The article critiques the recent amendment to South Africa's Public Service Act, which aims to depoliticise appointments by transferring powers to heads of departments.

While the intention to combat corruption is commendable, the authors argue that focusing solely on political interference overlooks systemic bureaucratic failures.

They highlight that most appointment grievances stem from administrative misconduct, such as HR practitioners ignoring procedures, biased selection committees, and line managers manipulating processes.The piece warns against using exceptional cases to justify sweeping legislative changes, emphasizing the need for evidence-based reforms.

It stresses that while political interference is unacceptable, the legal framework already includes safeguards like oversight mechanisms and collective approval.The real challenge lies in enforcing these mechanisms rather than abandoning them.

The article calls for addressing both political and bureaucratic misconduct to ensure merit-based appointments and restore public trust in the public service.