Trust in the South African government is low, or so it seems when one lends your ear to social and mainline media.

Recently, the 2024 edition of the Edelman Trust Barometer was unveiled at the World Economic Forum in Davos. According to this annual survey of trust in key societal institutions, trust in the South African government ranks as the second lowest among the 28 countries that participated in the survey. Only 29% of people trust the South African government, a figure that starkly contrasts with the global average of 51% of participants who trust their respective governments. One cannot argue that South Africans are inherently cynical, given that the same survey found that 62% of people trust businesses in South Africa, nearly on par with the global average of 63%.

Low levels of trust are detrimental to the building of a safe and prosperous society. A government lacking the trust of over 70% of its people does not bode well for the prospects of societal advancement or the integrity of the social contract frequently emphasised by the South African President.

But what can be done to restore this low level of trust in government?

I believe that a threesome consisting of Ethics, Competence, and Loyalty can play a vital role in restoring trust in government.

Starting with Ethics, the first member of the threesome, we can define ethics as a commitment to always consider the interests of others in decision-making and actions. Ethics serve as a counterbalance to selfish behaviour, where advancing one’s own interests trumps all other concerns.

For any society to flourish, it needs to be safe, just, and prosperous. This necessitates a modicum of ethics, ensuring that people interact with honesty, fairness, and respect toward one another.

While there are numerous values associated with ethical behaviour, I believe that honesty, respect, and fairness form the fundamental core of ethical conduct. Honesty entails fulfilling what one has promised and staying true to one’s word. Fairness involves treating others as one would wish to be treated, while respect entails recognising the human dignity and equality of all individuals.

People are not inherently born with the values of honesty, fairness, and respect. Rather, these are qualities and characteristics that must be cultivated until they become ingrained as second nature.

Some of the current distrust in government can be attributed to the lack of ethical integrity within government circles. The blatant greed and self-enrichment demonstrated by top government officials, at the expense of the society they are entrusted to serve, is well-documented. The findings of the Zondo Commission on State Capture, along with subsequent media disclosures regarding the abuse of government positions for personal gain, serve as testament to a deficiency in ethical commitment. This deficiency likely contributes to the low levels of trust in government.

Competence is the second member of the wholesome threesome. It pertains to the ability to deliver on a specific mandate. The correlation between trust and competence is evident. A government that promises or sets expectations regarding specific deliverables such as quality education, efficient infrastructure, and the safety of its citizens, yet fails to fulfil these commitments, hardly merits trust.

For a government to demonstrate competence, it requires the appointment of individuals with the appropriate talent, qualifications, and experience to key government institutions and state-owned enterprises. Subsequently, these individuals must be afforded the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in the best interest of the organisations they serve.

Incompetence in government can be attributed to various factors. In some cases, appointments are not based on merit but rather on loyalty to the ruling party or to advance party interests (AKA cadre deployment), or as part of patronage schemes (AKA state capture). In other cases, individuals of merit are appointed to key positions but are then prevented from utilising their abilities in the best interest of their organisations due to government-imposed restrictions (AKA political interference).

The lack of reliable energy supply, deteriorating roads and logistical infrastructure, and high crime and murder rates in South Africa are often linked to a deficiency in competence or to government interference that ties the hands of competent individuals. The importance of combining competence and ethics in effective leadership is underscored by the first principle in the Fourth King Report on Corporate Governance in South Africa, which emphasises that leaders should “lead ethically and effectively.”

The third member of the wholesome threesome, loyalty, is arguably the most controversial of the three. One could legitimately raise concerns that loyalty to the party or to external interests contributed to the state’s plundering during and beyond the era of state capture.

It is therefore imperative to qualify the type of loyalty necessary to render this threesome truly wholesome.

The reason for including loyalty in the threesome is that all forms of corruption or fraud inherently entail an element of disloyalty. If we define corruption as ‘the abuse of one’s official position for private gain’ and fraud as ‘gaining by deceiving others,’ it becomes evident that both corruption and fraud are not only acts of dishonesty but also acts of disloyalty to the organisation that an individual is entrusted to serve.

It is important to recognise that the loyalty necessary for the threesome to be truly wholesome is not blind or uncritical loyalty to either one’s own or someone else’s interests, but rather a critical loyalty to the purpose of the organisation one serves.

All organisations, including government entities, are created for specific purposes. The loyalty emphasised in the wholesome threesome relates to the purpose of the organisation one serves. For instance, the purpose of the public service, as outlined in Section 195 of the South African Constitution, emphasises the promotion and maintenance of a high standard of professional ethics, efficient and effective resource utilisation, and a development-oriented approach.

The loyalty that is called for is one that stands firm and speaks truth to power when the purpose of an institution is compromised or sacrificed for personal or party-political gain. It mirrors the loyalty exhibited by whistleblowers who speak out when they observe resources being squandered on matters that do not align with the organisation’s purpose. It embodies the commitment to the organisation’s purpose that prevents conflicts of interest.

This form of loyalty is not self-serving or always convenient. It is a loyalty that can only flourish when guided by the other two members of the threesome: ethics and competence.

It is this combination of loyalty, competence, and ethics that is urgently needed to restore trust in the South African government. Similarly, it is this very same threesome that is required for restoring or upholding trust in any other organisation, be it in the public or private sectors, as well as in civil society organisations.

Prof Deon Rossouw is the CEO of The Ethics Institute and an Extraordinary Professor in Philosophy at Stellenbosch University.