ABSTRACT
The importance of a competent government service becomes apparent when the following considerations are taken into account. The Ciskei is committed to a policy of rapid development which implies the implementation of social and economic measures. The council system was a promising foundation on which elected forms of administrative organisation could have been built. Tribal and community authorities are empowered to fulfil a detailed and wide range of local government functions. At present 38 tribal authorities and three community authorities are in existence in the Ciskei. The authorised establishment of the Ciskeian Government Service comprised 7,003 posts as at 31 December 1977. If, the Ciskei is to pursue a meaningful policy of development, structural changes will have to be made. The history of development in most of the developing countries may be summarised as follows: ‘The attitude of the political elite was characterised by ambivalence.
