I found Khulekani Mathe’s piece on the need to retain Zuma-era public servants rather strange and seemingly afflicted by a profound failure of logic (“Simple solutions can staunch the loss of competent civil servants (https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/opinion/2019-07-25-simple-solutions-can-stem-the-loss-of-competent-public-servants/)”, July 25).

The problem he outlines of a historical exodus of competent civil servants, in parallel with undue political interference in operational matters (often to facilitate corruption but sometimes due to brainless meddling), is widely accepted. The prescriptions he suggests — retention of competent individuals and less meddling — are also widely accepted, being outlined in the National Development Plan under the need to “stabilise the political-administrative interface”...

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