The South African public service, once envisioned as a force for nation-building and development, has betrayed its people. It has devolved into a corrupt, self-serving system plagued by cronyism, incompetence, and mediocrity.

Whistleblowers like Ralph Kanyane and Vaaltyn Kekana, who dared to expose corruption and fight for accountability, paid the ultimate price—assassinated in a chilling act of betrayal by a system that turned against them instead of protecting them. This rooted rot cannot be allowed to persist.

A revolution of guerrilla public servants—fearless, strategic reformers—must rise to dismantle the decay and rebuild the public service into an institution that truly serves its citizens with integrity, innovation, and justice. The fight is not just against corruption; it is for the soul of the nation.

THE CRUX OF THE MATTER

Ralph Kanyane - Murder in thE PUBLIC SERVICEe Public Service

It is generally known and accepted that South Africa public service has failed as agency for development. It is characterised by a deeply rooted culture of self-preservation, self interests, loyality, turf wars, confused senior management, corruption, nepotism, and mediocrity.

The system, much like a traditional military force, is immobile, rigid, and resistant to change. It thrives on bureaucracy, entrenched hierarchies, and an apathetic approach to innovation and accountability. Guerrilla warfare is a time-tested strategy of irregular resistance, using cunning, resourcefulness, and resilience to outmaneuver stronger adversaries.

This approach, with its roots in Sun Tzu's The Art of War and Quintus Fabius Maximus's Fabian strategy, has consistently been a tool for the underdog to counter overwhelming odds. Just as guerrilla fighters resist oppressive regimes or occupying forces, guerrilla public servants must adopt a similar ethos to challenge and dismantle the entrenched dysfunction and toxicity within the public service.

Speak truth to power and expose wrongdoing, even when it carries personal risks. Find creative solutions to bypass bureaucratic bottlenecks and deliver effective services. Understand the structures of authority within the public service and strategically challenge them. Form networks of like-minded individuals

The stakes could not be higher. South Africa’s future depends on public servants who are willing to disrupt the status quo, dismantle the cancer of corruption, and rebuild a system that truly serves the people.

We envision a new kind of public servant—a guerrilla within the system. These are individuals who refuse to bow to the status quo, who wield their ingenuity and courage to disrupt the toxic machinery. This is not a battle fought with weapons, but with ideas, ethics, and unwavering commitment.

Guerrillas are fighters for the people. They rise from within, fueled by the pain and struggles of ordinary citizens. They confront oppression, challenge incompetence, and dismantle corruption. Guerrillas refuse to accept that townships must remain stagnant, that children must study under trees, that communities must live without water and electricity.

Guerilla Strategies are the often overlooked natural organic smarts and adaptive acumen. These personal strategies, essential for navigating life, are here refined and tailored specifically for the public service terrain. In South Africa, where government serves as the principal driver of development, it is crucial for public servants to embody exceptional effectiveness and adaptability to meet the nation's ever-evolving needs.

Guerilla Strategies for Public Service Careers is more than just an educational program comprising an ebook, audio series, and video content. It is a movement led by two deeply patriotic South Africans: counseling psychologist Nomsa Bokaba and award-winning author and thought leader Chris Kanyane.

After countless hours of research and extensive engagement with society, they have distilled their insights into a transformative program.

This educational initiative is a bold and powerful response to the pressing need to reboot and revitalize South Africa's public service, which currently struggles with chronic low morale and inefficiencies. With over a million public servants across the country, there is vast potential for improvement. What is needed is guidance and inspiration—a roadmap to renewed energy and effectiveness. That is precisely what this program offers.

We call it Guerrilla Strategies because public servants, much like guerrilla fighters, operate within the vast and complex machinery of government. To succeed against overwhelming challenges, they must employ innovative, adaptive, and resourceful strategies. This program presents these strategies in a compelling, motivational, and actionable format, designed to inspire public servants to thrive.

Moreover, this program serves as a companion and support toolkit to the much-lauded Professionalization Framework for Government, adopted in 2023 by the Department of Public Service and Administration. While not an official government program, Guerrilla Strategies is an independently developed initiative, driven by the passion and expertise of committed citizens who believe in the transformative potential of the public service.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Chris Kanyane is distinguished public intellectual and public servant of many years of experience in South Africa’s Department of Public Service and Administration. He is a gold seal author recommended by the US Review of Books, and featured in the New York Times and Reader's Digest.

Adapt to avoid obsolescence:

This is not just a book—it is a manifesto, a war cry, and a call to arms against the most insidious enemy of our people: the oppressive and self-serving bureaucracy that has hijacked our government.

South Africa is bleeding. Our streets burn with the anger of service delivery protests, our communities crumble under the weight of deepening poverty, and our young people rot in the shadows of unemployment. While citizens sacrifice, paying their hard-earned money in taxes, those entrusted with power squander it on selfish pursuits. The government, once envisioned as the architect of progress and transformation, has become a monstrous, parasitic machine—a leviathan that devours the very people it was sworn to serve.

The root of this betrayal lies in a toxic culture of public service. Public servants, instead of acting as the hands of the people, have turned inward—embroiled in petty rivalries, office politics, and power struggles. They obsess over self-preservation, clinging to titles and privileges, while South Africa’s infrastructure collapses, its schools falter, and its people lose hope. This is not incompetence—it is treachery.

The evidence is undeniable. Poverty balloons every day, rural townships remain undeveloped, and the infrastructure inherited from apartheid has not just been neglected but left to rot. This nation is at the mercy of a bureaucracy that is less concerned with transformation and more focused on its own survival.

No more.

Nomsa Bokaba is a counseling psychologist based at Tshwane University of Technology, where she mentors and coaches university students, helping them develop resilience and purpose in their professional lives. She also owns a counseling practice in Sunnyside, South Africa, a vibrant, multicultural neighborhood known as a melting pot of African cultures, with communities from Somalia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo, and beyond. Her background brings an essential human element to the book, enriching it with insights into the importance of cultural sensitivity, emotional resilience, and purpose-driven work.

This Book is Your Weapon

This book is more than words on a page—it is a weapon for change. It equips public servants with the tools to confront and crush the culture of failure. It empowers individuals to rise against the entrenched toxicity and reclaim the true purpose of government: to serve the people.

This is a battle for the soul of South Africa. Will you stand by and watch as the country sinks deeper into despair, or will you join the fight? The choice is yours.

It’s time for a revolution. It’s time to become a guerrilla.

This is the fight of our lives—the fight for dignity, justice, and the soul of our nation. It is a fight we cannot afford to lose. renowned academic has aptly described our democracy as “on the brink.” This is not an exaggeration but a chilling reality.

We cannot let this status quo endure. We cannot allow the dreams of millions to be trampled by the greed and incompetence of a few. The future demands action—bold, relentless, guerrilla action.

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Our platform equips you with the knowledge and resilience needed to thrive amidst challenges, fostering resourcefulness and strategic alliances for a successful public service career.

RALPH KANYANE – THE LION THAT CANNOT BE CAGED, MONEY, GUNS, MURDER, BLOOD:

Before Ralph Kanyane, my brother, was murdered in cold blood, he wrote two facebook posts. Here are the facebook posts...

Facebook Post: “Someone has to be brave and fight Goliath! Being David is Possible with God on your Side. Just know Goliath is already defeated that's what I can say for now”!

Facebook Post: “Come join us when we close down Mogalakwena Municipality and Mokopane town demanding what is rightfully ours development and service delivery that we're denied by our very same leaders who loot state resources and private institutions investment plans to develop our communities!”

The two facebook posts above were by Ralph Kanyane. Ralph Kanyane was a branch leader of the South Africa’s ruling political party and liberation movement, the African National Congress. Soon afterwards, Ralph Kanyane was murdered in broad daylight fighting the destructive cancer of corruption in Government.

Chilling. I mean very chilling. I felt a shiver down my spine.

When first I heard about the gruesome assassination of Ralph Kanyane, my clan brother, I shook my head shock and said: South Africa has lost the last chance to escape from collapse. Oh my God! They have shut him down, to deny South Africa and the people a greater good!

SA411.com reported as follows:

“Mayor of the troubled Mogalakwena Municipality in Limpopo, Andrina Matsemela, is living in fear following the assassination of two ANC bigwigs in the municipality last week and alleged threats against her own life.

She is accused of masterminding the assassinations of municipal public accounts committee chairperson Valtyn Kekana and ANC branch leader and councillor Ralph Kanyane. They were sprayed with bullets in a brazen attack on their car in Mokopane on Tuesday last week.

The attack happened hours after they were allegedly denied access to a forensic investigation report that revealed large-scale corruption in the supply chain management of the municipality, which showed wasteful expenditure amounting to R1.1 billion”.

Public Service Murder: How Ralph Kanyane was murdered in the cause of exposing the public service rot. Tow months before he was murdered on facebook post he said: "I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong".... Ralph Kanyane

Babita Deokaran News Report:

Babita Deokaran’s story is equally harrowing. A senior official at the Gauteng Department of Health, she was a critical witness in investigations into corruption linked to fraudulent COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) tenders. Deokaran, known for her unyielding principles, played a pivotal role in exposing the irregularities that siphoned millions from public coffers during a national health crisis.

On August 23, 2021, Deokaran was gunned down outside her home in Johannesburg in what appeared to be a carefully orchestrated hit. Her death underscored the vulnerability of whistleblowers, particularly those who speak out against powerful networks of corruption. Investigations revealed that Deokaran had reported feeling unsafe and had requested protection, which was not adequately provided.

The tragic demise of Ralph Kanyane and Babita Deokaran stands as a stark reminder of the dangerous intersection between integrity and corruption in South Africa. Both individuals were fearless whistleblowers whose commitment to exposing corruption ultimately cost them their lives. Their deaths not only highlight the personal risks faced by those who stand against corruption but also underscore the urgent need for systemic change to protect whistleblowers in the country.

The assassinations of Kanyane and Deokaran expose systemic failures in protecting whistleblowers in South Africa. Despite existing legislation, such as the Protected Disclosures Act, the lack of effective enforcement leaves those who expose corruption vulnerable to retaliation. The culture of impunity surrounding these crimes emboldens perpetrators, making it difficult to uproot corruption.

Lessons and the Way Forward

The sacrifices of Ralph Kanyane and Babita Deokaran call for a collective reckoning. Their courage serves as an inspiration to others, but their deaths highlight the urgent need for:

1. Enhanced Whistleblower Protections: Strengthening laws and implementing robust mechanisms to safeguard whistleblowers is essential.

2. Accountability: Perpetrators must be swiftly brought to justice to deter future crimes and restore public trust.

3. Cultural Change: A shift in societal attitudes toward corruption is critical, fostering an environment where ethical behavior is rewarded and protected.

bABITA dEOKARAN, mURDER IN THE pUBLIC sERVICE...

Tactical Steps for the Guerilla Public Servant

1. Confront Corruption with Courage: Speak truth to power and expose wrongdoing, even when it carries personal risks.

2. Innovate in the Face of Resistance: Find creative solutions to bypass bureaucratic bottlenecks and deliver effective services.

3. Build Alliances: Form networks of like-minded individuals who can amplify their efforts and provide mutual support.

4. Navigate Power Dynamics: Understand the structures of authority within the public service and strategically challenge them.

5. Stay Resilient: Persevere in the face of setbacks and maintain a long-term vision for reform.