Ubuntu as a Possible Antidote to a Moral Problem in the [Limpopo] Health Department, South Africa

The emergence of the coronavirus in 2019 and a subsequent need to manage its spread deterred global governments from their plans and day-to-day activities and also compelled people to austerely rely on the government for protection and immunisation. Regrettably, it was when South Africa experienced a brusque resuscitation of corruption within the state institutions, particularly the Department of Health. This paper aimed to postulate Ubuntu, the moral African philosophy, as a possible antidote to unethical practices and corruption associated with public procurement in South Africa. The contextual setting within which these issues are considered is the Limpopo Department of Health (LDoH). Findings highlighted some patterns of opportunism, self-approbation, poor consequence management and moral deprivation. All these aspects provide a good basis for corruption to thrive. The paper recommended the moral philosophy of Ubuntu as one of the moral compasses lacking in the public health sector. As part of the conclusion, the author argued that the opportunism displayed by bureaucrats in the Limpopo Department of Health during COVID time and before that is a strong indication of a bad organisational culture that is inherently out of touch with good governance and humanity. The author's scepticism is that the impairment of humanity might require a little more than normal regulatory frameworks.