Despite government intervention, the number of service delivery protests in the country leaves much to be desired. This article argues that the ubuntu management approach can provide a solution to service delivery problems in South Africa. The article addresses the above statement through critical review and analysis of this debate, whereby the claims made in the debate on ubuntu in the post-apartheid era are assessed, with particular attention drawn to ubuntu's relevance and significance to both workplace strategies aimed at improving performance as well as to government's approach to the delivery of basic services to the marginalised sectors of the population.