The post-1994 democratic government of the Republic of South Africa is faced with immense socio-economic challenges that emanate from decades of a discriminatory system of government, both under British colonialism and the infamous Nationalist Party's apartheid system. This article is based on a study undertaken to assess the transformation and modernisation of public service delivery in South Africa with specific reference to the Department of Public Service and Administration as the department responsible for leading the public service transformation and modernisation process. It examines the extent to which public policies on public service transformation, like the White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service, 1995, (Notice 1227 of 1995) and the White Paper on Transforming Public Service Delivery, 1997, (Notice 1459 of 1997) have influenced service delivery within the public service since their inception. The findin