In a new episode of OTT Talks, published by On Think Tanks on 24 June, Ivor Chipkin, co-founder and director of the New South Institute, speaks with Enrique Mendizabal about South Africa’s Public Service Amendment Act, 2025, the politics of public administration reform, and the role of think tanks in advancing institutional change.

The conversation comes at a significant moment. South Africa’s Public Service Amendment Act, 2025 has been signed into law, marking a major shift in how the country’s public service is governed. At its core, the reform seeks to clarify the boundary between political leadership and public administration: political leaders will continue to set policy, provide strategic direction and exercise democratic oversight, while heads of department will have greater authority over appointments, staffing, internal organisation and day-to-day management.

In the interview, Chipkin explains why this reform matters, how South Africa’s public service became caught between political control and managerial responsibility after 1994, and why the consequences have been so significant for state capability, service delivery and accountability. He also reflects on how the New South Institute has worked over time to build evidence, develop reform ideas, engage Parliament, convene actors and keep public administration reform on the agenda.

A central theme of the discussion is that institutional reform rarely happens quickly. As Chipkin notes, think tanks often work in uncertain and incremental ways: producing research, building coalitions, opening spaces for debate and preparing for moments when political opportunities emerge. In South Africa’s case, such an opening came in 2022, when reform ideas around professionalising the public service gained traction within government and Parliament. The political shift after the 2024 election further changed the mood in Parliament, creating greater openness to alternative ideas and reform proposals.

The episode also makes a broader case for why public administration matters. Reforming the machinery of government may sound technical, but it shapes whether policies in health, education, policing, infrastructure, housing and economic development can actually be delivered. Without capable and accountable administration, even well-designed sectoral interventions struggle to take root.

For NSI, the passage of the Act is not the end of the story. The next phase is implementation: ensuring that the reform changes practice, not only law. This will require careful monitoring, attention to how the law might be undermined in practice, support for regulations and training, and sustained public debate about what a professional and accountable public service should look like.

NSI’s participation in this conversation forms part of an ongoing relationship with On Think Tanks. In June 2025, NSI was one of the host organisations for the On Think Tanks Conference in Johannesburg, hosted in partnership with the South African Institute of International Affairs and On Think Tanks, bringing together think tank leaders, funders and policy experts from around the world. NSI was also named one of On Think Tanks’ “100 Think Tanks to Watch in 2025”, a peer-driven recognition initiative highlighting organisations shaping ideas and driving change. More recently, NSI joined the School for Thinktankers 2026 cohort in Barcelona.

Watch or listen to the full conversation on OTT Talks.

Watch the episode here or listen on Spotify.