Question NW3448 to the Minister of Public Service and Administration
06 December 2023 - NW3448
Gondwe, Dr M to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
(1) What are the reasons that the State Information Technology Agency is not the lead department in relation to the information and communication technology needs of the Thusong Service Centre Programme established by Cabinet in 1999; (2) to what extent has her Office been informed of the numerous institutional and/or operational challenges currently experienced by TSCs across the Republic; (3) what role does her Office intend to play in addressing some of the institutional and/or operational challenges currently experienced by TSCs across the Republic?
Reply:
1) SITA was given the mandate to connect the Thusong Service Centres in 2007/2008 Financial Year. SITA was part of DPSA at the time. Given the allocated budget, out of 138 Thusong Service Center operational at the time, only 91 were connected either with fixed or wire-less infrastructure for connectivity. The connectivity project of the Centres encountered implementation challenges that included the allocation of finances, expired Service Level Agreement and disputed amounts claimed for the work done.
As result of the Macro organisation of the State of the 6th Administration, SITA was moved to the Department of Communication and Digital Technologies. The Department is coordinating the revised Cabinet approved SA Connect Phase 2 model and implementation plan which connects public offices inclusive of the Thusong Service Centre Programme. The approved model is based on partnership between SITA, Broadband Infraco and Sentech, and includes other industry service providers for the implementation of the SA Connect Project Plan.
2) The Minister for Public Service and Administration (MPSA) has put in place multiple mechanisms and platforms that enable the regular assessment, monitoring and continuous reporting on the service delivery complaints and challenges at Service delivery Points that include the Thusong Service Centres to ensure optimal functionality and sustainability of frontline service delivery. These include reports from Khaedu deployment of senior managers, Integrated Public Service Month, Outreach Programmes, feedback from Chapter 9 & 10 Institutions as well as oversight visits by the Portfolio Committee.
Furthermore, the MPSA initiated an Assessment Project to determine the trends on the functionality and challenges facing the Thusong Service Centres across all 9 Provinces during the 2018/2019 and 2022/2023 Financial Years. The findings and recommendations of the Assessments were shared with key critical stakeholders within the Thusong Service Centre Operations, such GCIS, National Treasury, COGTA and DPWI, Provinces and Centre Managers. The main objective of sharing these recommendations were to provide an opportunity to the affected key stakeholder to develop corrective and intervention measures.
The work on the functionality and sustainability of the Thusong Service Centres is central to the discussions and engagements at different platforms and structures across the spheres of government. These structures include Batho Pele Forum, National, Provincial and Local Inter-Sectoral steering committees on Thusong Service Centre Programme.
3) The role of the MPSA is derived from the legislative instruments such as Public Administration Management Act of 2014 and the Public Service Act of 1998. These legislative frameworks empower her to develop norms and standards with respect to the establishment, management, and monitoring of Service Centres. Furthermore, the setting of these norms and standards are aimed at addressing the operational challenges to ensure effectiveness, efficiency, and optimal functionality of the Service Centres inclusive of the Thusong Centre Programme. NW4580E
End