PUBLIC SECTOR ENCOURAGED TO “LEAD LIKE MANDELA”
The National School of Government (NSG) was established in terms of the Public Service Act, 1994, with a legal mandate to provide or facilitate the provision of training in the public service. The School was officially launched by the Minister for Public
Service and Administration in October 2013. It provides compulsory and demand-driven training focused on improving education on leadership, management and administration in the public service. In addition to this, the NSG undertakes research on public service training and carries out training needs analyses for the different government departments. Partneships with public and private sector institutions are also integral to the success of the NSG. The exchange of knowledge and collaborative development of capacity building solutions enriches the quality and relevance of NSG’s interventions. As we celebrated 100 years of the life and legacy of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the NSG partnered with the Thembekile Mandela Foundation (TMF) to encourage public sector leaders to lead like Mandela. The “Leading Like Mandela” programme seeks to bestow public sector leaders with the ethical and transformative leadership qualities that defined Nelson Mandela’s leadership. The two partners are preparing to pilot this programme in the public and private sector. The programme, officially named Mandela Leadership Programme, comes at a time when the country, the continent and the world are calling out for great, conscious leaders who selflessly strive to improve the lives of their people sustainably. This partnership entails training private and public sector leaders to lead like Mandela and to strengthen the engagement between the public sector, private sector and civil society for the realisation of the vision of the National Development Plan (NDP), AU Agenda 2063 and UN Vision 2030 to create a better world for all.
This is in line with the call by the NDP for government to collaborate with other non-state actors and to build leadership throughout state and society. Areas of co-operation under the partnership are related to organising and co-hosting Thought Leadership seminars/dialogues and “Mandela Talks” on topics of national interest/importance; to pilot the “Leading Like Mandela” leadership programme in the public sector; to collaborate on social outreach, targeting the youth in areas of capacity development mutually agreed to by the two participants; and to collaborate in “Think Tanks”, and research and development of case studies in public sector capacity development. The common bold ambition of this partnership is to take the Mandela Leadership Programme to the African continent and the rest of the world; and through the partnership between TMF and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) we will be able to reach that goal.