Political patronage has become a notable concern in the South African public sector, often compared to a new epidemic because of its adverse effects on governance and public administration. This phenomenon involves by political leaders offering rewards and appointment people for key government positions and allocating resources to them based on their political loyalty rather than their abilities and qualifications. This intensifies corruption by fostering a culture in which competence is subordinate, resulting in inadequately qualified individuals assuming key positions and receiving benefits, thereby amplifying opportunities for unethical conduct. In turn, this practice undermines the effectiveness and integrity of public sector institutions. The purpose of this article is to offer a broader analysis and implications of political patronage and how it fuels corruption and governance in the South African public sector. This article employs a secondary research method through the review of existing literature to examine the nature of political patronage, its nexus with corruption and misgovernance in the public sector, drawing reference to contemporary, renowned corruption cases. This paper submits that overcoming these challenges necessitates a holistic approach that involves the professionalization of the public sector, robust measures to combat corruption, and improved transparency. The objective is to establish and promote a public service that emphasizes competence, responsibility, and the fulfilment of governance functions in order to serve the wider interests of citizens.

Ahmed, G.O. 2024. The impact of patronage dynamics in government employment on service delivery in Wajir County, Kenya. Eastern African Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(1): 107-119.

Althaus, S. 2022. Theorizing World Orders: Cognitive Evolution and Beyond. Perspectives on Politics. 20. 1140 - 1142. https://doi.org/10.1017/S153759272200175X.

Apriliyanti, I.D. 2023. Continuity and Complexity: A Study of Patronage Politics in State-owned Enterprises in Post-authoritarian Indonesia. Critical Asian Studies, 55(4):516-537.

Bardhan, P. 2021. Clientelism and governance. WIDER Working Paper. https://doi.org/10.35188/UNU-WIDER/2021/056-6.

Berg, E., and Yüksel, İ. 2022. Holding Back or Pushing Forward? Patron-Client Relations and Elite Navigations in Northern Cyprus. Ethnopolitics.22. 550 - 567. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449057.2022.2094067.

Bester, D. Dobovšek, B. 2021. State capture: case of South Africa. NBP-Journal of Criminalistics and Law, 26(1):73-87.

Brett, P. 2020. Politics by other means in South Africa today. Journal of Law and Society.47:126-144.

Cameron, R. 2022. Political–Administrative Relationships. In Public Sector Reform in South Africa 1994–2021, 36:33-86. Emerald Publishing Limited.

Campbell, J. 2020. Buying the honor of thieves? Performance pays, political patronage, and corruption. International Journal of Law Crime and Justice, 63. 100439. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJLCJ.2020.100439.

Ceva, E. Ferretti, M.P. 2021. Upholding public institutions in the midst of conflicts: the threat of political corruption. Ethics & global politics. 14(3):1961379.

Corruption Watch. 2018. VBS mutual bank- the great bank heist. Available (online) https://www.corruptionwatch.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/VBS-Mutual-Bank-The-Great-Bank-Heist.pdf Accessed: 01 October 2024.

Dassah, M.O. 2018. Theoretical analysis of state capture and its manifestation as a governance problem in South Africa. TD: The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa. 14(1):1-10.

Davis, R. 2021. Digital vibes scandal: The story behind the story. Available online: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-10-19-digital-vibes-scandal-the-story-behind-the-story/ (accessed on 11 October 2024).

Driscoll, B. 2018. Why political competition can increase patronage. Studies in Comparative International Development, 53(4), 404-427.

Dyzenhaus, A. 2021. Patronage or policy? The politics of property rights formalization in Kenya. World Development, (146).

Gray, B. 2017. The Jesuits and globalization: historical legacies and contemporary challenges. Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 30, 442 - 445. https://doi.org/10.1080/09557571.2018.1444854.

Hicken, A., 2011. Clientelism. Annual review of political science. 14(1):289-310.

Kuo, D., 2018. Clientelism, capitalism, and democracy: The rise of programmatic politics in the United States and Britain. Cambridge University Press.

Labuschagne, P. 2017. Patronage, state capture and oligopolistic monopoly in South Africa: The slide from a weak to a dysfunctional state? Acta Academica: Critical views on society, culture, and politics, 49(2), 51-67.

Lewis, D. and Hossain, A. 2022. Local political consolidation in Bangladesh: power, informality and patronage. Development and Change. 53(2):356-375.

Magome, M. 2021. Report: Corruption at S Africa health ministry during COVID. Available (Online) https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-africa-health-south-africa-b41b697e2ec09287027dd942f5622d55 Accessed: 02 October 2024.10.08.

Majid, H. Memon, R. 2019. Patronage and Public Goods Provisioning in an Unequal Land. Social Indicators Research, 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1007/S11205-017-1707-0.

Matloga, S.T. Mahole, E. Nekhavhambe, M.M. 2024. Challenges of public participation in improving basic service delivery in Vhembe District Municipality, Limpopo, South Africa. Journal of Local Government Research and Innovation, 5, p.160.

Mlambo, V.H. Zubane, S.P. Thusi, X. 2022. Interrogating governance challenges and cadre deployment in South Africa. Cihan University-Erbil Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences. 6(1):11-18.

Mongale, C.O. Venter, J.C. (2024). The African National Congress’s factionalism and targeted killings as risks to human security in KwaZulu-Natal province’. Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies, 16(1).

Mophethe, K.H. 2023. Developmental governance: accountability and participatory governance at SOEs in South Africa.

Motsaathebe, G. 2023. Media Discourse, Legal, and Ethical Issues Arising from the Zuma Saga and Nkandlagate. Communicatio. 49(2):72-90.

Motswaledi, T.R. Maseng, J.O. 2024. An Examination of Political Patronage and Maladministration on State-Owned Entities with Specific Reference to South African Airways: A Literature Study. Journal of Politics and Law, 17(3):1-74.

Mutuku, R., Owuoche, S. Jonyo, F. 2023. The Concatenating Relationship between Political Clientelism and Citizen Quiescence in Kenya. The African Review. https://doi.org/10.1163/1821889x-bja10090.

Myeza, L., Nkhi, N. and Maroun, W. 2021. Risk management factors contributing to transgressions in the procurement practices in South African SOEs. Journal of Accounting in Emerging Economies, 11(5):735-751.

Ojo, J.S., Lamidi, K.O., Odewale, A.D., Shiyanbade, B. Ihemeje, G. 2020. Enemy within the state: the pathology of boko haram insurgency, military corruption, and fallacy of arms procurement in Nigeria. International journal of public administration. 43(12):1068-1082.

Okojie, T.A. Ebonine, V.C.2024. Patronage politics and state creation in Nigeria. African Social Science and Humanities Journal 5(3):200-212.

Oliveros, V. 2021. Patronage at work: Public jobs and political services in Argentina. Cambridge University Press.

Oluseye, O. 2024. Exploring potential political corruption in large-scale infrastructure projects in Nigeria. Project Leadership and Society, 5:100108.

Olver, C. 2018. Patronage and politics in a South African city: a case study of Nelson Mandela Bay. Area Development and Policy, 3, 275 -292. https://doi.org/10.1080/23792949.2018.1440971.

Olver, C. 2021. Power, institutions and rents in two South African cities. Area Development and Policy, 6(3):250-270.

Peters, B. Bianchi, C. 2020. Patronage and the Public Service: A Dynamic Performance Governance Perspective. , 215-236. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42970-6_10.

Polga-Hecimovich, J., 2021. The bureaucratic perils of presidentialism: political impediments to good governance in Latin America. Journal of Policy Studies, 36(4), pp.1-14.

Quintal, G. 2019. Agrizzi gives Zondo inquiry details on bribery and corruption in prison tenders: Former Bosasa COO alleges incriminating documents and computers were destroyed after media reports and start of Special Investigation Unit probe. Available (online) https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/national/2019-01-22-agrizzi-gives-zondo-inquiry-details-on-bribery-and-corruption-in-prison-tenders/ Accessed: 01 October 2024.

Ravidasan, N.S. 2023. Managing corruption risks through corporate governance: A critical study of engineering procurement and construction contracts in the oil and gas sector (Doctoral dissertation, School of Law, UPES, Dehradun).

Sayari, S. 2014. Interdisciplinary Approaches to Political Clientelism and Patronage in Turkey. Turkish Studies, 15, 655 - 670. https://doi.org/10.1080/14683849.2014.985809.

Shava, E. and Mazenda, A. 2021. Ethics in South African public administration: a critical review. International Journal of Management Practice, 14(3):306-324.

Subandi, Y., Nurmandi, A., Qodir, Z., Jubba, H., Purwaningsih, T., Rochimah, T.N. Syamsurrijal, M. 2022. Bibliometric analysis and visualization of political patronage articles in Indonesia indexed in Scopus. In Proceedings of the First International Conference on Democracy and Social Transformation, 15 September, , 2021, Semarang, Indonesia.

Swanepoel, P. 2021. The slippery slope to State capture: cadre deployment as an enabler of corruption and a contributor to blurred party-State lines. Law, Democracy and Development. https://doi.org/10.17159/2077-4907/2021/ldd.v25.15.

Toral, G. 2019. The Benefits of Patronage: How the Political Appointment of Bureaucrats Can Enhance Their Accountability and Effectiveness. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3462459.

Toral, G. 2024. How patronage delivers: Political appointments, bureaucratic accountability, and service delivery in Brazil. American Journal of Political Science, 68(2):797-815.

Tsako, V., 2020. The Effect of Political Environment on Service Delivery: A Study of Political Instability, Patronage and Factionalism in a Municipal Environment. Journal of Public Administration, 2(3), pp.6-18.

Van Rensburg, D. 2020. VBS: a dream defrauded. Penguin Random House South Africa.

Vilchez, V., Paucar‐Caceres, A., Werner, K. 2020. A systemic framework to evaluate political clientelism and citizens' subjectivation processes. Systems Research and Behavioral Science. https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.2666.

Wang, Y., Wissenbach, U. 2019. Clientelism at work? A case study of Kenyan Standard Gauge Railway project. Economic History of Developing Regions, 34, 280 - 299. https://doi.org/10.1080/20780389.2019.1678026.

Zeeshan, M., Rehman, A., Ullah, I., Hussain, A. and Afridi, F.E.A. 2022. Exploring symmetric and asymmetric nexus between corruption, political instability, natural resources and economic growth in the context of Pakistan. Resources Policy, 78:102785.