The function of public servants and government officials at national, provincial and municipal levels is to serve the public.
The community at large has the right to insist upon them acting lawfully and within the bounds of their authority.
Where they are involved in court cases involving the legality of their actions, such as in Kalil v Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, it is crucial for public servants giving evidence to be neither coy nor to play fast and loose with the truth.
Their duty is to take the court into their confidence and to fully explain the facts. They should not do anything to frustrate the enforcement by the courts of constitutional rights.