Interviews of short-listed candidates to serve as Commissioners at the Public Service Commission: day 1

Meeting report

Interviews of Candidates

Ms Elaine Moonsamy

The candidate was asked the following questions:

●She was asked to give a quick background of herself and how she would assist the PSC.

●She was asked what her understanding was of the legislative prescripts that governed the Public Service Commission (PSC), and what those prescripts were.

●She was asked what her understanding was of the 3 spheres of Government in relation to section 196 of the Constitution.

●She was asked about her understanding of other legislation such as the Public Service Act and the Public Service Commission Act.

●She was asked to provide practical examples of the work the PSC and to elaborate on its successes and failures.

●She was asked what the relationship was between the Chapter 9 institutions and the PSC, and how she would ensure that the work of those institutions complement the aim of promoting good governance and integrity of the state.

●She was asked about her broad understanding of the public service in South Africa.

●She was asked to identify the 2 most pressing challenges facing the PSC.

●She was asked how she saw the problem of the interface between the Executive and the Head of Department.

●She was how she could assist the PSC in ensuring that government departments appointed competent public servants especially at senior management level positions.

●She was asked if the principles outlined in section 195(2) of the Constitution should apply to the courts of law.

●She was asked how the PSC could influence better governance in the public enterprises.

●She was asked what she would contribute to the PSC if appointed as a Commissioner.

●She was asked whether she wanted to pose any question to the Committee.


Refer to audio for responses.


Mr Godfrey Mokate

●He was asked to give a quick background of himself and how he would assist the PSC.

●He was asked about his understanding of the basic values and principles governing public administration.

●He was asked how he would apply transformation and professionalism in the 3 spheres of Government and in other organs of the state because PSC had been concentrating only on 2 spheres of Government, nationally and provincially.

●He was asked how successful the powers and main functions of PSC were on the ground. Where they achieving what they were supposed to achieve, and what practical examples could he share?

●He was asked what the relationship was between the Chapter 9 institutions and the PSC, and how he would ensure that the work of those institutions complement the aim of promoting good governance and integrity of the state.

●He was asked to explain how he saw the lack of civil oversight in local government tied with the bureaucracy at that level.

●He was asked to explain how steadfast he would be when he was having a difference of opinion with other stakeholders of the PSC.

●He was asked what it was that he would contribute to the PSC if appointed as a Commissioner.

●He was asked if he wanted to pose a question to the Committee.

Refer to audio for responses.


Mr Selemo Monakedi

●He was asked to give a quick background of himself and how he would assist the PSC.

●He was asked whether there was collaboration and working relationship between the Provincial Commissioners and the National Commissioner of PSC, and if not, what could be done in that regard.

●He was asked about his understanding of the basic values and principles governing public administration.

●He was asked how he would advise the 3 spheres of Government to effectively and efficiently implement the basic values and principles of good governance.

●He was asked whether the PSC had succeeded in transforming and professionalising the public service because in his responses he had summarised that the PSC’s role was to professionalise, transform and to achieve a developmental state. 

●He was asked what the relationship was between the Chapter 9 institutions and the PSC, and how he would ensure that the work of those institutions complement the aim of promoting good governance and integrity of the state.

●He was asked why he had left the PSC as he had previously been employed as a Provincial Administrator for 6 years.

●He was asked to identify the major challenges of the PSC, and how he would resolve them.

●He was asked what it was that remained to be done in the PSC and how he would deal with the resistance of the implementation of action plans and policies, and where that resistance would come from.

●He was asked what it was that he would contribute to the PSC if appointed as a Commissioner.

●He was asked if he wanted to pose a question to the Committee.

Refer to audio for response.

Ms Anneke Els

●She was asked to give a quick background of herself and how she would assist the PSC.

●She was asked what her understanding was of the legislative prescripts that governed the Public Service Commission, and what those prescripts were.

●She was asked about her understanding of the basic values and principles governing public administration.

●She was asked how she would advise the 3 spheres of Government to effectively and efficiently implement the basic values and principles.

●She was asked to provide practical examples of the work the PSC was doing in terms of successes and failures, how it was performing on the ground.

●She was asked what documents had she interacted with or read on the part of the PSC or what the role the PSC played in relation to the entire public service.

●She was asked what she had read or learned in the news that was not functional about the PSC, for example, the issue of corruption because she said she had not monitored the work of the PSC.

●She was asked what the relationship was between the Chapter 9 institutions and the PSC, and how she would ensure that the work of those institutions complement the aim of promoting good governance and integrity of the state.

●She was asked what the management problems were in all 3 spheres of Government and how civil oversight was being exercised with regard to the management problems in terms of the bureaucracy.

●She was how she could assist the PSC in ensuring that government departments appointed competent public servants especially at senior management level positions.

●She was asked what the current Government systems were in terms of combating the scourge of corruption and to provide practical examples.

●She was asked what she would contribute to the PSC as it stood at the moment.

●She was asked whether there was a specific area in the PSC that needed improvement and how she would go about doing that improvement.

●She was asked whether there was any question that he wanted to pose to the Committee.

Refer to audio for response.

The Chairperson thanked all candidates for availing themselves for the interviews.

The meeting was adjourned.