The polarised nature of South Africa creates challenges for development that are not faced by more egalitarian societies.  Here, two-thirds of personal income is held by just twenty percent of the population, while the poorest 60% of the population earn just 15% of income.¹ The richest quintile tends to buy social services from the private sector, while the poorest 80% are almost entirely dependent on the public sector. An area of common interest is municipal services, which are largely financed by the wealthiest 40%.  The small tax base prevents a rapid expansion of supply of skilled professionals, and those who are skilled get generally snapped up by the private sector. Some skilled individuals who remain in the public sector try and derive financial and other benefit from their positions in ways that detract from effective service delivery. The public service thus becomes even further devalued. Any benefits of investments in human potential will tend to be disproportionately captured by the wealthiest part of the population – unless more value is placed on innovation and productivity for the public benefit.

Ultimately, this is about the values of our society, and the post-apartheid generation of young people need role models who place value on a better society for all.  We aim to develop a new national cohort of entrepreneurial young leaders committed to public innovation – whether they are in the public or private sector.

The Activate! Leadership and Public Innovation programme – the flagship partner of the Leadership for a Winning Nation portfolio – has just opened for applications. See the full details here.