A public service by, of and for the public - a utopia or a realisable ideal? This question undergirds the thematic essence of this article, which is penned from the optimism of a former senior public servant and a freedom fighter, who was a member of Umkhonto we Sizwe [Spear of the Nation] - the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). For contextual reasons the article starts by succinctly historicising the struggle against apartheid. This is important in order to establish a premise from which "a public service by, of and for the public" could be understood. Thereafter, the article analyses how the ANC uses state power to achieve a humanitarian public service. The article offers important suggestions to this end.