Institutionalising ethical governance

The City's Group Governance: Ethics Office is mandated to transcend mere compliance, establishing an ethical architecture that underpins administrative credibility and operational efficiency. The Office functions as the custodian of the CoJ Code of Ethics and the primary driver of a structured eight-element ethics programme, ensuring public resources are protected and employee conduct aligns with the highest standards of integrity.

It has been strategically mandated by the City Manager to ensure the Administration possesses effective policies, structures, and programmes necessary to institutionalise and monitor ethics across all spheres. The establishment and continuous operationalisation of the Group Governance: Ethics Office is not simply a matter of best practice; it is a constitutional imperative. The mandate of the office is directly derived from the fundamental principles governing public administration in the Republic.

The constitutional and legislative foundation

Section 195[1] of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, explicitly dictates that public administration must be governed by democratic values and principles, including:

• “A high standard of professional ethics must be promoted and maintained."
• “Public administration must be accountable."
• “Transparency must be fostered by providing the public with timely, accessible and accurate information."

The Local Government: Municipal Systems Act [MSA], No. 32 of 2000, read with the Municipal Finance Management Act [MFMA], No. 56 of 2003, provides the necessary framework for the Code of Conduct for all municipal employees. The Ethics Office is charged with overseeing ethical behaviour in accordance with this Code, ensuring the City's administrative body adheres strictly to its legal and fiduciary duties.

The mandate: Custodianship and institutionalisation

To translate constitutional principles into actionable administrative conduct, the Ethics Office manages a sophisticated, integrated ethics programme driven by eight core components:

1. ​Developing, implementing, and leading a cost-effective, integrated ethics strategy that aligns with the City's broader strategic objectives.
2. Systematically identifying ethical risks and opportunities, and proactively mitigating the City's ethics risk exposure.
3. Developing and implementing appropriate codes, policies, procedures, and internal controls to enforce ethical standards.
4. Leading initiatives to institutionalise and shape a strong ethical culture, ethical approaches, and best practices throughout the City.
5. Facilitating and supporting appropriate and effective governance structures and mechanisms for ethics oversight.
6. Applying appropriate enabling technologies that ensure ethics management effectiveness and administrative efficiency.
7. Continuously monitoring the ethics culture and climate and providing timely, accurate reports on programme performance to executive leadership.
8. Driving ethical literacy, which includes external digital initiatives such as JoziEthicast, the transmedia platform for public discourse on integrity.

The success and longevity of any ethics programme is fundamentally contingent upon the 'tone at the top', a visible, unwavering demonstration of leadership's belief in and commitment to an ethical organisation.

Under the leadership of Dr Ernest Mutenda, Acting Ethics Officer, the City is anchoring its integrity efforts in systems thinking and continuous improvement. Dr Mutenda's expertise, which includes a PhD focused on sustainable public procurement, ensures that the ethical strategy is not merely theoretical but integrated into the core operational DNA of the City Administration.

​By overseeing, directing, and monitoring ethics best practices, the Group Governance: Ethics Office is not just reacting to governance challenges but is proactively shaping the ethical landscape, positioning the City of Johannesburg as a premier example of developmental local government grounded in integrity.

Dr. Ernest Mutenda
Acting Ethics Officer
City of Johannesburg