Question NW3934 to the Minister of Public Service and Administration
05 December 2022 - NW3934
Gondwe, Dr M to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
(1)With reference to his reply to question 2159 on 26 August 2022, what are the implications of the Public Service Regulations of 2016 for the over 2 000 senior managers in the Public Service who do not have qualifications for the senior management positions that they currently occupy; (2) what is the reason that the capturing of qualifications on PERSAL is not mandatory or compulsory for all public servants as this will assist his department in rooting out qualifications fraud in the Public Service; (3) what steps has his department, which is meant to be at the heart of the Republic’s administration, taken in order to (a) root out qualifications fraud in the Public Service and (b) ensure it gets a clear and concise picture of the qualifications of public servants?
Reply:
1. It should be noted that majority of senior managers were appointed prior to the implementation of the Public Service Regulations, 2016. As of 30 September 2022, the number of SMS members who were appointed on or after 1 August 2016 and who do not have the requisite qualifications for the positions that they are occupying is 599. Whilst qualifications are critical to the recruitment and selection of senior managers, these alone are insufficient because they cannot be used to infer competence
2. PERSAL is specifically designed for payment of employees’ salaries. It should be noted that although qualifications are captured on PERSAL system, this system does not verify the authenticity of the qualifications.
3. (a) In terms of Regulation 67 (9) (a and b) of the Public Service Regulations, before making a decision on an appointment or the filling of a post, an executive authority shall satisfy herself or himself that the candidate qualifies in all respects for the post and that his or her claims in his or her application for the post have been verified as directed by the Minister, and record that verification in writing.
b) Verification of qualifications is one of the selection process which is done before finalising the appointment. The National Qualification Framework Act imposes a duty on employers to verify any qualifications by submitting to SAQA before appointing prospective employees. It is therefore, the responsibility of Accounting Officers in the departments to verify, through the National Learner Database if the qualifications of SMS members they are appointing are authentic as PERSAL is not the system that verify the authenticity of the qualifications.
End