Question NW1065 to the Minister of Communications

Reply:

(1)(a) (i) 2013/2014: 80 % filled with permanent appointments

(ii) 2014/2015: 53 % filled with permanent appointments

(iii) 2015-2016: approved headcount is 36 positions per organogram as at February 20th 2016. 15 are occupied by permanent employees (41.7%), 5 are contractors supplied by Agencies (13.9%), 16 vacant positions to be filled (44.4%)

(b) The following positions are still vacant

• Chief Executive Officer (CEO);
• Chief Financial Officer (CFO);
• Company Secretary (Co. Sec.);
• Executive Secretary (Exec. Sec.);
• Internal Audit Manager;
• Risk Specialist;
• Knowledge Management Coordinator;
• Internal Audit Officer;
• Communications Officer;
• HR and Corporate Services Manager;
• HR Officer;
• Strategy, Policy Monitoring and Evaluation Director;
• Projects Director;
• Receptionist;
• Research and Capacity-Building Manager;
• Research and Capacity- Building Coordinator,
• Legal and Compliance Officer;
• Projects Manager: Broadcasting;
• Digital Media Coordinator
• Finance Administrator
• Finance Manager

(c) Positions have been vacant as per the following:

• Chief Executive Officer - since 1st July 2014. There is an acting CEO;
• Chief Financial Officer – since 1st January 2015 after the resignation of the last CFO. There is an interim CFO appointed on a contract basis;;
• Finance Manager – since 22nd October 2015. There is an interim Finance Manager appointed on a contract basis;
• Finance Administrator - since 17th June 2015;
• Company Secretary - since 11th March 2015. There is an interim Company Secretary appointed on a contract basis;
• Executive Secretary – since 1st March 2015. There is an acting Executive Secretary;
• Internal Audit Officer - since 1st January 2016 after the resignation of the last occupant of this position. The services are being provided by an external service provider in the interim;
• HR and Corporate Services Manager since 1st November 2014; There is an interim HR and Corporate Services Manager appointed on a contract basis;
• Projects Director, newly renamed and competencies revised (This position was previously called the Programme Director). The last fully appointed incumbent vacated this position on 31st May 2014. There is an Acting Programme Director.
• Receptionist position at MDDA has been vacant since 1st February 2015 when occupant of this position was appointed to the Executive Secretary position. There is an Acting Receptionist. Post In the process of being filled;
• Research and Capacity Building Manager - has been vacant since 16th May 2015;
• Research and Capacity Building Coordinator - since 25th April 2015;
• Legal and Contracts Manager – last occupied in 1st August 2014.This is no longer in the new organogram, but in its place is the revised position of Legal and Compliance Officer;
• Projects Manager: Broadcasting – vacant following resignation in February 29th 2016;
• Supply Chain Manager – position was vacated when incumbent resigned and it remained open from 10th June 2014 .Please note that this position has been revised down with the 2016 organogram and is now at Officer-level which has been filled.
• Risk Management Officer – since 18th October 2014. Please note that this position has been revised with the 2016 organogram and is now at Specialist-level.

Please note that the other five positions are new in the organogram approved in February 2016: Strategy, Policy Monitoring and Evaluation Director, Knowledge Management Coordinator, Communications Officer, (previously Communications and Marketing Officer), Digital Media Coordinator, and HR Officer.

(d) The MDDA strategic planning held in September 2015 assessed in depth the future direction of the MDDA in terms of the rapidly changing media landscape. This resulted in the identification of new/changed competencies being required within the MDDA and subsequently the Board revised the organogram as per the above. The vacancies were therefore on hold until the new organogram was approved in January 2016 by the Board.

(e) Recruitment is underway with five of the positions having been in January 2016 and the remaining advertised on 10 April 2016,

2. All the positions were identified as necessary to have in the revision of the organogram. Crucial for MDDA’s operations to run are CEO, CFO, PROGRAMMES DIRECTOR and STRATEGY, POLICY MONITORING & EVALUATION DIRECTOR.

To run a legal, compliant organisation, meet governance requirements, as well as be an efficient entity, the organisation needs the HR, COMPANY SECRETARY, RISK SPECIALIST, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, INTERNAL AUDIT, RISK, FINANCE

(3) The vacancies have been advertised.

(a) The vacancies were advertised in the Star Workplace and the City Press, and via the MDDA website.

(b) Five vacancies were advertised in January 2016 and the remaining 17 were advertised on 10 April 2016.

(4) (a) Four Consultants servicing the HR area have been hired.

(b) One World Human Capital – supplies Human resource services including job evaluation, job grading, salary benchmarking to the MDDA.

Holystic Approach - supplies recruitment services to the MDDA

Deloitte Consulting Temporary and Permanent Recruitment Agreement – supplier of recruitment services to the MDDA.

Kwinana and Associates – supplier of recruitment services to the MDDA

5. The MDDA has many strong points but for purposes of this exercise the focus is on the, mainly internal, challenges, which are in many cases also exciting opportunities for the MDDA:

• External factors include technological and business changes in the landscape.
• Staff are committed but under resourced.
• Need to identify skills gap and implement training / development: skills vs. qualifications.

MR NN MUNZHELELE

DIRECTOR GENERAL [ACTING]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI (MP)

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE: