Hansard: Appropriation Bill: Debate on Vote No 11 – Public Service and Administration
House: National Assembly
Date of Meeting: 20 Apr 2010
Summary
No summary available.
Minutes
WEDNESDAY, 21 APRIL 2010
PROCEEDINGS OF EXTENDED PUBLIC COMMITTEE – COMMITTEE ROOM E249
________
Members of the Extended Public Committee met in Committee Room E249 at 14:03.
The House Chairperson Mr M B Skosana, as Chairperson, took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.
FIRST ORDER
START OF DAY
APPROPRIATION BILL
Debate on Vote No 11 – Public Service and Administration:
The MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION: Chairperson, hon Members of the House, Cabinet colleagues present here, hon Chairperson and members of the portfolio committee, the portfolio leadership in the Ministry, the Deputy Minister, trade union leaders, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, King Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible tells us that, "there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." Among other things, he says the following, "there is a time to speak". Of importance in this instance is, "whatever has already been and what will be has been before, and God will call the past to account.
I stand before you with a clear understanding that it is our time to account for the past and commit for the future. We take our guidance from President Zuma when he said the following-
... we want to build an administration that knows where people live, what they think, and which acts fast, efficiently and effectively on the issues they raise. We must keep in touch with our people. We have been here since 1994, presenting various episodes of the same story; and the story is a journey for a better life for all through accelerated and effective service delivery. Our message this year is under the theme Working Differently for an Efficient, Effective and Development-oriented Public Service.
We consulted with some people as we were preparing for this day. What they said reflect a general situation, and I want to characterise that as follows: The feeling expressed is that our people expect more from us. They say there's room for improvement in the quality and speed of the service we deliver. Our people are enraged with the scourge of corruption in the public sector. They expect our public servants to be committed and to change their averagely bad attitude. They urged us to ensure that we maintain the current sound labour relations.
We present the abridged version of each of them as they related with us in the budget message booklet, which we are going to give to you. But I want to quote one of them, Ntate Nelson Diale, a Member of Parliament, when he said the following:
Our public servants are not yet fully conscious of what they are supposed to do. For example, some of these institutions in the Public Service, hospitals and others, you find people waiting for services for a long time ... Something has to be done and I will recommend that there should be a monitoring system. Public servants should be monitored so that they can do their work.
We cannot agree more with Ntate Diale. It is true that public servants should be monitored, and as we do so we welcome the position of the SA National Civic Organisation, Sanco, to partner with us in monitoring.
We give priority to service delivery innovation. To us, service delivery innovation is a vehicle that searches for ideas in delivering tangible services to our people. The Centre for Public Service Innovation, CPSI, is an enabler to the mobility of this vehicle.
Through partnership with other departments and state-owned entities, SOEs, the CPSI represented us well in our journey in and for innovation. The one success story worth mentioning is the co-operation with the Department of Education on enhancing the productive capacity of blind educators through providing data card devices for them to access teaching materials without the use of Braille.
As we are doing things differently this year, we commit to strengthening our capacity through innovation, to respond to legitimate calls. To this end, the CPSI will run targeted innovation programmes to support the outcomes of rural development, accelerated service delivery at local government level as well as human settlement.
We will still encourage participation in innovation through award ceremonies. In this regard, the 8th Annual Public Sector Innovation Awards ceremony will be held in November 2010. We have already called for entries, and all public sector institutions and individuals are encouraged to enter.
Our fight against corruption remains a priority. We have since introduced policies and legislation to ensure public service integrity and to fight corruption. The prevalence of corruption in the Public Service pervades all aspects of government activity and affects citizen-state relations. The removal of this cancer requires from government an integrity management intervention that focuses on prevention and yet has punitive measures that are practically deterring for would-be "corruptees" and corrupters.
Our success in the fight against corruption is to eliminate an enabling environment for such from our Public Service. Both our elected and appointed public officials should resist the temptation of using public office for personal material benefit. In this regard, we will introduce a public sector integrity management framework during the Public Service Week to strengthen the already existing policies and legislation in order to give effect to accelerated implementation. The framework seeks to address the following: to strengthen and align all measures regulating good governance and probity in the public sector; to strengthen capacity to prevent and combat corruption; to ensure compliance through monitoring and evaluation; and to ensure enforcement as a deterrent.
Alongside the introduction of the framework will be the launch of the compulsory public sector charter, which will consolidate the following as defining a public servant of note: eight attributes of a public servant; nine commitments of a public servant to the people of South Africa; seven rules of engagement for public servants; twelve commitments of a public servant to the Public Service; and five ethical principles of a public cadre.
We are also in the process of establishing an anticorruption unit that will assist departments in resolving complex corruption-related cases and doing that with speed. We will communicate the details in this regard during the Public Service Week in June 2010.
We remain committed to maintaining sound labour relations through collective bargaining and promoting workplace democracy. We know that this is not an easy target to meet, but we are trying our best, and we call on all parties to take a cue from President Mandela's message when he said:
My government is equally committed to ensure that we use this longer period properly fully to bring into the decision-making processes organs of civil society. This will include the trade union movement and civic organisations, so that at no time should the government become isolated from the people. At the same time, steps will be taken to build the capacity of communities to manage their own affairs. Both the public and the private sectors will be encouraged to regard labour as a resource and not a cost. Education and training must, therefore, be looked at very closely to ensure that we empower the workers, raise productivity levels and meet the skills needs of a modern economy.
The Public Administration, Leadership and ManagementAcademy, Palama, is one participant we will use to realise this. Working together with all social partners, we held a public service summit in March this year. We have settled the majority of the occupation specification dispensation, OSD, sector implementation resolutions. We are working around the clock to make sure that we have a position in as far as all outstanding agreements of the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council, PSCBC, Resolution 1 of 2007 are concerned. We want to commit to this House and to the nation that we will soon pronounce on this matter.
We will soon commence with negotiations for the 2010-11 salary adjustments, and we are looking forward to robust but peaceful engagements. As we respond to King Solomon's message, for us the difference between what we did, what we are doing and what we will do is defined in terms of quality, speed and taste.
In this year of action, we will strive to ensure that we conclude the negotiations within expected time periods. From this year going forward, we set to conclude synchronising the wage negotiation process with the budget cycle. In the past it has proven to be difficult to negotiate when the budget had already been set.
Xitsonga:
A swi hi vuyiseli nchumu leswo tshamela ku kombetelana hi tintiho, hi tlimbana mikolo loko swi ta eka nkanerisano hi miholo. Hi fanele hi amukela xiyimo ni ku twisisana leswaku vatirhi va na mfanelo yo suriwa nyuku loko va tirhile, hi le tlhelo hi ri karhi hi twisisa leswaku vathori na vona va ta fikelela xikalo ku helela laha vuswikoti bya vona byi va pfumelelaka kona.
Hi nga kamaneni vutomi byi huma onge i maphisa ya kama matomani.
A a hi tshameni ehansi hi kanerisana. Tinyangwa ti pfulekile.
Na loko swo fika leswaku hi tsandzana hi ku kanerisana, hi nga ntlurhulani ku huma timongolo, hikuva mundzuku wa ha ri kona.
Loko a ri mina ndzi na ku tshemba leswaku hi ta hlangana hi marito na varhangeri va vatirhi, kambe hi pfala rinwe ntsena leswaku hi nga siyiwi hi futsu yi khotsiwile. Xivuriso xa Xitsonga xi ri: "Lebya nyarhi leyo, u nga ri ndza yi vona, hikuva u ya wela makokweni ya yona."
English:
We are committed to continuing to build a Public Service capable of driving a developmental agenda. On this score, we want to state that a priority transformation issue remains the finalisation of the debate to create a single Public Service.
We want to state upfront that we take a cue and are learning from what the Batho Pele principle of redress says. It calls on us to do three things. If you have an expectation that you were supposed to do something, the time comes and at that point you are not ready; it says that you need to behave in a particular way. As custodians we have to lead by example. The following three things are what we are going to do: Firstly, please bear with us.
Secondly, we say that we would not finalise the government process because the extraparliamentary political process had to be allowed to run its course. Of course, it is running its course and is close to the end.
Lastly, we commit ourselves that during this financial year, we will report progress. Reporting progress is such that when we table a Bill, it will not be like last time where you would table a Bill and there would still be questions that are hanging. This is an opportunity that we have for the extraparliamentary processes and government processes to take place. We avail ourselves to give a detailed status report on this matter, and we will be at your disposal, hon chairperson of the portfolio committee.
The training and development of capable leaders and managers will continue to be crucial to this administration. Therefore, Palama will continue with its current programmes, as well as expand them to include programmes on national planning, risk management and innovation. The Executive Development Programme, EDP, a Postgraduate Certificate in Executive Leadership, will be customised for local government leadership and for members of legislatures and Parliament. We are placing Palama at the level where the agency ought to be a preparatory school for entry into public service and to incubate through in-service development intervention. Of course, for Palama to do what we call for, the agency itself has to be transformed.
Thanks to the initiative, we are here committing ourselves to finalising this during this financial year. Of course, for Palama to deliver, we need a conducive environment at the public service level. Coincidentally, we are developing a position paper on the architecture of the Public Service, and we commit ourselves to concluding this by the end the financial year.
We took a decision this year to stabilise the situation at Public Service leadership level by interpreting the provision of the Public Service Act to the extent that we now talk of a contract period of five years for directors-general. What remains is to relate this development to effective service delivery. As we advance with the debate on the architecture thereof, we will also revisit whether we do or do not want to introduce a contract employment system for deputy directors-general or the entire senior management service, SMS, level.
With these programmes and initiatives, we seek to transform the state of the public service. The time has now come for us to rise to the occasion and facilitate the speedy delivery of services by strengthening the mechanisms and accelerating monitoring and evaluation. As King Solomon said, "there is time for everything", and so our time is now, to work faster and smarter in this year of action. I thank you very much. [Applause.]
Ms J C MOLOI-MOROPA
The MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION
Ms J C MOLOI-MOROPA: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister and hon Deputy Minister of the Department for the Public Service and Administration, hon Members of Parliament, comrades and compatriots, distinguished guests, fellow South Africans present here and at home, ladies and gentlemen, it has been almost a year since the people of South Africa, in their large numbers, went to the polls and voted for the political parties of their choices during the 2009 general elections where the ANC got the highest votes.
This overwhelming support once again mandated our movement to continue with the political task of forming a legitimate government of the people. The electorates have entrusted the ANC with the power to govern the country on their behalf. They did this in honour of the fallen heroes and heroines of our struggle, the leading cadres of the movement and of the people, such as umama-Doretha Mana, Oliver Thambo, Victoria Mxenge and many more. Amongst them, former General Secretary of the SA Communist Party and a member of the National Executive Committee of the ANC, the late Comrade Thembisile Chris Hani, whose assassination won us the first democratic vote when we observed the first commemoration in April 2004. It didn't just come, it was won out of the blood of comrade Chris Hani. [Applause.]
South Africans cast their votes in order to acquire this democracy, peace and human rights against conflict and crime, colonialism and apartheid and against inhumanity. This is a mandate that the ANC will never betray.
When the autocratic minority government of the National Party came into power in 1948, the public sector employment policy was always based on the narrow ideological reasoning that the political destiny of blacks rest in their poor and underdeveloped areas. Subsequently to that, an apartheid policy and discriminatory system was instituted to the extend that the country was legally balkanised into pockets of rural, dry and self-governing homeland areas established along tribal lines. The regime then created an impression that any departure from this principle, particularly with regard to black participation in institutions created by the government as the macro organisation of the state, would be tantamount to igniting black expectations of a political future with counterpart white South Africans in the country. This is the most significant precept of our long-drawn-out political conflict and the fundamental reason for the declaration of a national democratic revolution in South Africa.
The purpose for this brief outline on the historical background of the public sector of South Africa is to create a context within which: Firstly, to analyse the current challenges of critical skills shortages and talent in areas of local government and all levels of the public service.
Secondly, to indicate the utmost importance of understanding the reality that is obtained currently and the inherent challenges that we must navigate through as we traverse the journey to the establishment of a strong democratic state, based on the will of the people as espoused by the Freedom Charter.
Thirdly, to remind us of the necessary compromises made during the Convention for a Democratic South Africa, Codesa, negotiations in the form of the sunset clause and the collapse of the Government of National Unity in 1996. Since then, an Act of Parliament, with far-reaching and ground-breaking policy implications, to regulate and create legal instruments relevant to how Public Service and Administration should function, had been passed and is currently regulating the public sector environment across the national and provincial spheres of government. The strategic thrust of the policy puts emphasis on the need for the development of a new cadre of a developmental stateto serve in the interest of the population on an equal basis, in particular the most vulnerable sections of society: women, people with disability and children.
In addition, underpinning the implementation processes of this legislation were the eight Batho Pele principles which are intended to introduce a paradigm shift in government and to cultivate a culture of a new cadre of a developmental statein the Public Service across all levels of the state.
This kind of a cadre should put the interest of the people first and not his or her own. This new cadre will not be preoccupied with scooping government tenders for themselves, stealing valuable government time for his or her selfish interest to the expense of the masses of our people who are patiently waiting for the service to be delivered to their various desperate needs. [Applause.]
This Budget that we are debating today is aimed at providing, nearly 1,25 million people working in the service of the three arms of state ranging from community services, the judiciary, local government and military, with tools and legislative environment conducive for service delivery. But the interests of the almost 18 million people who voted last year and the 49 million men, women and children who depend on service delivery are basing their trust on a new cadreof a developmental state to work differently for an efficient, effective and development-oriented Public Service, as the Minister always states. The new cadre of the developmental state will be preoccupied with assisting government to reach its targeted outputs on persons with disabilities and women and critical and key aspects of issues that government puts at the centre of transforming this society.
Much is expected from the Public Administration, Leadership and Management Academy, Palama, previously known as SA Management Development Institute, Samdi, to deliver this kind of a cadre. Palama worked hard to align its objectives to the reality of its existence and also to that of the government. As we speak now, we can confidently say that there is an emergence of a clearer path that has to be travelled on the approach to skills development. The performance-oriented state envisaged in the state of the nation address delivered by the President is only possible if public servants are skilled in service delivery required by the communities, and those skills should be tailor-made to compliment the Batho Pele principles anticipated in the Public Service.
The portfolio committee has noted with extreme regret that the Public Service Commission's budget is no longer a stand-alone vote, as it had been the case in the past. This presents an opportunity to completely evaluate the location of the Public Service Budget and emphasise the independency of this institution as it is a critical tool for the oversight role that is done by Parliament through its members. It will be opportunistic then to harp on this point as an area of weakness, rather than taking charge of a moment that presents itself. This will allow a better establishment of this autonomous Chapter 10 institution of the state with a unique mandate. It reports to Parliament regarding its functions and powers. A favoured position would be for the Public Service to derive its budget directly from Parliament.
In pursuit of this matter, a meeting with the Office of the Speaker, the Minister for the Public Service and Administration and the Portfolio Committee on the Public Service Commission has already been set to take forward the implementation of this point of view. Therefore, there is no need for anyone amongst us here to cry foul on this matter since we are concerned and do not accept this abnormal situation that has happened. This matter will be pursued even beyond the current and past status of its existence to strengthen its independence. The portfolio committee is in full support of that aspect.
The committee noted with concern the noncompliance issues that arose from the Auditor-General on state information technology. The committee is aware that the investigation was recently conducted by the State Information Technology Agency, Sita's, internal audit following information received in respect of alleged procurement irregularities. The matter has been forwarded to the Serious Commercial Crimes Unit for further investigation. All these matters will be followed up by the committee, even though we note with appreciation that a lot has been achieved to stabilise the structure and governance of this institution. This is so, since a fully-fledged board has recently been appointed by the Minister, and this will enable the Sita to appoint a long-awaited chief executive officer. We also appreciate the initiative taken by the Sita to come up with the enterprise resource planning system of procurement that will go a long way to launch a transparent, open and accountable tendering process in order to remove all doubts about the procurement procedures.
One of the biggest challenges facing our country, after 16 years of democracy, is the continued need for a developmental state to redress persistent legacies of apartheid and discrimination like underdevelopment and marginalisation of people and communities.
The Constitution of South Africa provides that our country is one sovereign, democratic state and that the government is constituted as national, provincial and local spheres of government; quite distinct, interdependent and interrelated. The Constitution further requires all spheres of government to provide an effective, efficient, transparent, accountable and coherent government to secure the wellbeing of the people and the progressive realisation of their constitutional rights.
Such a challenge is best addressed through a concerted effort by all spheres of government that work together in the provision of services, the alleviation of poverty and the development of people and the country. One single Public Service initiative is critical in this regard. I believe the design and configuration of a single Public Service initiative will give rise to government and qualitative service delivery benefits.
To this end, we will work closely with the department to urge Parliament to prioritise passing the Public Administration Management Bi11 so that the regulatory framework for facilitating the seamless implementation of this huge landmark could be established as soon as possible.
Our society has a past that is characterised by unequal treatment and unequal distribution of resources and services. Since the apartheid government had to limit transparency to achieve its ends, such a context was a breeding ground for corruption. In leaving the discriminatory past behind, the presence of corruption must not be tolerated.
Former President, Nelson Mandela, our struggle icon, emphasised
this in his opening address to Parliament in 1999:
When a leader in a provincial legislature siphons off resources meant to fund service by legislators to the people; when employees of a government institution, set up to help empower those who were excluded by apartheid, defraud it for their own enrichment, then we must admit that we are a sick society. This problem manifests itself in all areas of life.
Since 1994 the democratic government has made a concerted effort to step up the fight against corruption through the introduction of a comprehensive legislative and regulatory framework that would regulate ethical conduct and build national integrity. There was, however, early recognition of the fact that the application of a successful framework could not be the sole responsibility of government. Broad-based civic movements, including business, need to be developed to also develop this framework and to provide the necessary space and capacity to fight corruption.
The Public Service Anticorruption strategy has been developed for the Public Service in order to give effect to the expressed commitment of government to fight corruption in the Public Service. Parliament, as a major stakeholder, must actively join the anticorruption national effort to contribute towards the establishment of a national consensus and drive through the co-ordination of sectoral multiplicity of strategies and structures against corruption.
We must, visibly, support and defend existing anticorruption instruments in order to confront and defeat the scourge of corruption as it limits our ability to fight poverty, as it negatively affects our economic development. It damages social values and undermines democracy and good governance.
We are hopeful that the department, as it utilises this Budget in line with its strategic plan, will ensure that it finds a new path and level of success in fulfilling its departmental mandate. [Time expired.] We support this Budget Vote. [Applause.]
Me A M DREYER
Ms J C MOLOI-MOROPA
Afrikaans:
Me A M DREYER: Mev die Voorsitter, 'n doeltreffende staatsdiens is noodsaaklik vir 'n land wat goed funksioneer. Dis veral belangrik in plekke soos Manziville en Alexandra waar mense sukkel om werk te kry, omdat hulle nie oor die nodige vaardighede beskik nie. Tereg dan verklaar President Zuma die jaar 2010 as "a year of action". ['n Jaar van aksie.] Inderdaad. Dit is tyd vir aksie.
English:
The Minister said that it is time to work faster.
Afrikaans:
Kom ons kyk hoe lyk die rekord. Dit is staatsamptenare wat hierdie aksie moet uitvoer en Ministers, as die politieke hoofde, wat verantwoordelik is vir die bereiking van die doelwitte. Daarom is 'n staatsdiens slegs suksesvol as dit bestaan uit bekwame en professionele amptenare, maar in ons staatsdiens is 20% van die poste in 26 van die nasionale departemente vakant. In die Departement van Kommunikasie is een uit elke drie poste vir hoogvaardiges vakant. Die een rede hiervoor is oneffektiewe werwing en aanstellingsprosedures. Dit neem gemiddeld 20 maande om 'n vakature te vul en soms tot drie jaar. Waar is die aksie wat aan ons belowe is?
'n Verdere rede is dat, pleks daarvan om aansoekers op verdienste aan te stel, is die ANC behep met ras en velkleur. Die Wet op Billike Indiensneming herinner 'n mens aan Nazi-Duitsland toe Jode as 'n minderheidsgroep se deelname aan sekere sektore in die samelewing streng beperk was. [Tussenwerpsels.] Ons vind dan ook nou in Suid-Afrika dat duisende bekwame amptenare van minderheidsgroepe reeds die diens verlaat het en nie eens oorweeg word vir aanstelling nie. Kom ek gee vir julle 'n voorbeeld: Kapt Renate Barnard van die Polisie doen herhaaldelik aansoek vir bevordering, maar sy word elke keer afgewys, ten spyte van uitstekende kwalifikasies. In die naam van raskwotas hou die ANC die pos vakant eerder as om 'n kundige persoon aan te stel.
Minister, is u verbaas dat dienslewering in duie stort? Die Minister het ook gesê, "there is a call to account." [Daar is 'n beroep om verantwoording te doen.] Inderdaad. Ons stem weer saam. Die tyd het gekom om verantwoording te doen. Prestasiemeting is 'n noodsaaklike vereiste vir doeltreffende bestuur sodat hoofde verantwoordelik gehou kan word vir die bereiking van doelwitte. President Zuma sê dit self, want hy het beloof alle Ministers sal ooreenkomste teken. Hy sê ...
English:
We are building a performance-oriented state by improving planning, as well as performance monitoring and evaluation.
Afrikaans:
Ministers versuim egter om toe te sien dat hul direkteurs-generaal kontrakte teken. Hoekom? Dis omdat geen Minister self nog 'n prestasiekontrak geteken het nie. Ek kan net weer vra: Waar is die aksie? Poste is vakant, Ministers en direkteurs-generaal teken nie prestasie-ooreenkomste, en niemand hoef dus verantwoording te doen nie. Daarom is dit geen verrassing dat die Staatsdienskommissie bevind het dat meer as die helfte van nasionale departemente onder standaard presteer nie. Talle nasionale en provinsiale departemente, sowel as staatsbeheerde ondernemings, kry jaar na jaar gekwalifiseerde oudits van die Ouditeur-generaal.
Onderprestasie kos egter geld. 'n Voorbeeld hiervan is Waterwese en Bosbou wat lisensies vir Transnet se pyplyn tussen Durban en Gauteng moet toeken en 11 maande neem om die nodige dokumente te verskaf. Weens hierdie onderprestasie en burokratiese rompslomp neem die koste vir hierdie projek in 2009 met R2,7 miljard toe. Waar is die aksie?
Nog erger, staatsbeheerde ondernemings beloon eintlik senior amptenare vir wanbestuur, byvoorbeeld die hoof van die Landbank, Alan Mukoki, wie R4,5 miljoen gekry het toe hy onder 'n wolk van korrupsie bedank. Die SAUK betaal R11 miljoen om van Dali Mpofu ontslae te raak. Opeenvolgende Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdienshoofde kry belonings van altesaam R550 miljoen, ten spyte van bedryfsverliese van miljarde rand. Dit is duidelik: Die ANC-regering misbruik belastinggeld om ontslae te raak van kaders wat vir hulle 'n verleentheid word of wie se lojaliteite nie meer seker is na die magsverskuiwings binne die ANC nie. Hoekom moet belastingbetalers hiervoor betaal, Mnr die Minister?
'n AGB LID: Waar is die aksie?
Me A M DREYER: Soos 'n vis van sy kop af vrot, sien ons ook Ministers neem die voortou met onnodige besteding. Die DA monitor wat uitspattige besteding op onnodige luukses boekstaaf, het nou die R1 miljard-merk verbygesteek - dit is 'n een met nege nulle agterna. Belastinggeld is spandeer op onnodighede soos 'n vyfsterhotelverblyf vir Minister Nathi Mthethwa, 'n teaterproduksie vir Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, en ultraluukse motors vir Ministers soos Siphiwe Nyanda. Hy vat die koek. [Tussenwerpsels.]
'n AGB LID: Daar is aksie op die nulle!
Me A M DREYER: Hierdie luukses kan 'n jaarlikse salaris vir 8 000 onderwysers betaal. Waar is die aksie? Ek weet waar die aksie is: Die Ministers slurp geld op, maar die kinders het nie klaskamers nie. Wat doen die Minister? In Julie verlede jaar word 'n taakspan aangestel ...
English:
... to look at government expenditure in the context of the economic meltdown.
Afrikaans:
Dis nou nege maande later, en dit het nog niks gebaar nie. Omdat niemand tot verantwoording geroep word nie, gedy korrupsie, want korrupte amptenare kom skotvry daarvan af.
English:
An HON MEMBER: Where is the action?
Afrikaans:
Me A M DREYER: Vier uit elke vyf staatsamptenare wat ernstige klagte soos korrupsie en bedrog in die gesig staar, met aanbevelings dat hulle die gevolge moet dra, word nie gedissiplineer nie. Die spesiale ondersoekeenheid van Willie Hofmeyr beveel byvoorbeeld aan dat stappe gedoen moet word teen 24 000 amptenare. Stappe is gedoen, ja, teen 4 000. Hofmeyr merk op dat dissiplinêre prosesse 'n groot swakpunt van die regering is. Die regering spandeer miljoene om wangedrag te ondersoek, maar waar is die aksie? [Gelag.]
Die laaste twee punte van ernstige kommer in die begroting is die Staatsdienskommissie. Dit is 'n grondwetlike instelling wat vereis dat hy onpartydig en onafhanklik moet wees, en sy werk moet doen sonder vrees of voordeel. Daarom het dit nog altyd sy eie begrotingspos gehad. Nou verskyn dit skielik onder die departement se begroting as synde 'n program van die departement. Hierdie ontwikkeling skend die onafhanklikheid van die instelling en is 'n stap in die verkeerde rigting.
Tweedens is baie reeds gesê oor die enkelstaatsdiens, vandag weer, maar tans is daar geen wetsvoorstelle op die tafel nie. Tog, in program 3 van hierdie begrotingspos is daar voorsiening vir die instel van 'n enkelstaatsdiens. Hoe durf die departement begroot vir iets wat nie bestaan nie?
Mevrou die Voorsitter, ek vat saam. Die DA glo aan 'n doeltreffende staatsdiens met professionele amptenare, aangestel op verdienste, waar Ministers en direkteurs-generaal prestasie-ooreenkomste teken en oortreders gedissiplineer word.
English:
Mr W P DOMAN: Together we can do less!
Afrikaans:
Me A M DREYER: Daar is 'n voorbeeld van hoe om die huidige verval van die staat te vervang deur 'n professionele staatsdiens. Enige een wat belangstel, kan net opstap hier in Waalstraat en gaan kyk hoe doen DA-premier Helen Zille dit. [Tussenwerpsels.] [Applous.]
English:
An HON MEMBER: Just read the papers!
Afrikaans:
Me A M DREYER: In teenstelling met die DA, eet die ANC belastinggeld, terwyl wanbestuur, swak diensdienslewering en erge korrupsie die land nie dien nie, maar die land verteer. [Applous.]
Mrs J M MALULEKE
Ms A M DREYER
Xitsonga:
Manana J M MALULEKE: Mutshamaxitulu, Holobye wa Ndzawulo ya swa Vukorhokeri bya Vaaki na Mafambiselo, vatirhiluklorhi, vayeni va hina, ndza mi xeweta. Ndzi nkhesa Xikewmbu na ANC loko ndzi nyikiwile nkarhi leswaku na mina ndzi lahlela ra vusiwana. Ntirho lowukulu wo sungula wa ANC i ku antswisa rihanyu ra vapfumari.
English:
The President in his state of nation address declared this year as a year of action. In the the ANC's statement on 8 January it was stated that it needs a public sector cadre that can deliver services to the people, show a caring attitude in dealing with citizens, listen to people's concerns, reflect on people's wishes and speed up effective services to the people.
Xitsonga:
Mfumo wa ANC wu lemukile na ku karhatiwa hi ku kala vutlhari ni vuswikoti bya vatirhela mfumo. Mhunti yi biwa ya ha ri na mahika hikwalaho mfumo wa ANC wu tlhomile ndzawulo leyintswha ya "Monitoring and Evaluation".
English:
In his state of nation address the President said, and I quote:
The Public Service has to respond to the call to make this term one of faster action and improve the state performance. We require excellent and hard work. We need public servants who are dedicated, capable and who care for the needs of citizens.
Xitsonga:
Mhangele yi rila yi ri karhi yi tsusuma. Holobye wa Ndzawulo wa swa Vukorhokeri bya Vaaki na Mafambiselo na Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama, va vonile leswaku n'wana u anwa hi tsheve. Palama yi tekile vutihlamuleri byo aka vutlhari bya vatirhela mfumo eka xiyenge xa "Monitoring and Evaluation".
Ntirho wo sungula eka xiyenge lexi i ku dyondzisa vatirhela mfumo hi "monitoring and evaluation policy framework".
English:
The Public Administration, Leadership and ManagementAcademy, Palama, has promised in their strategic plan to train all new public servants on public service induction; design and develop a capacity-building programme targeting local government; to build a productive partnership with national, provincial and local government departments; continue to roll out monitoring and evaluation training courses; host three capacity-building workshops for better implementation of donor-funded projects convened; and to champion continental capacity-building programmes.
The ANC is satisfied with the strategic part of Palama, which implements some ten-point ministerial priorities and our Polokwane resolution on investing priority skills and education.
A decision has been taken to shift over Palama's responsibility to the department in terms of the Public Finance Management Act. One of the Department for the Public Service and Administration, DPSA's, major projects is the development and roll out of the Human Resources module of the Integrated Financial Management System.
The current emphasis of Palama's main activities and resources will be directed towards building a departmental state by bringing improvement to the Public Service and strengthening democratic institutions and training areas capacitating senior management.
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, especially section 195(1)(h) and (i), set the foundation of the regulatory framework, which enables mechanisms for the development of skills of employees in the Public Service.
The Public Services Sector Education Training Authority, was established as one of the key government institutions mandated with the implementation of programmes, functions of training and skills development for public employees.
Xitsonga:
Holobye wa Ndzawulo ya swa Vukorhokeri bya Vaaki na Mafambiselo ndzi tshembha leswaku xibamu xi bele etindleveni. Ku suka eka malembe ya 2005 ku fika 2006 the Public Services Sector Education Training Authority yi tirhile swinene ku pfuna vana lava a va nga tirhi. Yi kotile ku va letela yi tlhela yi va nyika mintirho. Na mina ndzi un'wana wa mihandzu leyi humaka eka the Public Services Sector Education Training Authority laha ndzi nga dyondza eNorth West ndzi nghenela dyondzo ya "Economic Development".
Ha swi vona hina va komiti ya Public Service leswaku sweswi the Public Services Sector Education Training Authority yi na ku vabyanyana, yi kombisa onge yi lava ku wela ehansi. Leswi ANC yi mi tshembhaka yi mi vekile leswaku mi va Holobye, hi kombela leswaku mi langutisa leswaku the Public Services Sector Education Training Authority ya pfuka yi tlakuka yi kota ku pfuna van'wana vana lava nga kona ehandle.
English:
The Portfolio Committee on the Public Service and Administration recommended that the challenges posed by accountability of the accounting officer for Palama and the Public Services Sector Education Training Authority should be reviewed and resolved by the Minister of Finance in consultation with the Minister for the Public Service and Administration and the chairperson of the Public Service Commission.
The President in his state of the nation address said, and I quote:
We need to invest in our youth to ensure skills and a capable workforce to support growth and job creation. We must also increase the number of youth entering learnerships in the private and public sectors.
In their strategic plan, Palama promised to increase unemployed graduate youth's entry into the public sector through breaking barriers to entry programmes by training 1000 unemployed graduates. The ANC will play an oversight role in the implementation part.
Xitsonga:
Hi kombela eka n'wina kambe Holobye wa Ndzawulo ya swa Vukorhokeri bya Vaaki na Mafambiselo leswaku na yona leyi mi yi langutisa swinene leswaku Palama yi ya emahlweni ku tirha ntirho wa yona. A hi lavi leswaku yi fa hi tlhela hi nga koti ku rholela hambi phepha leri nga tsariwa Palama exitarateni. Hi lava leswaku nkarhi hinkwawo hi hlangana na yona hinkwako laha hi fambaka kona.
ANC yi seketela bajete leyi. Inkomu. [Ku biwa mavoko.]
Mr L M Ramatlakane
Mrs J M Maluleke
Mr L M Ramatlakane: Chairperson, Minister, and hon members, President Zuma in his state of the nation address stated that:
The Public Service has to respond to the call to make this term one of faster action and improved state performance. We require excellence and hard work. We need public servants who are dedicated, capable and who care for the needs of citizens.
The President promised that government was already working on the development and implementation of a public service programme which will set norms and standards for public servants in all spheres of government. He also assured the House that government was continuing its efforts to eradicate corruption and fraud in procurement and tender processes, the application of driving licences, social grants and identity documents, among other things. Government has its hands full to try and reform the Public Service. The Minister must implement the programme to meet the Presidential imperatives and, of course, report on the achievement thereof.
The nation is affected by how the Public Service works. Therefore, the nation must be kept in the loop. The President also promised that the Interministerial Committee on Corruption was looking at decisive ways to defeat corruption. According to what has been reported, we all need to ask the department this question: Is the department ready to lead in eradicating corruption committed by public servants? Perhaps it is now time that the committee referred to by the President give the regular report to the House on what action and cases the state agency are dealing with.
According to the Public Service Commission, it is estimated that between 45% and 72% of all senior managers in the Public Service are involved in directorships and partnerships. Troye Lund calls this government the "entrepreneur dynasty". It is certainly a time of huge scale conflicts of interest. According to The Economist, 6000 senior government officials had failed to declare their business interests, as required by law, and we are awaiting disciplinary hearings. The Auditor-General is alarmed by what is going on; he reported that R600 million went into the pockets of the Public Service officials and/or their associates. This is a crisis of enormous magnitude.
The Economist also cites Willie Hofmeyr's estimate of 400 000 civil servants getting welfare payments which they are not entitled to. To make matters worse, Willie Hofmeyr asserts that "the state's ability to convict and punish the guilty was pretty limited and, in some cases, almost nonexistent". Suspended officials routinely remain on pay for months if not years without anything happening in spite of the rules that are there in terms of the Public Service. The President himself expressed enormous frustration regarding this.
We are fully united in fighting this scourge of corruption in government. To government's credit, it is at the forefront in admitting this. Deputy President, Kgalema Motlanthe, for example, has openly acknowledged that corruption was, "far worse than anyone imagines ... at all levels of government". Government must therefore implement a decisive programme of prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution to bring corruption under control. The starting point of solving any problem, as the Minister and government have done, is to accept the nature and magnitude of the problem. The billion dollar question: Is what would be done about having acknowledged it?
The Public Service Handbook, which is readily available to government, declares that the employer must hold a disciplinary hearing within sixty days. Government does not adhere to its own code in dealing with managers and officials. Why is it so, Minister? There is another aspect of great concern to us in Cope: Who is in charge of the Public Service? It seems to us that the Minister is buffeted by his Ministerial colleague, too eager to appoint who they like to top positions in their departments. In the United Kingdom experienced managers remain in their positions to allow for continuity, maintaining high levels of state professionalism and delivery. With the present government new Ministers are overly hasty in wanting to be rid of incumbents in order to appoint what I call their friends. How can the Minister be pushed around in this way by his Ministerial colleagues? This department is a custodian of the public servants. Minister, you alone must determine and enforce compliance on the part of your colleagues. That is one of your line functions.
The suspension of many directors-general and deputy directors-general after the election seems to be the ANC's strategy for firing senior officials to make room for friends. The Department for the Public Service and Administration should have intervened and stopped those who were wielding the axe from cutting off heads. The Minister must see to it that procedures and good practice be applied. What happened to Xoliswa Sibeko is a bad example. The Minister disregarded the finding that she was not guilty and by putting her on special leave, the Minister illegally enforced the suspension. This is intolerable. Similarly, in the Western Cape when Thami Manyati was cleared, the premier invalidated the findings. This is called the double jeopardy. How can this be allowed when the department is there as the custodian of good practice? To make matters worse, while Sibeko was waiting to be called back, her post was advertised without any prior negotiations.
On the issue of the Public Service Commission, we all agreed in the committee that they must be independent and protected. We have a duty to do that. [Laughter.] We can no longer have a backlog on the service delivery agenda. Citizens are experiencing dissatisfaction with the quality and space of service delivery. The time for promises has come to an end. It is now time for action and for delivery of service to our people. I thank you. [Applause.]
MS M C MOHALE
Mr L RAMATLAKANE
Sepedi:
Moh M C MOHALE: Modulasetulo, Tona Richard Baloyi, Motlatša Tona Padayachee, bašomišanimmogo le baeng ka moka ...
English:
... in the state of the nation address, the President of the Republic of South Africa said, "the Public Service has to respond to the call to make this term one of faster action and improved state performance." The people of South Africa need and deserve a public administration that is capable of ensuring human safety and security to each and everyone; ensuring a dignified existence for all.
Sepedi:
Re leboga tekanyetšo ya ngwaga o fetileng, ka baka la gore go tloga mola e filwego, re kgona go bona diphetogo. Re ile ra bolela ka hlwekišo ya phesale gape re a bona gore le thomile le tšweletša maano a go e hlwekiša. Rea leboga.
Sa bobedi, re ile ra bolela ka gore ga re kgone go humana dipalopalo tša tekanyo ya dikgoba gabotse. Le thomile. Ka morago ga go hlwekiša phesale, le tlilo kgona go re fa tekanyo ya dikgoba gabotse.
English:
According to the Public Service Regulation, of the total number of senior management posts that became vacant, 339 were advertised within six months of becoming vacant. Most were filled within six months. This is an improvement, because, before, the average was l5 months. We hope that the department will improve on the three month requirement.
We hope that the signing of the performance agreement for this financial year by senior management will be finalised by 31 May 2010 in line with the Public Service Regulation. The department should also develop a human resource plan, because the Auditor-General said that it didn't have one.
Sepedi:
Mmušo wa go etelelwa pele ke ANC, o ile ware ge o thoma go tšea maatla, wa tla le Khomišene ya Ditirelo tša Setšhaba yeo e lego gore e be e se gona peleng. Go tloga mola Khomišene ya Ditirelo tša Setšhaba e thoma, dingongorego di ile tša tloga go 45 ka 2004-05 go ya go 96 ka 2009-10.
English:
Since the inception of the National Anticorruption Hotline, NACH, service delivery complaints lodged with the NACH have decreased from 757 in 2005-06 to 145 in 2009-10. Service delivery complaints emanating from the NACH were not anticipated at the time of its establishment because it was not meant for service delivery complaints.
Notable achievements have been made since the establishment of the NACH. Some of the successful investigations have resulted in disciplinary action being taken against officials. As a result, sanctions such as dismissals were imposed on employees found guilty of misconduct. Large sums of monies involved in the acts of corruption have also been recovered. Therefore, the NACH continues to play a strategic role in the fight against corruption.
The number of grievances has increased. The slow grievance resolution to provide complete information on time and accounts for the delays in the finalisation of grievances in departments remains problematic.
The Public Service Commission, PSC, conducted an investigation on supply chain management practices within the R200 000,00 threshold. The R200 000,00 threshold is the maximum amount that could be processed by a department without the need for a bid or tender process undertaken; only three quotations will be necessary.
They have found out that there were shortcomings in the sampled department's supply-chain management component relating to invitations of quotations, evaluation and the issuing of orders to service providers. It was worrying that the first few steps were not followed, but payment, which is the last step, was in most instances done promptly. The first and second steps are the ones susceptible to fraudulent acts.
As at 31 January 2010, 18 posts were vacant, including four posts of commissioners. The PSC has placed on hold the filling of vacant posts due to budgetary constraints. Lack of additional funding from the National Treasury resulted in the PSC being unable to address its human capital needs as well as high expectations of its stakeholders.
Females represent 40% of the total staff complement at senior management level, which they have to improve. The PSC has exceeded the national target of employment of people with disabilities by 0,7%; they are at 2,7% of the total staff compliment. They deserve a round of applause. I think everyone could learn from them and ask how they have achieved that. [Applause.]
They have continued to be exemplary in the management of their financial resources, notwithstanding the reduction in their budget.
It should be clear from the demands being placed on the PSC and its resources that it plays a strategic role within our democracy. Given their achievements thus far it shows that they are a responsible entity.
The President of South Africa has said in many ways that descent service delivery shall be rendered by this government and that public servants will not fail the citizens. We need to look at how we can best achieve that with our limited resources. The success of government policy implementation depends on the impact made by public servants.
We should ensure that the spirit and practices of Batho Pele are more visible and tangible in the Public Service, putting people first. To be a public servant means service to the people and a caring attitude in dealing with citizens. We have seen departments displaying the Batho Pele principles on their notice boards. It is time for the principles to be moved from the notice boards and be put into action.
One of the challenges encountered in the Public Service is the real implementation of the Batho Pele policy. Access to descent public service is no longer a privilege to be enjoyed by only a few; it is the rightful expectation of all citizens. We expect public servants to listen to people's concerns, reflect their wishes and sincerely help address their hardships.
The eighth Batho Pele Learning Network was held in November 2009. The Batho Pele Learning Network is a learning platform that promotes sharing of experiences and lessons aimed at improving service delivery through the implementation of the White Paper on Transforming Public Service Delivery of 1997.
We would like to thank those who have been able to carry out their duties beyond their call of duty and we encourage them to keep on doing their work diligently and urge others to follow suit. The President said that public servants have to respond to the call to make this term one of faster and improved state performances.
It should be realised that Batho Pele is not a policy for frontline staff only, but for all, including senior managers. We appreciate that there is progress in service delivery, but more needs to be done in terms of quality and pace. The findings of the PSC show us that there is no uniformity and consistency in the implementation of the Batho Pele principle.
The White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service set minimum targets that had to be reached within particular timeframes, to accelerate the representation of people who have been previously disadvantaged by the Public Service. The 30% representation of women and 50% representation of black people have been met, but the 2% target of people with disabilities is still a challenge to date. Overall representation of women in the Public Service exceeds that of men by 12%.
In November 2005, Cabinet set the target at 50% for the representation of women in all senior management levels for March 2009. The challenge lies in the representation of African women at senior management level, which cannot be explained, as they represent a majority group in the Public Service.
The target for representation of people with disabilities was supposed to have been met in 2005; very little progress has been made in reaching that target. There is gross underrepresentation of people with disabilities in the Public Service and it points to a huge gap that still has to be filled to achieve the set target.
Visibility of people with disabilities in the Public Service senior management level is acutely low. [Interjections.] [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Mr C T MSIMANG
Ms M C MOHALE
Mr C T MSIMANG: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, and hon members, the IFP has noted with gratification the fact that in a budget of R651 million, a big slice of R186 million has been allocated to service delivery improvement throughout government. Of six budget allocations in this portfolio, this is the biggest slice. The department is being congratulated for giving priority to a programme which is not adequately catered for, as is evident from the burning of tyres and blockades by protesting municipal communities. If people's outcry for service delivery is not addressed, our beloved South Africa could go up in flames.
However, the IFP objects to the allocation of R57 million to the programme on labour relations. The objection is directed at the spending on co-ordinating the design of a programme for a single Public Service. The IFP remains opposed to the notion of a single Public Service since this will become over bloated, cumbersome and unmanageable, thus resulting in more rampant corruption.
In actual fact, the IFP reiterates that the notion of a single service runs contrary to the letter and spirit of the Constitution, which entrenches three distinctive, interdependent and autonomous spheres of government. The collapse of local and provincial government structures where all officials will be accountable to the national office in Pretoria is seen by the IFP as a centrist ploy to abrogate the powers of such structures and undermine our democracy.
The IFP is of the view that this inclination by the governing party to create a single Public Service might be prompted by the erroneous premise that local government is failing to deliver basic services. While this might be partly true, provincial and national spheres of government are equally guilty of the same charge. The services, which protesting municipalities are clamouring for, such as water and electricity supply as well as roads and houses are competences of national and provincial spheres. It is accordingly not clear to the IFP as to how a single Public Service will resolve the impasse in service delivery.
In fact, the IFP argument that this is a sheer centrist ploy to amass all the power in Pretoria finds support in the decision taken by the Department for the Public Service and Administration, DPSA, to shift oversight responsibility from the Public Service Commission and Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama, to the DPSA in terms of the Public Finance Management Act. This decision poses two challenges according to the portfolio committee, namely, the accountability of the directors-general of the DPSA, Public Service Commission, PSC, and Palama, and the misplacement of the Public Service Commission within the DPSA given its oversight responsibility over the DPSA.
Regarding the issue of accountability, the question arises as to whether the directors-general of Palama and the commission will continue as accounting officers for their respective budget votes, as was previously the case, or whether they will surrender this mandate to the Director-General of the DPSA as a result of the amalgamation.
Turning to the misplacement of the commission budget within the DPSA, the question arises as to whether the commission is still accountable to the National Assembly as was previously the case or is it now accountable to the Minister for the Public Service and Administration? Our chair of the portfolio committee has alluded to this in her report and said that this matter is receiving attention and, therefore, there is no cause to cry foul. I mention it here, nonetheless, to demonstrate the inclination by government to take away powers even of this House to which the Public Service Commission was answerable and making it answerable to government. The IFP supports this Budget Vote.
The DEPUTY MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION
Mr C T MSIMANG
The DEPUTY MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION: Chairperson, hon Minister for the Public Service and Administration, hon members of the National Assembly, chairperson and members of the portfolio committee, leadership of the trade union movement, the executive of the portfolio organisations, distinguished guests, fellow South Africans, this is my sixth Budget Vote, but the first I make as the Deputy Minister for the Public Service and Administration.
It is indeed an honour and a privilege to have been placed in a department that is so central to service delivery for our nation. It is also a huge responsibility and one that is never more keenly felt than when service delivery protests erupt and ordinary people voice their displeasure with the lack of service delivery.
My role is, of course, to support the Minister as he leads our collective effort to achieve the objectives outlined. In support of the Minister there are a few key priorities that I wish to re-emphasise: Firstly, the need for us to build the capacity of the state in order to deliver on our promise of a better life; secondly, to review the governance arrangements within which the three spheres of government align themselves efficiently to deliver on the mandate to our people, which is to serve as a single Public Service; thirdly, the need to better harness the power of technology to support our efforts and modernise the way we do business as government and to ensure that e-government, as it is commonly referred to, becomes an efficient tool of service to the people.
The ANC was re-elected in 2009 on the back of the Together We Can Do More campaign. There is increasing frustration - and we acknowledge that - at the slow pace of service delivery, poor quality, high cost and lack of responsiveness by government to citizens. This frustration is felt across the spectrum of South African society, especially by the urban and rural poor and often directed at different spheres of government, including provincial and local government.
Whatever the reasons, be they housing, sanitation or unemployment and desperation, service delivery protests are symptomatic of challenges that we face as a nation and as a government. Let me start with Service Delivery and the capacity of the state to deliver.
South Africa - we have to admit - lacks a well-performing Public Service. Only 58% of the population is in fact satisfied with the services delivered. Historically, satisfaction rates have been as high as 81% in 2004. Since then there has been a steady decline in public opinion towards the current satisfaction of public services.
No, of course, some factors are responsible for the poor performance in the Public Service. Some of these we recognise are the persistent underperformance by management, dysfunctional and ineffective back office systems and slow bureaucratic decision-making, amongst other.
In addition to the above, human resource systems in the Public Service are also seriously inefficient: Only 7% of departments fill vacant posts; recruitment is not strictly based on merit; skilled staff is not successfully retained and disciplinary procedures take too long.
All of this has certainly undermined the capacity of the South African state, and in turn has reduced its capacity to be an effective instrument of service to our people. The question that remains to be confronted is: What has to be done? What are we going to do to fix the problems?
Chairperson, I am indeed very disappointed by Ms Dreyer who spoke on behalf of the opposition. In a lack of substance in her contribution to this particular debate, Ms Dreyer agrees with us. [Interjections.] Oh! Hon Dreyer – my apologies. She agrees with us that there are indeed serious problems to fix. [Interjections.]
Mr N J VAN DEN BERG: Do you agree with her?
The DEPUTY MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION: And I agree with her. But let us both agree that it is our patriotic responsibility to collectively address the problem for the benefit of the nation. [Applause.]
My disappointment with the hon member of the opposition is that she continues to ask us, "where is the action?" If you listened carefully to the Minister's speech and indeed to all the speakers who spoke from this side of the House, they were outlining the actions that this government is taking. [Applause.]
I am indeed disappointed with her approach because she looks at the chicken with a broken leg on the road and instead of fixing the leg; she catches the throat of the chicken and throttles it. [Laughter.] And she thinks that, that is the way to resolve the problem.
In his state of the nation address delivered in 2009, President Zuma reaffirmed that the South African government's commitment is the vision of an inclusive society, a South Africa that belongs to all, a nation united in its diversity, a people working together for the greater good of all.
The SA Constitution emphasises that the priority of the state is to advance human rights and freedom within a nonracial and nonsexist society in which the supremacy of the Constitution and the Rule of Law must prevail. Guided by the principles of the Freedom Charter we drew up this Constitution. The Constitution states that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, and it promotes a democratic government based on the will of the people. Government committed itself to building a developmental state to address the socioeconomic challenges in the eradication of poverty and the need to create a better life for all.
The developmental state is thus an effort by government to build the nation, eradicate poverty, promote literacy, provide health and decent education, and grow the economy in a manner that must ensure that people are not left out but are participating fully and become part of the solution to their problems.
Six days from today we will celebrate South Africa's Freedom Day. This is a day we shall always remember as the glorious achievement of the first stage of our revolutionary transformation which guaranteed for ourselves the idea that South Africa shall be a nonracial and free country in which the people shall govern.
In the state of the nation address, President Zuma reminded us that our message and theme for 2010 – hon Dreyer - is working together to speed up effective service delivery to our people. In this regard, 2010 is a year of action reminding us that there is no time for cynicism, no time for excuses and no time for complacency and the lackadaisical delivery of services. Reminding us all that there shall also be no time to claim easy victories and tell any lies.
In the same address we committed that this government will be more caring, more responsive and interactive. We committed to the building of a people-centered developmental state, which puts people first and is geared towards faster implementation of services.
Hon Chairperson, ladies and gentlemen, South Africa's next revolution must be to get the democratic state working more effectively.
An efficient and effective Public Service is essential for government to accomplish the outcomes that we desire. It is in this regard, that the Department for the Public Service and Administration is tasked under the leadership of myself as Deputy Minister and Minister Baloyi to lead the transformation of the state in this period.
As we lead the Department for the Public Service and Administration, the Ministry is responsible for providing the institutional governance framework for an efficient and effective Public Service, by amongst other things, to ensure that its people, processes and technologies are aligned to support the fundamental requirement of good government; to ensure the continual improvement in the cost of quality, access, responsiveness and speed of service delivery to citizens and to address the challenges faced by a developmental state.
In trying to analyse the challenges and develop recommendations for an effectively changed programme, there are some who place great emphasis on public services and especially its people.
There is a view that we have failed to build a cadre of competent and patriotic civil servants. Our people are undoubtedly the most important resource we have as a nation and central not only to good public administration but also to competitiveness of the South African economy.
The Department for the Public Service and Administration, DPSA, is the custodian of human resources in the Public Service, creating a framework for recruiting, retaining and training the people that are central to the high performance Public Service that we require. To affect this outcome, the Ministry for the Public Service and Administration has a number of levers at its disposal.
Within the DPSA there are two dedicated branches: Labour Relations and Remuneration Management; and Human Resource Management and Development that focus on people issues. Labour Relations Management focuses on remuneration and conditions of service.
Chairperson, one of the priority interventions that the Minister has assigned to me in this domain is the cleanup of Persal - the payroll system of government. The integrity of Persal data over the years has been poor and therefore could not be relied upon for government decision-making processes. In response to this challenge the DPSA has decided to be more proactive by putting in place measures that will ensure the integrity of Persal data.
These measures will include establishing an effective and high powered intervention task team on Persal, which will be tasked with the cleaning of the Persal data and ensuring that information found in Persal is of good quality and can be relied upon for management decision-making processes. The task team will be made up of officials from the DPSA, Sita, Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama, and National Treasury.
The branch Human Resource Development oversees human resource development issues of diversity, disability and employment wellness. The Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama, which was known as Samdi, is one of the institutions through which we co-ordinate and seek to improve the training.
The Public Service Sector Education and Training Authority, PSETA, is another such institution. The Public Service Sector Education and Training Authority has assisted 2 578 learners to enter adult basic education and training programmes against a target of 2 500. It has helped 2 000 learners and 573 unemployed learners. The Public Service Sector Education and Training Authority will, during the 2010-11 financial year, provide support to at least 80% of government departments so that they spend at least 1% of personnel budget on training.
The Government Employees Medical Scheme, Gems, is an important institution within the Ministry for the Public Service and Administration portfolio. And it has had a huge impact on employee wellness matters and the quality and productivity of public servants. The Government Employees Medical Scheme is one of the institutions that have made a significant impact on the government employee landscape.
By 30 March 2010, Gems has had more than 460 000 principal members and had served more than 1,2 million beneficiaries. It had made significant progress in 2009 towards meeting its mandate. Over 34% of all eligible Public Service employees were enrolled on Gems by 31 December.
A key priority for Gems in 2010-11 will be to expand the scheme's membership and reduce the number of uncovered employees in the Public Service. Batho Pele, which means People First, is a programme designed to inculcate a customer-focused and citizen-centric culture.
As our mandate is to transform the Public Service, we are working towards inculcating the principle of service to the people in all public servants. The new public service culture will seek to ensure that our services become the services of choice. I must, however, indicate that to achieve this we need public servants who have values and principle-driven public servants who are also customer-focused and people-centered.
Apartheid spatial legacies have resulted in remote and rural areas being densely populated with little or no services infrastructure, public or private. The profile of citizens living in rural and remote areas tends to be black, poor, female and typically very old and very young. The lack of access or onerous access to services impacts severely on the quality of citizens lives.
Perhaps what is less well-known, but no less important in bringing the connectivity with government, is the community development worker programme, which was established to assist in bringing government services closer to communities, especially the urban and rural poor. It is, however, important to mention that, until now, the community development workers, CDW, programme has been implemented through guiding documents which have been inconsistently interpreted and not legally binding in terms of implementation.
Chairperson, in the past six months we have been working effectively to transform and invigorate the CDW programme. And after consultation throughout the country, in all nine provinces this department is about to propose a policy framework for the CDW programmes
In conclusion, there is no silver lining to the challenges that we face, but we do need to demonstrate mature and responsible leadership, making the right decisions for the right reasons, building an efficient and effective Public Administration that contributes to making South Africa a safe and nurturing place for all.
In this regard, let me close by announcing that this department will take three important initiatives in the current year: firstly, we will enter into partnerships with the Development Bank of South Africa to initiate a project and to improve public sector proposals... [Interjections.]; and secondly, we will also ensure that the CDW programme is indeed refocused. [Time expired.]
Mr A J WILLIAMS.
The DEPUTY MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION
Mr A J WILLIAMS: hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon Chairperson, hon members, friends and guests, if one word was to be used to conceptualise Public Service and Administration as a very large departmental store, a 10-storey building with lifts, escalators and fancy displays in the windows, a one-stop shop that offered a myriad of services to the customer and that customer being the South African population, then people on the shop floor, the shop assistants would be community development workers, CDW.
On 11 February 2010, the President said:
This year, 2010, shall be a year of action. The defining feature of this administration would be that it knows where people live, understands their needs and responds faster. Government must work faster, harder and smarter.
Community development workers are the human link between government and the people. They are the ones that engage with the people on a daily basis, establishing what the problems on the ground are and helping the community to get the right assistance. They work in extremely difficult circumstances. These heroes of the government go across the country to where the poorest of the poor are and tirelessly work to implement government policy including improved access to health services, improved access to the education system, job creation through local economic development initiatives and stamping out crime and corruption.
CDWs assist communities to access government services. To mention a couple of examples of what they do: assisting orphans to acquire grants through the Department of Social Development; assisting homeless people to get decent shelter through the Department of Human Settlements; helping people living with disabilities to access grants; linking the poorest of the poor with stakeholders and businesses in order for them to receive basic necessities like blankets and food parcels; assisting the community to stop illegal circumcision and the perpetrators arrested; assisting families of deceased to receive death certificates from the Department of Home Affairs; assisting child-headed households to access grants; and overall, assisting the South African population to access the government services that are available to them.
Community development workers are, as we speak, busy implementing these government policies. Some of the assistance CDWs get to perform their vast and varied tasks comes in the form of Thusong Service Centres. These centres have been established across the country to assist not only CDWs to perform their work, but every South African citizen to have access to good public service.
Government's vision for the Thusong Service Centres is to provide every South African citizen with access to information and service within their place of residence in each local municipality by 2014.
With the purpose of improving the quality of their lives through integrated service delivery, typical services found in these centres, include the Department of Home Affairs; Labour; the SA Social Security Agency; Social Development; Government Communication and Information System; the Department of Health; Post Office; libraries; agricultural extension offices and municipal services, as well as Community Development Workers; the SA Police Service; nongovernmental organisations; and community-based organisations. These hubs of government services on the ground are vital to ensure that the South African citizenry are afforded the best services this government can offer.
The Thusong Service Centres serve not only the community through the tireless efforts of community development workers but also the efforts of ward committees and councillors. The Thusong Service Centres are a vital component in the developmental state. One of the major challenges facing the effectiveness of the Thusong Service Centres is the connectivity of the centres to the databases of the government departments serving those centres.
Chairperson, this brings me to my last point, the State Information Technology Agency, Sita, revenue for the seven-year period, from 2006 to 2013, is expected to grow at an average rate of 10,3%. The main contributor to revenue is information technology services, which grew from R3,4 billion in 2006-07 to R6,1 billion in 2012-13. Operating expenditure grew from R592 million in 2007-08 to R709 million in 2009-10. The solvency ratio at the end of 2009-10 was 2,41:1 and the liquidity ratio was 1,98:1, leaving the State Information Technology Agency healthy and with a sound financial structure.
The agency has established a streamlined procurement process by using volume purchasing and side licences to establish attractive prices on standardised hardware and software. However, Chairperson, as the ANC, we are aware that there is widespread dissatisfaction with the work that this agency is doing for our government. There is a need to be vigorous and tighter oversight is necessary over the State Information Technology Agency with the complete and irreversible elimination of corruption within this agency; the urgent appointment of full-time competent staff; all interference that limits the ability of the agency to operate a business must end; and acting positions amongst staff must be filled with permanent posts without delay.
The new functioning board has started working on the revitalisation of this agency and has created a Sita turnaround strategy. This turnaround strategy must be implemented with the agency that is vital in order to bring the government's services closer to the ground.
Community development workers out there are faced with the enormous challenges. They work in places we seldom see. President Jacob Zuma said, in his 2010 state of the nation address:
The Public Service has to respond to the call to make this term one of faster action and improved state performance. We require excellence and hard work. We need public servants who are dedicated, capable and who care for the needs of citizens.
It is our responsibility, as this is the fourth Parliament, to make every effort to ease the suffering of the people on the ground. We need to step up to the plate, roll up our sleeves and get on with business of delivery. We are greatly assisted by community development workers and by Thusong Service Centres, and we will be greatly assisted by swift effective implementation of the State Information Technology Agency's turnaround strategy.
Hon members, we, as the fourth Parliament, are on the eve of the completion of the first 20% of our term in office. So, if you were to take a cake and cut it into five equal pieces and take one of those pieces out, you will see how far we have come. [Applause.]
We must accept that we are together. When government fails, we all fail. When government succeeds, and this government will succeed, we all succeed, because, hon members, together we can do more. Thank you. [Applause.]
Dr H C VAN SCHALKWYK
Mr A J WILLIAMS
Afrikaans:
Dr H C VAN SCHALKWYK: Voorsitter, die staatsdiens weerspieël die standaard van die regering se vlak van dienslewering. Sou dienslewering nie na wense wees nie, word die regering se beeld negatief gereflekteer. Alle Suid-Afrikaners sal graag met lof wil praat van die staatsdiens, want dit is ons staatsdiens.
Ongelukkig is dienslewering in die meeste staatsdepartemente nie op standaard nie. Trouens, korrupsie vier hoogty en die publiek het
hul vertroue in die staatsdiens verloor.
English:
My colleague, hon Dreyer, touched on the Department for the Public Service and Administration and the Public Service Commission, so I will reflect on the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama, and the State Information Technology Agency, Sita.
Palama should play a vital role in creating a climate of ethics in the Public Service. The eight Batho Pele principles endorse exactly such a climate. The implementation thereof, however, is crucial and a big challenge. In his response to a DA question, the Minister said that he has encouraged Palama to introduce capacity-building courses for public servants regarding knowledge of the Batho Pele principles.
Two courses are indeed being offered by the academy, namely the Public Service Induction Programme and Khaedu Action Learning. But, hon Minister, as the saying goes: the proof of the pudding lies in the eating. Public servants must "eat" the pudding, otherwise the Batho Pele principles mean nothing. Widespread corruption in the Public Service proves that a commendable climate of ethics is lacking.
Afrikaans:
Daar is 'n teenstrydigheid in die gelyktydige bestaan van Palama en die "Public Service Sector Education and Training Authority,. [Staatsdiens Sektorale Onderwys- en Opleidingsowerhede.] Kan Palama nie vaardigheidsontwikkeling en kapasiteitsbou akkommodeer en fasiliteer nie? Watter vaardighede, "skills", word deur Palama en watter deur die geadministreer? Is dit nie duplisering wat teen 'n hoë koste geskied nie? Ek besef dat Palama konsentreer op bestuursopleiding eerder as op vaardighede in die algemeen, maar aangesien Palama deesdae meer 'n fasiliteerder as 'n diensverskaffer is, kan hy net sowel vaardigheidsontwikkeling ook fasiliteer.
Staatsdiens Sektorale Onderwys- en Opleidingsowerhede is in elk geval nie funksioneel nie. Uit die 2008-09 jaarverslag wat die komitee vanoggend ontvang het wou die Ouditeur-Generaal in sy verslag nie 'n opinie uitspreek oor die finansiële state nie.
English:
A disclaimer of opinion.
Afrikaans:
Staatsdiens Sektorale Onderwys- en Opleidingsowerhede bestaan vanaf 2007, maar kan nog bittermin wys wat bereik is. Die departement blyk ook nie erns met Staatsdiens Sektorale Onderwys- en Opleidingsowerhede te maak nie, want onderspandering van die begroting – slegs 39% is gebruik vir Program 2 –
English:
Human Resource Management and Development –
Afrikaans:
is deels te wyte aan oordragte wat nie aan Staatsdiens Sektorale Onderwys- en Opleidingsowerhede gemaak is nie.
Die staatsinligtings-tegnologie agentskap, Sita, is 'n verleentheid vir die staatsdiens en vir u, agb Minister. Bedrog en korrupsie vier hoogty in hierdie staatsagentskap.
English:
Since the Minister has not yet responded to all my written questions, maybe I can use the opportunity today to get clarity on two of those serious questions.
Nearly a year ago you were reported to have received a 613-page risk assessment report that exposes large-scale corruption and procurement irregularities within the Sita. Did you indeed, Minister, receive this report? If so, why have you not yet responded to the findings of the report? Will members of the portfolio committee, at some stage, have access to the report?
Surely, as Members of Parliament who have an oversight role to play, we are entitled to access to the information. The Sita's procurement processes are in dire straits, and corrupt officials do not comply with procurement rules. Surely there must be consequences for corrupt officials. In his state of the nation address, the President was very adamant that corruption in all spheres of government will be eradicated. It is now time for action, sir, more than ever before.
Turnaround strategies – and there I agree with hon Williams – have become common practice these days. What about such a strategy being applied to the Sita as well? I am glad that there may be one.
The second matter concerns the cancellation of the R5 billion to R6 billion tender to issue smart identity cards for the Department of Home Affairs. The board of Sita decided to cancel the deal after leaks to the industry emanated from Sita - in other words, corruption and irregularities, once again.
You have recently indicated to me that the subject is still being investigated and that you foresee that the matter will be concluded by June this year at the latest. I know that the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs was yesterday briefed on an audit which was done to establish the reasons for the cancellation of the tender. Do you know anything about this audit, Minister? Whom was it done by?
I attended the Budget Vote debate of Home Affairs last week. I can assure you that speaker after speaker expressed their dismay and frustration with Sita's failure to produce. Sita has let South Africa down; they let the many honest public servants down; they let you down, Minister.
Afrikaans:
Voorsitter, ek moet afsluit. Ons staatsdiens weerspieël tans nie die gees van die baie voortreflike Batho Pele beginsels nie. Daar is te veel amptenare wat hulleself eerste stel, en nie die mense vir wie hulle moet dien nie. Die DA se beleid van 'n oop geleentheid samelewing vir almal bied aan u die enigste oplossing in hierdie benarde situasie: elke aanstelling in die staatsdiens moet op meriete alleen geskied - en hierdie meriete, Minister, sluit integriteit in. Daar moet gekyk word na die geskikste persoon vir elke pos.
English:
The DA's concept of "fit for purpose".
Afrikaans:
Kaderontplooiing moet ten alle koste vermy word. Eers dan sal dienslewering in die staatsdiens verbeter en sal Batho Pele tot sy reg kom. Baie dankie. Thank you. Enkosi kakhulu.
Ms F C BIKANI
Dr H C VAN SCHALKWYK
Ms F C BIKANI: Chairperson, hon Members of Parliament, Minister, Deputy Minister, the acting director-general and all the guests, 2010 is the year of action, not only for the Department for the Public Service and Administration, but - we do need to acknowledge - also for the oversight functions of an activist Parliament Portfolio of Public Service and Administration.
The ANC envisages a united, democratic, nonracial and nonsexist South Africa. The ANC also envisages a unitary state where the Bill of Rights guarantees fundamental rights and freedom for all on an equal basis, where our people live in an open and tolerant society, where the organs of government are representative, competent and fair in their functioning, and where opportunities are progressively and rapidly expanded to ensure that all may live under conditions of dignity and equality.
When we speak of a united South Africa, we firstly have in mind, the territorial unity and constitutional integrity of our country. South Africa must be seen, and recognised by the international community, as a single, nonfragmented entity. We secondly envisage a single citizenship, nation and a common loyalty. We speak many languages, have different origins and varied beliefs, but we are all South Africans.
We believe that there is a need for a strong and effective central government to handle national tasks, a strong and effective regional government to deal with the tasks of the region and a strong and effective local government to ensure active local involvement in handling local issues.
The central government has the responsibility to ensure that there is a common framework of principles and practices, applicable to the whole country and for seeing to it that all areas of the country have equitable access to national resources. However, it is not the function of central government to involve itself in each and every decision that has to be taken at regional or local levels. Such functions should clearly be delegated to these authorities and performed by them.
It is therefore natural that when we speak of an integrated Public Service, we do so for two central reasons: firstly, there is the need to enhance service delivery; and secondly, is the need to ensure that we strengthen the unitary state in its ability to perform its constitutional responsibilities.
In 1994, as we began to govern this country, our Reconstruction and Development Programme was very clear that reconstruction and development will be achieved through the leading and enabling role of the state. A developmental state is not simply pronounced, but is felt through the leadership and the enabling role it plays in mobilising society towards the achievement of a common vision.
The 10 strategic outputs of the Department for the Public Service and Administration are meant for us to realise the outcomes-based approach of an efficient and effective development-oriented Public Service to ensure an empowered, fair and inclusive citizenship. This is thus further indicating the need for the Public Service, driven by a modernisation strategy, which seeks to improve service delivery through a strategic focus on the development of our people. We then need a different approach and we need to look at the existing challenges still facing the Public Service.
Remembering the 52nd National Conference of the ANC in Polokwane, the resolutions regarding a single Public Service requires the following: Firstly, the creation of a single Public Service initiative which enables administration in all spheres of government to be organised and to operate in ways that ensure efficient, quality, collaborative and accountable service delivery, to promote social and economic development for the people of the Republic.
Secondly, to enhance service delivery through flexible structures that enable and promote operational and frontline integration; innovation by means of electronic government; human capital and talent management; managerial accountability; performance; and people-oriented service culture.
Thirdly, to further enhance service delivery through systematic information and knowledge management and collaboration between institutions within and across spheres of government, as well as between those spheres and private development sectors.
We therefore say to you as members of the portfolio committee and also to the Ministry for the Public Service and Administration, with the ANC continuing to lead and drive the process of the unification of the administration in the three spheres of government, through the initiation of an integrated Public Service, please unfold necessary processes towards the implementation thereof.
We are governing differently to bring about relevant changes to the public and citizens of South Africa, but also to start running the Public Service.
Afrikaans:
Agb Voorsitter, dit help nie ons redeneer oor 'n regering wat foutief is, maar sien nie die behoeftes van die meerderheid raak nie. Agb Dreyer, ons moet dus 'n verskil maak. Die geïntegreerde publieke dienste, wat dit ook al was in die verlede, het glad nie die werk vir die oorgrote meederheid, wat ons vandag verteenwoordig, gedoen nie. Ons sal moet implementeer wat wel werk, om 'n verskil te maak in die lewens van alle Suid-Afrikaners in hierdie departement.
English:
That does include the opposition within the portfolio committee.
We acknowledge and continue to complain about poor capacity in the Public Service. Even in this area, the ANC-led government constantly makes an effort to amend and improve on weaknesses identified in various systems, entities and areas of training and skills development within the Public Service.
Hon Ramatlakane, the Deputy President, hon Kgalema Motlanthe, in his remarks on the occasion of the launch of the Human Resource Development Council said:
Human Resource Development spans several domains in education, the labour market, industry and society. Therefore, problems that are intrinsic to these domains cannot be reduced to one institution or the policies of one government department or institution.
Rather, they impact on collective ensemble of institutions in the system and relate to a cross-sectoral basket of government policies, private sector initiatives, higher education and other academic institutions as well as society at large.
Therefore, the evident need towards an integrated Public Service is demonstrated by the hon Maluleke in issues of the Public Sector Education and Training Authority, jointly with all other sector education and training authorities, under the Minister of Higher Education and Training, to ensure that and I further quote the Deputy President:
Together, we should give momentum and support to the implementation of the various Human Resource Development initiatives. The scope and importance of Human Resource Development dictates that its success depends on the participation of all social partners. We will – in aligning our efforts with those, like structures such as the Performance Monitoring and Evaluation; National Planning Commission; Science and Technology; Basic Education and Training; and so forth – draw on their work to avoid duplication of efforts and mission drift.
In passing this Budget Vote, we therefore must do so, accepting that we have started on the right footing, but we need to do more to illustrate the importance of the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama's, mandate to capacitate public servants to do their work and support the academy in realising this goal. As Palama moves forward towards the finalisation of its further transformation, not only must we reposition the organisation to be central in the human resource development programmes, but we must equally resource this academy adequately, for improved performance. If we are to develop the kind of public sector cadre that the President has spoken about, we must realise that this task requires an integrated approach involving other stakeholders.
We must commit to ensuring a shared value coherence of developmentally oriented cadres - as so well put by one renowned scholar, Prof Linda Weiss - besides other necessary institutional arrangements such as creation of innovation space, management endorsement and a working environment that is conducive.
Palama must be positioned to be central in the training dimension of the development of this cadre. Such a role of the institution must allow for centralised co-ordination of training in the Public Service. It must allow for a common curriculum framework espousing the ethos, values, and attributes of the type of cadre we envisage, who cares for our people; who is selfless; who is committed to the ideals of this government; who represents the people of South Africa; and equally important, who is philosophically aligned to the aspirations of government.
This curriculum must allow for all public servants to be trained with minimum training requirements per annum, linked to performance management and career progression. It must introduce a measure of compulsion for targeted training for all public servants in the three spheres of government. Most importantly, for the academy to be able to do all of this, it will have to be appropriately funded by this government. Only then, will we be talking about a people-centred Public Service, and only then, can we be talk about delivery of services to our people with care, speed, and working smarter.
With all this, it only makes sense for this portfolio committee, in prioritising its key roles and functions, to necessitate the speedy development and retabling of the Public Administration Management Bill. It also makes sense to encourage, at the highest point of debate, further engagement and hearing about relevant amendments to what has already been started.
In conclusion, our roles and responsibility are not to passively or negatively critic and bring down the ANC government. It is the very government of the day which assisted with solutions to a turnaround strategy from a messed up Public Service accommodative of only the white elite in the past apartheid government. We, as the ANC-led government, wish to just say that working together, we can do more.
So let's be implementers, monitors and evaluators of our own Public Service policies. This is also the inspiration and simple request of our President, hon J G Zuma. Let us rather look at proper ways towards successful service delivery, to help improve, not only our economy, but the public's state of living to improve and correct years of damage and inequality caused.
In essence, we agree on various ways to improve public service delivery, not only as the committee but also as a Department for the Public Service and Administration who wishes to improve and prove ourselves to all our voters on matters of public service delivery. We all, irrespective of the political affiliations, believe in and wish to emphasise the best practices of the Batho Pele service delivery principles.
Why then do we not act like public service and deliverance cadres rather than crucifiers of a successful young government such as the ANC, and pointing fingers to the personal lives of others? None of us can be the judge over the lives of others. We are not gods. Instead, we are servants to the voters who elected us and we have to help improve their status and living conditions. Yes, in a lifetime, none of us, not even the opposition, is God to perfect the lives lived by the majority of South Africans.
So all I'm saying, my fellow South Africans and my fellow members of the opposition, is that we, in the ANC, take it one step at a time. Even our sons and daughters are about to catch up with us, since many are in tertiary education institutions to ensure proper, effective and efficient service delivery - a very simple matter for correction, legislative review and thereafter, implementation.
After all, Public Service and Administration simply means constant improvement and implementation of services in order to meet the needs of all South Africans who voted for us, no matter what the political affiliation or the requirements of effective, efficient public service delivery. Once again, my fellow comrades, the ANC is just keeping it simple - the requirements of public service delivery.
The ANC supports Budget Vote No 11 of Public Service and Administration. I thank you.
The MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION
Ms F C BIKANI
The MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION: Chairperson, I want to thank everyone who have spoken. I want to say the following to them.
Afrikaans:
u Insette, kommentaar en standpunte hier genoem is belangrik en ons beskou dit as waardevol.
English:
I would also like to take this opportunity and thank the Deputy Minister for his continued support. My thanks go to all the portfolios falling within the Ministry for the Public Service and Administration for their continued commitment and hard work.
The boards of the State Information Technology Agency, Sita, Government Employees Medical Scheme, Gems, and the Public Service Sector Education Training Authority, continue to play a critical role in providing strategic guidance and direction to these institutions. Thanks for that.
In this regard I want to wish and call on this House to join me as we wish a speedy recovery of the chairperson of the Public Service Sector Education Training Authority, as he is going through some challenges.
I would also like to thank the staff at the private office of the Minister, the Ministry who contends with our heavy schedule and have to work long hours at times. Without them I would not be able to do much. You are like family. Most importantly I want to thank my family whose support gives me strength. Thanks to the portfolio committee for the oversight role and political guidance.
Allow me, as I conclude, to say that due to time constraints and also due to the value we put on all the issues that you raised - some factual and some entertaining - we would like to undertake to respond to all the issues raised in writing. We are going to address you one by one regarding the terms of the issues that you raised. We are committed to respect Parliament as an oversight institution.
We are going to respond to the issues of the portfolio committee collectively. We know that it is through our co-operation that we will make it a reality. The separation of powers in South Africa is not an issue that we think about as utopian, but as an issue that we believe in and practice.
As a country we will continue to contribute towards improved public service and administration in Africa and on the international arena. We would do this to ensure that Africa develops in tandem with the rest of the world and that we entrench our position as an equal participant in the world family of nations.
We will soon submit our second report in compliance with the African Peer Review Mechanism. We have gone through the country's second assessment in terms of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Convention on Combating Bribery. Through the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama, we are championing the African Ministers of Public Services Programme on Capacity. Through the Centre for Public Service Innovation, CPSI, we are leading the programme on All Africa Public Sector Innovation Awards. The Public Service Commission continues to lead in the Association of the African Public Service Commission.
We commit ourselves to be available throughout the financial year to respond to all the issues that hon members raised. The Budget will assist us to do our work under the guidance of making a difference regarding efficiency, effectiveness and development orientation.
Let's make sure this happens in our lifetime, because within the times allocated we would not be able to say it all but want to guarantee that all that the Ministry has to is contained in a budget message booklet. This booklet is readily available as you leave. Collect it and look at what we are saying regarding these issues. We might even find answers to some of the issues that were raised.
As we indicated, we are going to comment on this, we may just have to reflect on some of the issues raised here and indicate as to where we are. It is true that Budget Vote 11 also incorporates funding meant for the Public Service Commission and Palama.
We welcome the comments and thank all the members who have spoken about this development. We are addressing this matter, understanding fully that it is the decision of the Ministers' committee on the Budget, which I am also a member of, to address issues related to the proliferation of budget votes. The end result of which is the development of new departments and new entities after the advent of the passing of the amendment to the Public Service Act, and government components are established. We have to address this issue. An interim arrangement, as we move towards doing that, is to make sure that we revisit and address these issues. We are committed that this is an issue that will soon be concluded as an interim arrangement.
Coming to the Public Service Commission, what I welcome, as members have said, is that no one has said that the previous arrangement was the best. It has not been the best, we have raised these things. This issue has been an issue for one portfolio committees after the other. We are not saying that the previous dispensation was the best, because if we want to see the independence of this institution, you need to locate it perfectly where it belongs.
Thanks to Parliament, through you Chairperson, we know that an ad hoc committee which was chaired by Professor Kader Asmal, former Member of Parliament, has done some work and we believe that it will be at the advent that, as we conclude the debate on the recommendations, we will be in a position to say that all of us are proud of the corporate form of the Public Service Commission. This also applies to Palama.
Concerning the single Public Service, there is no contradiction between talking about the single Public Service and the Constitution. The Constitution stipulates in Chapter 10 that South Africa has one administration. This administration subscribes to the values that are contained in section 195 of the Constitution. These values will cut across all spheres and also apply to state-owned enterprises level.
The issue of oneness is there. So, if you have your public administration, you will want to agree on the programme of action that you need to implement, and therefore you will need an arrangement of structures that will implement this in order to talk to each other. We must not talk Batho Pele at national and provincial levels and not do the same at local government level. We want to address that issue.
There is no debate at the current moment regarding the debate towards the single Public Service suggesting that you are going to centralise everything and do away with municipalities. No, that is not an issue. The issue is that you want to have harmonisation of conditions of service. You want to have a situation where you have a seamless arrangement in the provision of services. You want to have an arrangement where there would be mobility of skills across the three spheres. You need to do that. In fact, it was not even the case even between national and provincial before the amendment of the Public Service Act. That is why we are saying that the road to conclude the debate on the single Public Service is not a narrow road; it is a road that all of us need to contribute to.
We need to embrace what the Deputy Minister has said. We should not opportunistically pluck the feathers of that chicken with the broken leg on the side of the road whilst still alive. We need to assist it and show it whereto go. At the moment the debate on the single Public Service is, as I referred to, an extra parliamentary engagement. It is at that level where we need to strengthen it and take the process forward
Xitsonga:
Vuvabyi bya PSETA hi byi vonile. Hi wu kumile ndzombo wa kona naswona ku nga ri khale hi ta kota ku swi lulamisa.
English:
One hon member has indicated that the Sita is letting the Minister down. If the opposite of letting me down is letting me up, I want to state "watch this space". In no time the Sita will be an agency of note for all of us. I thank you very much. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
The Committee rose at 16:11.
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