Mandisa calls for competence and measurable performance in government and raises the question: how should South Africa enforce standards it already has? South Africa does not have to invent the principle that public officials should be capable, accountable and fair. It is already written into the Constitution’s rules for public administration . The difficult question is why those requirements coexist with such uneven results. The interview’s central proposal is to make merit the organising principle of government: appoint people with relevant skills and experience, define the work expected of them, and judge them against the results. That argument deserves attention. It becomes less convincing when the explanation for failure expands into sweeping judgements about race, entire categories of workers or the motives of everyone seeking political office. There is a more precise way to test it. What do public records establish about performance? What standards already exist? And which proposed changes would improve administration without weakening democratic representation? The evidence supports urgency, with important limits The Auditor-General’s 2024/25 municipal audit findings, released on 24 June 2026 , show that 39 municipalities, or 15%, achieved clean audits. Yet 61% received unqualified financial opinions and 98% submitted financial statements on time. The same assessment records serious weaknesses alongside improvements in reporting. These findings concern municipalities. They are not a performance assessment of every national department, public employee or elected representative. They establish that the governance problem is substantial; they do not validate a claim that nobody in government works or that racial identity explains administrative failure. The distinction between a clean audit and an unqualified opinion matters. A clean audit combines credible financial statements with no material findings on performance reporting or compliance with key legislation. An unqualified financial opinion can coexist with problems in those other areas. The Auditor-General also cautions that an audit does not guarantee service delivery or the detection of all fraud . For a household waiting for reliable water, a sound set of accounts cannot be the final measure of success. But without dependable accounts and performance information, residents and councillors cannot properly establish where money went, whether promised work happened or who must answer for failure. Administrative discipline is a foundation for accountability, rather than a substitute for services. Competence and representation belong together The interview presents measurable performance as protection against arbitrary treatment. There is force in that idea: a properly defined job gives applicants a standard to meet and managers a basis for assessing them. A vague promise to appoint the best person is much less useful than published requirements, credible assessment and reasons that can withstand scrutiny. Section 195 requires personnel practices to take account of ability, objectivity and fairness, together with redress and broad representation. It also requires ethical conduct and effective use of resources. Section 197 prohibits favouring or prejudicing a public servant solely because of political support . The constitutional approach therefore asks government to pursue competence and a representative administration together. Treating either as permission to abandon the other misses the standard that institutions are supposed to meet. Nor has government been silent about professional standards. In October 2022, the Department of Public Service and Administration announced a framework covering recruitment, induction, performance assessment, continuous learning and career management . Its stated aim included ensuring that people appointed to positions of authority were qualified and competent. That policy is a material answer to the suggestion that merit must first be introduced into government. It is not evidence that the policy has succeeded. The useful test is whether appointment decisions, working conditions and performance consequences consistently reflect its promises. Hiring an official is different from electing a representative The interview also proposes stronger entry requirements for public representatives. Here, the argument moves from professional administration into democratic choice. The Constitution already sets eligibility rules for the National Assembly. Section 47 begins with eligibility to vote and specifies disqualifications ; it does not make a university degree a general condition of membership. Elected representatives and specialist public employees perform different roles, even when both need competence and integrity. A municipality should be able to specify the technical skills required for a specialised post. Deciding which citizens may stand for election raises a separate question: who should be excluded from represent