Public Service Commission Budget: briefing

Meeting report

PUBLIC SERVICES & ADMINISTRATION AD HOC COMMITTEE
28 MAY 2003
PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION BUDGET: BRIEFING

Chairperson: Mr B Mthembu (ANC)

Documents handed out:
Public Service Commission presentation
PSC Workplan 2004/2005

SUMMARY
The Committee was briefed on the achievements, challenges and priorities of the Public Service Commission in a ten-year context. Chairperson of the Commission, Professor Stan Sangweni, said the Commission had seen a radical shift in terms of role and functions. They had done extensive work in the areas of senior management and conditions of service; labour relations; public administration investigations; human resource management; anti corruption and professional ethics promotion; monitoring and evaluation; and service delivery improvement. Challenges remained despite achievements in these fields.

MINUTES
Ms Odette Ramsingh, Deputy Director-General: Investigations and HR Reviews, said promotion and monitoring of compliance with Batho Pele principles, HIV/AIDS policy; improvement of departmental labour relations; improvement of staff retention and succession planning; and improvement of representivity in the public service, were priorities.

Professor Levin, Deputy Director General: Monitoring and Evaluation, said the Commission counted as its achievement the creation of an integrated Public Service monitoring and evaluation system that had led to detailed programme evaluations being completed for Housing, Land and Administration, and Transport.

Discussion
Ms H Mgabadeli (ANC) asked the PSC to identify one weakness of the Multi Purpose Commuinty Centres (MPCCs) and how much this would cost. Prof Levin said getting the various Governmental Departments to provide adequate staffing for these centres had been a major problem.

Ms L Mabe (ANC) asked what impact the implementation of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act had on Public Service. Prof Levin replied that the Commission had looked at how various Departments were implementing the Act and found that there had been inadequate awareness of the importance of the Act amongst Departments and Civil Society. The Commission believed it had a duty to strengthen the awareness of both sectors to ensure the effectiveness of the Act.

Ms P R Mashangoane (ANC) asked what measures had been taken to shorten the time it took to process suspensions within the Department. Ms Ramsingh replied that a 2003 report showed great improvements because disciplinary hearings now had to happen within 30 days of a transgression.

Ms Mashangoane asked if sexual harassment is still a major problem. Ms Ramsingh replied that a 2003 report showed it was not a major problem but she acknowledged that many women were reluctant to report sexual harassment and that it was an ongoing challenge.

Ms Mashangoane asked what challenges Departments face in terms of medical boarding practices. Ms Ramsingh said many departments had found that employees on medical boarding held jobs elsewhere. The Commission encouraged the development of procedures that guide ill health retirement to ensure genuine cases moved through the system quickly.

Ms Mashangoane asked if the Commission would improve the Personnel Salary System (PERSAL), a source of much corruption. Ms Ramsingh said corruption was rooted in PERSAL, but that it had been people loading wrongful information onto the system, and not the system itself, that had been the problem.

The meeting was adjourned