The Implications of Unethical Leadership on Good Governance Towards Service Delivery in Limpopo Provincial Government: A Case of the Department Education

This paper aimed at examining the implications of unethical leadership on good governance towards service delivery in the Limpopo provincial government focusing at the Limpopo department of Education. The Office of the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA), in its national and provincial audit report for the 2021/2022 financial year, expressed concern over the high levels of corruption within the South African government. Additionally, the AGSA highlighted issues of ineffective governance, unethical leadership and incompetence within the Limpopo department of Education, which continue to receive qualified audit opinions. The research utilised a case study research design as its chosen methodology. The paper employed a qualitative research approach expand knowledge through an informative and naturalistic exploration of the subject under investigation. Participants were selected using purposive sampling to recruit individuals who can provide valuable insights necessary for the analysis and interpretation of data in this study. The paper noted non-adherence to the law, ineffective security systems in vetting of government employees, poor planning and coordination being the thorny problem that contribute towards unethical leadership. To curb unethical leadership, there is a need for the Limpopo provincial government to draft a provincial policy that prevents the interference of political office bearers and officials attached to positions of authority in the senior management service (SMS) level on tender processes and other strategic departmental projects.