The concept of public value is gaining substantial attention as offering a new paradigm to unravelling the glitches of accountability, trust and operational efficiency in Public Administration and Management. It is recognised as an essential framework to achieve a vibrant public service reform and, particularly, to answer the call to build legitimacy and trust with the incessant demands of the people in the ever-changing modern world. In addition, the issue of an insufficient number of public enterprises and poor service delivery is of the utmost concern to both the South African government and its citizens. However, the notion and offerings of the public value are yet to be explored fully and understood in its implications. In this context, this paper seeks to examine the emerging principle of public value and to identify this paradigm through different interpretations of this principle, the criticism of it and the examination of it