Johannesburg: We need a public service that is aligned to the ethos of respect for human rights that is at the core of our national constitution. Both the government and the trade unions need to reflect on the serious damage that is being done to the social fabric and reputation of our country.  The triumphant mood following the Soccer World Cup is now but a distant memory.  We need decisive leadership on both the government and trade union sides to ensure that the public interest is not irreparably damaged.

The root cause of the dispute that led to the strike is the inequity of the compensation structure in the public service.  No society can succeed to build a stable nation with the levels of growing inequality that have come to define our country.  We have the unenviable status of being one of the most unequal societies in the world.

The public service pay structure reflects an ethos of privileging political office above professional services.  Take the example of an MP earning more than R700 000 compared to a teacher with a higher education degree and professional teacher's diploma earning less than R150 000 after more than 10 years of service.

How can we recruit and retain teachers to lay those precious foundations for our children's futures at these levels of pay?  It is not surprising that many of them have joined the ranks of political appointees, more than tripling their incomes.  The same shameful levels of pay apply to nurses, social workers and other essential service personnel.

Even more outrageous is the inequity related to allowances.  The car and housing allowances for Cabinet ministers are an affront to the sensibilities of a country founded on the equality principles of our constitution.  The unfortunate comments by the Minister of Public Service and Administration, Richard Baloyi, that top-of-the-range Mercedes Benzes are tools of the trade reflect the insensitivity that comes with the entitlement mentality of those in high office.  Why can't our government officials lead by example by using more affordable cars?

The same applies to the choice by Cabinet ministers of staying in luxury hotels at taxpayers' expense while most professional public servants cannot even afford a start-up house.  Many teachers, nurses and police officers have to live in shacks, crowded extended family homes or dilapidated huts with no basic amenities in most rural areas. It does not help to compare our compensation packages with those of countries at the same level of development.

The sense of relative deprivation is what drives the anger and frustration of those living in poverty side by side with luxurious lifestyles.  We need to remember that too great a degree of inequality makes human community impossible.  Inequality rubs salt in the wounds of years of humiliation and deprivation.

Yet no amount of anger should justify the outrageous behaviour of striking public servants. Many have shown no respect for human rights and the sanctity of life.  Even at the height of the anti-apartheid protests and anti-government demonstrations no one crossed the ethical line of violating the rights of patients to care and support.

The outrage we have been witness to over the last week tells the sad story of lack of self-respect and discipline on the part of those involved in these shameful acts.  Storming hospitals, operating theatres and schools is barbaric and criminal behaviour.  It is a cruel irony that the very people meant to serve the public have become violators of the human rights of the most vulnerable among us.

There is a fundamental lack of understanding of the meaning of democracy by those public servants who believe that their right to better wages and salaries entitles them to violate other people's rights.  The freedom that so many South Africans made the ultimate sacrifice for includes the freedom of choice about whether to work or play.

The culture of "Me, Myself and I" is what is on full display by those willing to stop at nothing to get what they want.  It is a frightening thought that these are the same people entrusted with educating our children and grandchildren. Teacher unions, especially the South African Democratic Teachers' Union, have made it their mission to sacrifice the right of children to education in pursuit of its self-interests.

This is the third generation that is being denied the opportunity to get quality education to prepare themselves for life in the knowledge-driven global economy.  We have become a shameless society that destroys the seed of future prosperity.  We systematically undermine the future of generations of children for short-term self-interest.

It is no surprise that we have created an army of close to 3 million young people who have lost hope in the future - they are not in school, not employed nor being trained.

Why are we surprised by the high levels of crime and the brutality of its violence? This strike will add to the numbers of those betrayed in our post-apartheid society by a dysfunctional school system and non-professional behaviour of some of our teachers.

How long is our society going to tolerate this wastage of human potential? A new public service Leadership is needed to urgently transform our public service to align it with the ethos and value system enshrined in the national Constitution.  Government must lead by example in all respects and ensure accountability at all levels of the public service.

*  First, a thorough review of conditions of service is needed to reduce the obscenity of gross inequalities between political and professional public servants.

*  Second, a strict code of conduct needs to be adopted to ensure ethical professional behaviour by those serving the public. Corruption, nepotism and wanton neglect of duties should be severely and speedily punished.  Wasteful expenditure in the form of "budget speech parties" that have become the norm must be strictly prohibited.

*  Third, South Africans at all levels need to be educated in the values of democracy.

Our authoritarian past has not prepared us for taking ownership as shareholders of South Africa Incorporated.  The notion that rights go with responsibilities seems to have no meaning for most, including teachers who should be teaching that to our children.  Educating for democracy is a neglected task in our young democracy.  The Independent Electoral Commission has failed dismally in discharging this aspect of its mandate.

*  Fourth, we need to re-examine our approach to housing those at the bottom of the socio-economic rung.  Little attention has been paid to making housing and human settlement part of a comprehensive development process.  Teachers, nurses, social workers and rural public servants need a different approach to housing allowances than the pittance given as housing subsidies.  A model of progressive home ownership is needed.  We must abandon the outrage of RDP houses that have encouraged a vicious cycle of dependence of politicians on the dependency syndrome generated by a "service delivery" approach to development.

Development cannot be delivered to anyone. Citizens must be given the space to be agents of their own development.  The government must change its language of engagement with citizens to reflect a new approach to working and walking together to a more prosperous future.

*  Finally, citizens need to lead by taking ownership of this democracy and defending it against any abuse by anyone.  We must stop tolerating corrupt non-professionalism and destruction of public property.  We must hold those in public office accountable.  They are our servants and should behave as such.  Outrageous violations of human rights should not be tolerated at any level.

We must demand that the government lead by example at all times.  Transformation is not just about changing the complexion of the public service.  It is fundamentally about changing the values and ethos of those who serve the public.  There is no place in a transformed public service for the outrages that have been on display recently. We deserve better from public servants.

*  Commentary by Mamphele Ramphele