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Conditions of service in the public sector are imperative for a strategic human resource function in public institutions (Grobler, 2016:63). In the practice of public administration, the service conditions are in the form of laws, regulations, employment contracts and service benefits (Van der Westhuizen, 2016:9). From the perspective of a Public Administration discipline, the service conditions are underpinned by the scientific management theories of the early 20th century and subsequent public management, institutional and systems theories. Although these theoretical dispositions subsume a systematic approach to a phenomenon, the novel COVID-19 pandemic required a swift policy response, introduced on 26 March 2020. This article, therefore, explores the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on the service conditions in the South African public sector. Based on the analysis of theories and documents, the findings are three-fold. Firs