Reforming the public service has been the main pre-occupation of most governments for more than two decades. The public service should be more efficient and effective, provide for greater accountability and simultaneously reduce costs to the taxpayer - all at the expense of the traditional bureaucracy. In this article the main tenets of administrative reform are described as experienced by most public services. This modernisation process has been accompanied by expectations, both amongst political leaders and citizens. However, in this publication the author proposes a more subdued approach to the fuss and fanfare created around public sector reform. It is argued that discarding the bureaucracy - and replacing it with business-like practices - does not necessarily solve the problems concerning efficiency and effectiveness. Focusing on corruption and its inhibiting consequences for service delivery, the author indicates how strategies