The purpose of this study is to critically examine the effectiveness of the Public Service Commission (PSC) in promoting ethical governance, accountability, and anti-corruption within South Africa's public service. The study further evaluates proposals advocating for the restructuring or strengthening of the PSC using lessons derived from the Madlanga Commission model and assesses whether such reforms could improve institutional effectiveness, public trust, transparency, and consequence management. Despite South Africa having a comprehensive constitutional and legislative framework supported by numerous oversight institutions, corruption, maladministration, procurement irregularities, weak consequence management, and declining public confidence continue to undermine public administration and service delivery. Questions therefore arise regarding whether the Public Service Commission possesses adequate constitutional authority, institutional independence, and enforcement capacity to fulfil its mandate effectively or whether comprehensive institutional reforms are necessary to strengthen accountability and combat corruption more effectively. The study adopted a qualitative research approach using a systematic desktop literature review and documentary analysis. Secondary data were collected from the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, legislation, Public Service Commission reports, Auditor-General South Africa reports, the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture (Zondo Commission), policy documents, government publications, international governance reports, and peer-reviewed academic literature. Thematic analysis was employed to identify recurring governance challenges, institutional weaknesses, and opportunities for reform. The study found that the Public Service Commission possesses a comprehensive constitutional mandate but has limited enforcement authority because many of its recommendations are advisory rather than binding. Persistent corruption, procurement irregularities, financial misconduct, and governance failures indicate weaknesses in implementation rather than deficiencies in legislation. The study further found that weak consequence management, limited institutional coordination, and insufficient implementation of oversight recommendations undermine the effectiveness of the public accountability system. Lessons from the Zondo Commission and the Madlanga Commission highlight the importance of institutional independence, transparent investigations, merit-based appointments, and stronger oversight mechanisms. Rather than replacing the PSC, the findings support strengthening its legal powers, investigative capacity, monitoring systems, and collaboration with other oversight institutions. The study concludes that strengthening the effectiveness of the Public Service Commission is essential for improving ethical governance, accountability, and public sector integrity in South Africa. Sustainable governance reform requires stronger institutional independence, effective consequence management, transparent public administration, and political commitment to implementing oversight recommendations. By enhancing the PSC's institutional capacity and aligning governance practices with constitutional principles and international best practices, South Africa can strengthen democratic governance, improve service delivery, combat corruption more effectively, and restore public confidence in state institutions.

The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed entrepreneurial practices globally, offering tools for predictive analytics, risk assessment, and strategic decision-making. However, the adoption and effective use of AI among small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in South-East Nigeria remain limited. This study examines the impact of AI on entrepreneurial decision-making, specifically its influence on opportunity recognition and decision-making accuracy among SME owners and managers. A cross-sectional survey research design was employed, with data collected from 242 respondents across five states using a structured questionnaire titled Artificial Intelligence in Entrepreneurial Decision-Making Index (AIEDMI), validated with a reliability coefficient of 0.84. Data were analyzed using Spearman Rank Order Correlation Coefficient at a 0.05 level of significance. Findings reveal that AI significantly enhances both opportunity recognition and decision-making accuracy among entrepreneurs, enabling them to identify emerging market opportunities, optimize resources, and make evidence-based strategic decisions. The study concludes that AI serves as a vital enabler of effective entrepreneurial decision-making and business sustainability. It is recommended that SMEs integrate AI tools into their operations and invest in AI literacy and training to maximize strategic benefits and competitive advantage.

South Africa continues to experience persistent public management challenges despite an extensive constitutional, legislative, and policy framework designed to promote accountable, ethical, and developmental governance. This article examines the recent challenges confronting public management in South Africa, focusing on governance failures, corruption, state capture, institutional capacity, ethical leadership, accountability, public service professionalisation, and service delivery. The article further evaluates current public sector reforms and proposes practical strategies for strengthening governance and building a capable, ethical, and developmental state. Although South Africa has established comprehensive governance frameworks, including the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, the Batho Pele White Paper (1997), the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030, and the National Framework Towards the Professionalisation of the Public Sector (2022), persistent challenges such as corruption, political interference, weak institutional capacity, poor financial management, ineffective accountability, and declining public trust continue to undermine public sector performance and service delivery. These governance deficiencies have constrained socio-economic development and weakened the effectiveness of democratic institutions. The study employed a systematic literature review (SLR) using a qualitative research approach. A systematic search and critical review of peer-reviewed journal articles, books, government legislation, policy documents, commission reports, oversight institution reports, and publications from national and international organisations were undertaken. The review incorporated evidence from the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture (Zondo Commission), the Public Service Commission (PSC), the Auditor-General South Africa (AGSA), the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), the National Planning Commission, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the United Nations (UN). The collected data were analysed using thematic analysis to identify recurring governance challenges, reform initiatives, and emerging trends in South African public management. The review found that South Africa possesses a robust constitutional and policy framework for public administration; however, implementation remains inconsistent. Corruption, state capture, political interference, weak institutional capacity, ineffective leadership, inadequate accountability, poor financial management, and limited implementation of governance reforms continue to impede effective service delivery. The findings further indicate that public service professionalisation, merit-based recruitment, ethical leadership, strengthened oversight, improved financial governance, institutional capacity development, and effective implementation of the recommendations of the Zondo Commission, Public Service Commission, and Auditor-General South Africa are critical to improving governance and restoring public trust. The article concludes that strengthening public management in South Africa requires more than policy and legislative reform; it requires effective implementation, ethical leadership, institutional professionalism, transparent governance, robust accountability mechanisms, and sustained political commitment. The successful implementation of public sector reforms has the potential to improve service delivery, enhance institutional resilience, combat corruption, restore public confidence, and contribute to the achievement of the National Development Plan 2030, the African Union Agenda 2063, and United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16. The article provides evidence-based recommendations that contribute to policy development, public sector reform, and future research on governance and public administration.

South Africa's criminal justice system has faced increasing scrutiny due to allegations of political interference, organised crime infiltration, corruption, and weakened accountability mechanisms. The establishment of the Madlanga Commission in 2025 marked a significant governance intervention aimed at investigating allegations of criminality, political influence, and corruption within key criminal justice institutions. Despite the importance of the Commission, limited scholarly attention has been given to its implications for criminal justice governance, institutional accountability, and democratic governance in South Africa. The central problem addressed in this study is the growing concern that political interference, organised crime infiltration, and corruption have undermined the effectiveness, independence, and credibility of South Africa's criminal justice institutions, thereby threatening the rule of law and public trust. The purpose of this study was to critically examine the role, significance, and potential impact of the Madlanga Commission in addressing governance failures within South Africa's criminal justice system. The study sought to explore the extent to which the Commission can contribute to strengthening accountability, institutional integrity, transparency, and democratic governance. A qualitative systematic literature review approach was adopted. Data were collected through the analysis of academic literature, government reports, official commission documents, policy papers, governance reports, and relevant secondary sources relating to corruption, organised crime, political interference, accountability, and criminal justice reform. The study was guided by Institutional Theory, Good Governance Theory, and Accountability Theory, which provided a framework for analysing governance failures and institutional vulnerabilities within criminal justice institutions.The findings revealed that political interference, organised crime infiltration, weak oversight structures, and corruption constitute significant threats to the effectiveness and legitimacy of South Africa's criminal justice system. The study further found that accountability failures and institutional weaknesses create opportunities for criminal influence and governance failures. Evidence suggests that the Madlanga Commission serves as an important accountability mechanism capable of exposing institutional vulnerabilities, promoting transparency, and recommending reforms aimed at strengthening criminal justice governance. However, the study found that the long-term effectiveness of the Commission will largely depend on the implementation of its recommendations and the commitment of relevant stakeholders to institutional reform. The study concludes that the Madlanga Commission represents a critical opportunity to strengthen the rule of law, restore public trust, and enhance institutional accountability within South Africa's criminal justice system. Effective implementation of the Commission's recommendations could contribute significantly to combating corruption, preventing political interference, improving governance, and promoting institutional resilience. The study recommends strengthened oversight mechanisms, enhanced anti-corruption measures, greater institutional independence, and comprehensive criminal justice reforms to safeguard democratic governance and constitutional accountability.