us.
Statecraft 2026 takes place on 22–23 September 2026 at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) in Johannesburg, with the option to attend online.
Attendance is free. View the programme and register to join us https://t.co/PVpyFMJtI6
https://t.co/u7Kk0IILkq @GIBS_SA @AfricaInsights @thedpsa @thensgZA @NationalCoGTA @SALGA_Gov
What does it take to turn public-sector reform into institutions that actually work?
That is one of the questions at the heart of #Statecraft2026, the New South Institute’s International Congress on Democracy and Public Institutions, taking place in Johannesburg on 22–23 September.
The Congress will bring together policymakers, senior public servants, researchers, institutional leaders and governance practitioners from South Africa and around the world.
But Statecraft is intended to be more than a conventional conference. It is a space to compare experiences of reform across countries, confront the institutional and political obstacles that can prevent reforms from succeeding, and ask what can practically be learned from those who have worked directly on building and reforming public institutions.
From the independence and professionalisation of the civil service to state-owned enterprises, urban governance, leadership and public participation, the focus is on what it takes to make reform work in practice.
On 22–23 September, #Statecraft2026 will bring these experiences into conversation in Johannesburg.
https://t.co/o3RlrbJMvl
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