Louis Scheepers: Ethical leader and public service champion

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for

thou are not so;

For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow

Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,

Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,

And soonest our best men with thee do go,

Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.

The death of comrade, friend, mentor and local government colleague Dr Louis Scheepers brought to mind these first two stanzas of John Donne’s Holy Sonnet.

Scheepers emerged from the ravages of the Cape Flats as an anti-apartheid activist to become a municipal manager, academic and local government leader in the democratic era.

There are few who took their political activism and passion for human development into the arena of local governance.

There are even fewer armed with a combination of a doctoral degree in local governance, experience of having worked in all spheres of public administration, being a municipal manager and being a municipal troubleshooter.

Such was the respect for his skills, that his appointments to local government were made even by municipal councils whose political views were at odds with his own.

So, when he died, the municipalities he served in, the national and provincial administrations he worked with, and many people to whom he served as a mentor were in mourning.

The poem, Stil, broers, daar gaan ‘n man verby, hy groet en

dis verlaas, daar is nog maar een soos hy; bekyk hom goed, by

Jan FE Celliers, describes the feelings of utter loss.

Scheepers combined being an ethical leader and public sector manager who believed deeply that the human condition can be improved through the state, particularly local government.

This is a rare combination which needs both the foresight required for service delivery and tenacious management of the delivery processes.

He believed senior managers were placed in an exceptional position as they had at their disposal the power and authority of the state, the resources of the state and the legitimacy of that same state to improve the quality of lives of ordinary people.

In undertaking this responsibility, he had to make peace with the fact that, like the poor, the corrupt will always be among us.

In this regard, he held the conviction that accounting officers should make it as difficult as possible for the corrupt to operate and succeed.

He was one of few who had the ability to stand up against populism and political expedience, and be respected for it even if his principals had to retreat from their willingness to bend the rules.

Hence this rage against death because a beacon, a mentor and national resource has been taken away at the time this country needs more like him.

As a leader, Scheepers trusted both his staff and communities.

The combination of trust together with his knowledge and experience made him a successful leader.

Many a strategic discussion centred on the identification of cadres within the public administration system around whom a new public sector culture could be developed.

At the time of his death, he was two weeks into his post as Lekwa municipality’s head of corporate services.

That the municipality’s staff tearfully received the news of his death after knowing him for such a short time, is an indication of the mark he left by bringing about corporate governance changes which had eluded them for years.

Many accounting officers have made themselves vulnerable to adverse findings from the auditor-general as well as financial misconduct by bending the rules to appease political masters or to enrich themselves.

As pressure mounts on accounting officers ahead of elections, the guidance, wisdom and mentorship Scheepers provided serve as tools for accounting officers to meet the challenges and standards set by him.

These include: Pursuing public service above all else;

Leading with integrity and selflessness;

Courage to use public resources judiciously;

Determination to respect and implement the systems of accountability and transparency relentlessly; and

Doing the right thing and trusting that the system will ultimately make an impact.

John Donne’s sonnet ends:

One short sleep past, we wake eternally

And death shall be no more;

Death, thou shalt die.

With death having taken the best among us, together with his bones and soul, what can the living do to ensure that death might have taken Scheepers, but that death itself dies to make him eternal?

Scheepers certainly was one of a kind, but for death not to succeed, Scheepers’ values need to live on through the conduct of public officials.

Officials in Lekwa municipality and elsewhere have resolved to rebuild the institutions they are responsible and accountable for as a monument to Louis Scheepers.

It is also an opportunity for the universities to which he was affiliated to initiate a learning network of public sector accounting officers where living his values is encouraged.