The biggest challenge to Ramaphosa's New Dawn

When people complain about the state of our government they usually focus on the politicians.

Unsurprisingly so, given the idiotic statements the elected officials frequently make and the gigantic mess that we have been left with after the Zuma presidency.

But here's the thing: politicians can be replaced – as they frequently are even in our electoral system. Cabinet ministers can be hired and fired as has happened often over the past decades.

Yes, politicians make policy. They are the face of the state. However, there are many people, who, behind the scenes, advise the politicians on policy and then, once policies have been decided on, implement those decisions.

These public servants are the ones who ultimately make or break the country. They bake the proverbial cake after the recipe is written by the politicians.

We have a gigantic public service.

According to the Quarterly Employment statistics (QES) we had 2.69 million public servants in June 2014. (I struggled to find more updated statistics, but we can assume it to be either more or about the same).

According to that report, over 455 000 worked on a national level, double that number (about 1.1 million) on provincial level (what on earth can they all be doing?) and another 300 000-odd were employed on local level.

Just under 300 000 worked in libraries, parks etc.

Of course this doesn't come cheap.

The average public servant salary is more than R300 000 per annum (although that differs vastly depending on rank and geography). Whatever the case might be, paying all these public servants eats up around a third of the National Budget.

President Ramaphosa has repeatedly stated his wish for a professional and competent public service. In his most recent newsletter to the nation he states: "A capable state starts with the people who work in it. Officials and managers must possess the right financial and technical skills and other expertise."

No one can disagree with this.

He continued: "We are committed to end the practice of poorly qualified individuals being parachuted into positions of authority through political patronage. There should be consequences for all those in the public service who do not do their work."

Eh ok, so here is where the proverbial messy stuff hits the fan.