Limpopo | Regional Focus

Renewing Public Professionalism In A Province Of Promise

By Jessie Taylor

Limpopo is often framed in narratives of rural challenge and infrastructural backlog, but beneath that lies a province of untapped potential. It has rich agricultural endowments, significant mineral resources, and a strategic border position linking South Africa with Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Its economic sectors - agriculture, mining, local manufacturing and services - play critical roles in the national economy and local livelihoods. To unlock that potential fully, the province’s public service must become more professional, merit-driven and future-oriented, and that is precisely the call being made by Premier Phophi Ramathuba.

The public sector in the province is a significant engine in shaping how the province’s economic value is unlocked, distributed and sustained. Limpopo’s public service is the frontline of governance, service delivery and capacity building, from local municipalities and district administrations to provincial departments and service agencies. But, as the Premier notes, professionalism must rise if that engine is to run smoothly.

A Return To Fundamentals

At the South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM) conference in Thohoyandou, Premier Ramathuba made a pointed plea: “The public service must be professionalised. Appointments must be based on merit, not patronage. Training and capacity development must be continuous, not sporadic… accountability must be enforced.”

She observed that weak institutions, lack of consequence management and outdated systems breed inefficiency, erode trust, and allow corruption to fester. Her message: professionalism is non-negotiable for a developmental state. The Premier’s remarks are more than rhetorical. In her address, she emphasised that many municipalities in Limpopo are in financial distress or placed under administration, with poor audit outcomes year after year. In those contexts, service delivery collapses, and residents lose faith in governance. She urged a return to fundamentals: integrity, competence and consequence management.She also challenged the public service to adopt technology more aggressively, decrying that “manual systems delay service delivery, breed inefficiency, and sometimes enable corruption”.

Translating High-level Commitments Into on-the-ground transformation is not easy. Limpopo has seen significant job losses: between Q4 2024 and Q1 2025, the province lost some 55,000 jobs, representing nearly 20% of national job losses in that period. Unemployment is exceedingly high: the expanded rate stood at 48.6%, the second highest nationally, with only 36.5% of the working-age population employed. That underlines how fragile livelihoods are, and how critical it is for the public sector to be effective, predictable and nurturing of economic renewal.

A Focus on Reform

The Premier’s call is for continuous skills development and lifelong learning to be institutionalised, and for the public sector’s digital transformation to be accelerated so that administrative systems, performance tracking, citizen services and interdepartmental coordination are seamless. Ramathuba’s phrase that “technology too, must become our obsession” should not be dismissed lightly.

One promising asset in Limpopo is its agricultural and mining sectors, which generate both revenue and employment potential. With agriculture contributing significantly—Limpopo produces 75% of South Africa’s mangoes, 65% of its papayas, and major shares of citrus, avocados, tomatoes and more—and with rich mineral reserves in platinum group metals, chromium, gold, diamonds and ferroalloys, there is scope for the public sector to act as enabler, regulator and facilitator. The public sector must be a capable partner in enabling investment, zoning, land reform, water infrastructure and environmental management, not a bottleneck.

In addition, Limpopo’s position along the Trans-Limpopo corridor, with connections to Johannesburg and regional trade routes, provides an opportunity for logistics, export, agro-processing and value-added industries. But only a professional public service can manage permitting, infrastructure, grid access, and municipal readiness in a consistent, efficient fashion.

Limpopo’s future depends not solely on its natural endowments, but on how its public institutions harness them. Professionalising the public service is not a luxury but a necessary foundation for economic renewal, fairness, and development. As Ramathuba insisted, this must be more than eloquence. If Durban or Cape Town can point to model municipalities, so too should Thohoyandou, Polokwane and the districts of Limpopo one day point to a public service that works, not just as an employer, but as a catalyst of hope for its citizens.

A Thriving Provincial Economy

According to the latest provincial economic outlook, Limpopo contributes roughly 7.6% of South Africa’s GDP (at market value) as of 2023. Limpopo’s GDP at market prices reached around R535.6 billion in 2023, up from R520.5 billion in 2022.

While provinces such as Gauteng (33.2%) and KwaZuluNatal (16.2%) dominate more visible shares, Limpopo’s role is steady and impactful. In its internal economy, mining accounts for a significant share - about 22% of provincial output - with agriculture, manufacturing and construction contributing smaller but strategically important proportions.

Employment statistics show that Limpopo accounts for about 10% of total national employment in the real economy sectors, including agriculture, mining, construction and manufacturing.

Sources: Department of Public Service and Administration | Limpopo Treasury | Statistics South Africa | Limpopo Government | Limpopo Economic Development Agency