Former president Kgalema Motlanthe has warned public officials occupying positions of power to hold themselves to a higher standard of ethics and accountability.

Motlanthe said to protect one's integrity, public office bearers need to conduct themselves in both their personal and public life in an exemplary manner.

"Court of public opinion is the measure for integrity. When we speak of integrity, we mean what do people think of you, do they use you as an example of malfeasance?" said Motlanthe.

"This issue of integrity is a direct function of your conscience because it enables you to decide [between] a good and bad idea so that you take the correct posture," the former president said.

Motlanthe was speaking to members of the Gauteng executive council at Liliesleaf Farm in Sandton, Johannesburg, yesterday.

The executives were at an induction ceremony in a bid to strengthen and advise them on ethics, constitutionalism and administrative law.

Premier David Makhura said they will crack the whip on officials who take advantage of their titles.

"One of the problems in our democracy is that too many things are taken for granted and we don't want to do the same with our public servants. We need to raise the level of consciousness, awareness and strengthen consequence management," said Makhura.

Former public protector Thuli Madonsela urged the provincial government to instead consider moving away from service delivery and focus on development facilitation.

"It is in our collective hands to correctly identify and transcend the key imperative of our time," she said.

Madonsela, who is a chair in social justice in the law faculty at Stellenbosch University, said the aim of the generation of former president Nelson Mandela was to deliver democracy.

"What is our greatest imperative? I think it is to deliver social justice, particularly dealing with inequality and socioeconomic inclusion, so we do need a version, we need integrity," Madonsela said.

She also urged for the highest levels of professional ethics in public office.

"People with flawed characters get power for their own self-advancement and for the advancement of those that supported them," she said.