The parliamentary portfolio committee on Public Service and Administration met on 11 September to discuss progress in implementing the professionalisation plan for the public sector. Present were representatives of the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), including Deputy Minister Pinky Kekana, and the National School of Government (NSG).
“Professionalisation should be at the heart of efforts to build a capable and effective public service that is responsive to the needs of South Africans,” said committee chairperson Jan Naudé De Villiers, opening the meeting.
The DPSA briefed the committee on progress made since Cabinet adopted the professionalisation framework in 2022 for implementation by various stakeholders including the legislature, the Public Service Commission, and the NSG. “The professionalisation framework is crucial to achieving a public service that is both ethical and capable of delivering high-quality services,” said Kekana.
Her department presented a comprehensive overview of the work to date, including izimbizo held with public servants in various provinces, deliverables that had been achieved, challenges and measures to mitigate them, and the rollout of activities over the next three years.
On track
The DPSA is on track with implementing the priorities identified in the framework, said DPSA DG Yoliswa Makhasi, taking members through the presentation. The department has developed the DPSA Professionalisation SMART Plan, designed to run from 2024 to 2027, and driven by clear implementation criteria and a monitoring and evaluation plan to ensure the effective achievement of its stated outcomes.
The activities in the plan are incorporated into the annual performance plan to ensure compliance and accountability, and have also already been costed. The high-level outcomes of the plan, said Makhasi, are:
- A more productive, ethical, and accountable public service.
- A career system based on meritocracy and an ethical disposition.
- Improved service delivery to the public.
- The public service as an employer of choice.
Enhancing leadership and governance
The chief director for quality assurance and accreditation management at the NSG, Faith Nyaka, presented detailed plans for rolling out capacity-building programmes to support professionalisation. In this regard, the NSG’s focus is on enhancing leadership, governance, and management skills among public servants, she said.
Nyaka said that in terms of accreditation, six of 11 programmes were credit-bearing while the remaining five were not. The organisation has been working to meet challenges such as outdated qualifications, and collaborating with institutions like the Tshwane University of Technology to provide higher education qualifications, including a postgraduate diploma in African governance.
The discussion also highlighted the role of the Auditor-General in auditing the implementation of the professionalisation framework within individual departments, and providing oversight on the effectiveness of implementation.
Questions and concerns
Members were pleased with the overall progress, but had numerous comments and questions. The EFF’s Sixolisa Gcilishe was sceptical about whether the ethics programmes that fall under the framework would be enough to curb corruption. Ethical breaches remain widespread in the public sector, she said, and without stringent enforcement mechanisms, the framework might fall short of its goals.
Madlenkosi Matutu of the MK Party stressed the need for more robust accountability systems within the public sector, while Leah Potgieter of the DA added that there is a critical need for improved financial accountability in the sector, pointing out that mismanagement of public funds is one of the primary reasons for service delivery failures. Training in financial management and procurement processes should be a priority, she said.
Other comments included a strong call for the eradication of political interference in appointments, and suggestions for, among others, mentorship from experienced public servants, the introduction of key performance indicators to track implementation, and mandatory completion of the NSG’s Ethics and Integrity Programme by all public servants, regardless of their rank.
Members urged both the DPSA and the NSG to fast-track the rollout of professionalisation initiatives, particularly in areas where service delivery is the weakest. Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe of the ANC said it is vital that these initiatives reach rural areas, which suffer the most from poor service delivery.
