Question NW3411 to the Minister of Public Service and Administration
07 November 2023 - NW3411
Komane, Ms RN to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
Whether her department has taken any specific steps to promote the values and principles contained in section 195(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, by establishing a framework that creates a unified system of public administration that traverses all three spheres of government; if not, why not; if so, what time frames have been put in place to implement the specified steps?
Reply:
Section 16(1)(a) read with section 16(2) of the Public Administration Management Act, 2014 (PAMA) provides for the Minister to issue minimum norms and standards regarding the promotion of values and principles referred to in section 195(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa subject to the approval by all relevant executive authorities, which includes all municipal councils. The latter provision has created challenges in the issuing of such norms and standards under the PAMA as obtaining the consent of all municipal council is impractical. Therefore, the Department has, as part of the Public Administration Management Amendment Bill currently before Parliament, proposed amendments in respect of section 16(2) to assist with the issuing of those norms and standards. Once the Amendment Bill is passed, the Department will be better placed to develop norms and standards regarding the promotion of values and principles referred to in section 195(1) of the Constitution that traverses all three spheres of government.
In any event, the Department has and continues to promote the values and principles espoused in section 195 of the Constitution in all the norms and standards that it develops. In addition, the Department is working to institutionalise the Service Charter adopted in Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council Resolution 1 of 2013 and to reaffirm the Batho Pele Principles.
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