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The Public Servants Association (PSA), representing hundreds of thousands of public-sector employees, welcomes and strongly supports President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call to end the outsourcing of basic government functions.
 
For years, the outsourcing of routine, non-specialised tasks has eroded internal capacity, increased long-term costs, and failed to deliver economic growth. The PSA concurs with the President that rebuilding these functions in the public service is critical to strengthening state capability and ensuring quality service delivery.
 
The PSA has consistently advocated for the insourcing of essential functions, highlighting that outsourcing often results in insecure, low-wage, and short-term jobs, inflated contractor costs, duplication of services, and diminished accountability. Bringing these roles back into government will restore efficiency, promote stable employment, and enhance fiscal sustainability. Outsourced functions, such as cleaning, security, catering, data capturing, maintenance, and basic administration, were previously managed internally. As revealed by reports in the Madlanga Commission, outsourcing has, in some instances, been exploited to facilitate corruption.
 
Whilst outsourcing was once justified as a cost-saving measure, evidence shows that fragmented contractor systems have resulted in inflated costs and duplication of services with short-term job creation opportunities. The PSA calls for these roles to be converted into permanent, fair-paying public-sector positions to strengthen job security and promote economic stability.
 
Public service excellence depends on direct accountability, which is compromised when basic functions are handed to external entities. Restoring these services to government will ensure higher standards, clearer lines of responsibility, and more responsive service delivery.
 
For South Africa to grow, the state must function as a capable economic actor. Chronic outsourcing undermines this objective. The PSA will therefore table this matter for discussion at the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council when the Council reconvenes in January 2026.

Issued by Public Servants Association