On 23 May 2025, the New South Institute’s (NSI) recently published report, Government in Numbers, was featured prominently across major South African media platforms. The report, the first in a new data-focused series, provides a detailed analysis of demographic shifts within the South African public administration, focusing specifically on age profiles in three key departments: the South African Police Service, the National Department of Health and the Department of Basic Education.

As part of the public response to the report, Yoliswa Makhasi, head of NSI’s Public Service Programme, was invited for a live interview on Newzroom Afrika. In the interview, she discussed the motivation behind the report − namely, the need to ground public sector reforms in evidence-based research – and explored the findings that indicate a decline in the number of young public servants, alongside an ageing workforce that is approaching retirement in significant numbers.

Makasi also highlighted the potential risks this demographic imbalance poses to service delivery and institutional continuity, stressing the importance of structured recruitment strategies, targeted internship programmes and sustainable mentorship pathways within the public service.

In parallel, News24 published an article by journalist Alex Patrick on the same day. The piece covered the NSI report launch event, which featured contributions from NSI Director Ivor Chipkin and Dinkie Dube, director-general of the Public Service Commission. The article, titled ‘Succession plan urgent as post-1994 generation nears retirement’, examines the broader implications of the ageing workforce in the public sector and the strategic policy options under consideration to manage this transition effectively.

Both the interview and the article contribute to an important national conversation around the professionalisation of the public service and the structural reforms necessary to ensure its long-term sustainability and effectiveness.

The full Government in Numbers report is available on NSI’s website. Readers are encouraged to explore both the interview with Yolissa Makasi and the News24 article for further insights into the report’s findings and the ongoing public discourse surrounding its implications.