The purpose of this study is to critically examine the effectiveness of the Public Service Commission (PSC) in promoting ethical governance, accountability, and anti-corruption within South Africa's public service. The study further evaluates proposals advocating for the restructuring or strengthening of the PSC using lessons derived from the Madlanga Commission model and assesses whether such reforms could improve institutional effectiveness, public trust, transparency, and consequence management. Despite South Africa having a comprehensive constitutional and legislative framework supported by numerous oversight institutions, corruption, maladministration, procurement irregularities, weak consequence management, and declining public confidence continue to undermine public administration and service delivery. Questions therefore arise regarding whether the Public Service Commission possesses adequate constitutional authority, institutional independence, and enforcement capacity to fulfil its mandate effectively or whether comprehensive institutional reforms are necessary to strengthen accountability and combat corruption more effectively. The study adopted a qualitative research approach using a systematic desktop literature review and documentary analysis. Secondary data were collected from the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, legislation, Public Service Commission reports, Auditor-General South Africa reports, the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture (Zondo Commission), policy documents, government publications, international governance reports, and peer-reviewed academic literature. Thematic analysis was employed to identify recurring governance challenges, institutional weaknesses, and opportunities for reform. The study found that the Public Service Commission possesses a comprehensive constitutional mandate but has limited enforcement authority because many of its recommendations are advisory rather than binding. Persistent corruption, procurement irregularities, financial misconduct, and governance failures indicate weaknesses in implementation rather than deficiencies in legislation. The study further found that weak consequence management, limited institutional coordination, and insufficient implementation of oversight recommendations undermine the effectiveness of the public accountability system. Lessons from the Zondo Commission and the Madlanga Commission highlight the importance of institutional independence, transparent investigations, merit-based appointments, and stronger oversight mechanisms. Rather than replacing the PSC, the findings support strengthening its legal powers, investigative capacity, monitoring systems, and collaboration with other oversight institutions. The study concludes that strengthening the effectiveness of the Public Service Commission is essential for improving ethical governance, accountability, and public sector integrity in South Africa. Sustainable governance reform requires stronger institutional independence, effective consequence management, transparent public administration, and political commitment to implementing oversight recommendations. By enhancing the PSC's institutional capacity and aligning governance practices with constitutional principles and international best practices, South Africa can strengthen democratic governance, improve service delivery, combat corruption more effectively, and restore public confidence in state institutions.