ATC210513: Report of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration on the Strategic Plan 2019/20—2023/24, Annual Performance Plans (Apps) 2020/21 and the Budget Vote 12 of the Public Service Commission, Date 13 May 2021

Public Service and Administration

REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION ON THE STRATEGIC PLAN 2019/20—2023/24, ANNUAL PERFORMANCE PLANS (APPS) 2020/21 AND THE BUDGET VOTE 12 OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION, DATE 13 MAY 2021

 

1. BACKGROUND

The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration (hereinafter referred to as the Portfolio Committee) having considered the directive of the National Assembly to consider and report on the Strategic Plan, Annual Performance Plan and Budget allocations of the Public Service Commission tabled by the Minister of Public Service and Administration in terms of the Public Finance Management Act (Act No 1 of 1999), reports as follows:

1. INTRODUCTION

Parliament plays an important role in overseeing planning and performance of government departments and public entities as well as Chapter 9 and10 institutions. The Public Finance Management Act, section 27 stipulates that the Minister must table the annual budget for a financial year in the National Assembly before the start of the financial year. Subsequent to that the Money Bills Amendment Procedures and Related Matters Act, No 9 of 2009, section 10 (1) (c) clearly stipulates that the relevant members of Cabinet must table updated strategic plan and annual performance plan for each department, public entity or institution, which must be referred to the relevant Committee for consideration and reporting.

In considering the strategic and annual performance plan, the Committee ensured that the Public Service Commission’s plan and budget allocation serve the needs and aspirations of the citizens. Budget allocation serves as a key instrument for government to promote socio-economic development. Budget allocation plays a critical role as an economic instrument of the government to reflect on the country’s socio-economic policy priorities by translating priorities and political commitments into expenditures. Budget serves as a vital tool to operationalise government activities towards the achievement of its intended priorities. Furthermore, the budget highlights the constraints and trade-offs in policy choices.

On 04th May 2021, the Committee considered presentation on the Strategic and Annual Performance Plan and budget allocation of the Public Service Commission (PSC). This report summarises presentation received from the PSC, focusing on the 2019/24 Strategic Plan and 2021/22 Annual Performance Plan and Budget as well as allocations over the MTEF.

1. OVERVIEW OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

The PSC is an independent institution established in terms of Chapter 10 of the Constitution. It derives its mandate from Section 195 and 196 of the Constitution, 1996, which set out the values and principles governing public administration, which should be promoted by the PSC, as well as the powers and functions of the PSC. The PSC is required by the Constitution to exercise its powers and to perform its functions without fear, favour or prejudice. The Constitution links the PSC’s independence firmly with its impartiality and no organ of state may interfere with the functioning of the PSC.

The PSC is vested with custodial oversight responsibilities for the Public Service and monitors, evaluates and investigates public administration practices. It also has the power to issue directions regarding compliance with personnel procedures relating to recruitment, transfers, promotions and dismissals. The PSC is accountable to the National Assembly and to Provincial Legislatures and must annually report on its activities and performance to these two institutions.

1. LEGISLATIVE MANDATE

The PSC is a constitutional oversight body, established in 1996, primarily to promote “a high standard of professional ethics in the public service”. The PSC operates in terms of the PSC Act 1997. The Act provides for the regulation of the PSC with regard to:

1. The constitution of the PSC.
2. Appointment of Commissioners.
3. Designation of the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson.
4. Conditions of appointment of Commissioners.
5. Removal from office of Commissioners.
6. Functions of the PSC (inspections, inquiries, etc.)
7. Rules according to which the PSC should operate.
8. The Office of the PSC (OPSC); and
9. Transitional arrangements with regard to service commissions (created under the Interim Constitution). 

 

1. STRATEGIC GOALS OF THE PSC

The strategic goals of the PSCfor 2019-2024 are as follows:

1. Promoting the implementation values and principles

The PSC has a constitutional mandate to promote and monitor compliance with constitutional values and principles in the course of rendering of services to the public. The promotion of the constitutional values and principles is aimed at fostering a positive behavioural change in the public servants and the Public Service in order to ensure that services are delivered in a responsive, caring and ethical manner, among other things.  

In order to ensure the continuity over the MTEF period, the commission plans to conduct 50 quantitative evaluation reports in 2020/21 and 12 qualitative evaluations in each of the remaining years of the MTEF period. The purpose of these reports and evaluations is to assess departments’ compliance with constitutional values and principles with a view to promoting a culture of excellence in the public service. Quantitative indicators are used to establish whether systems are in place, while qualitative indicators aim to establish whether those systems assist in effecting change.

1. Promoting professional ethics in the public service

In terms of Section 195 of the Constitution, the PSC is required to promote professional ethics in the Public Service.  Given this Constitutional mandate, the PSC would raise ethics awareness through the promotion of Code of Conduct in the public service ethical leadership dialogues and commemoration of international events such as the International Anti-Corruption Day.

1. Public Administration Investigations

The PSC will, over the MTEF, continue to conduct investigationsas a way of holding public service accountable in exercising their functions.  A variety of access mechanisms have been established by the PSC to promote accountability and encourage a culture of reporting ethics-related issues, accountability-related issues such as appointment, procurement and financial irregularities, non-compliance with Public Service legislation and policy, service delivery and professionalism-related issues such as bias/impartiality, unfairness, discrimination and prejudice, and performance-related issues such as incapacity, incompetence, lack of training/capacitating and lack of representivity. 

1. Management of the Public Sector National Anti-Corruption Hotline

Public Sector National Anti-Corruption Hotline (NACH) is another mechanism established by government to prevent and combat corruption. Government has introduced the NACH for departments, public entities and local government in 2004 through a Cabinet Decision of 14 August 2003. The investigation or resolution of the NACH cases has been a challenge since its inception and has been an MTSF commitment for a number of years and departments are expected to resolve 80% of cases lodged with the NACH per quarter. The PSC would over the MTSF monitor the resolution of these cases.  

1. Management of the Financial Disclosure Framework

In terms of Regulation 21(1)(a) of the Public Service Regulations, 2016, the PSC is required to scrutinise the financial disclosure forms of Members of the SMS. The purpose of the scrutiny is to assess compliance with the requirement to disclose all financial interests and also establish whether the involvement of officials in any activities of the companies could lead to conflicts of interest.

The scrutiny of the financial disclosure forms involves the verification of information provided in the financial disclosure forms against the information contained in the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission Deeds Registry and the National Traffic Information System databases. The PSC also assesses the extent to which SMS members are engaged in work outside their normal employment in the relevant Departments.

1. Disciplinary Proceedings on Financial Management

In terms of the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (PFMA) read in conjunction with Treasury Regulations, 2002, accounting officers of departments are required to report on the outcome of completed disciplinary proceedings on financial misconduct, to amongst others, the PSC. The PSC will over the MTEF monitor and evaluate, amongst others, how departments are managing financial misconduct, which is part of ensuring that the Public Service maintains a high standard of professional ethics. The PSC will continue to produce on annual basis an overview of completed disciplinary proceedings in respect of financial misconducts.  The overview is aimed at reflecting on action taken by departments institutionalising consequence management on cases of financial misconduct.

 

1. POLICY PRIORITIES FOR 2021/22

The policy priorities, as outlined in the Annual Performance Plan for 2021/22, are discussed below:

3.1Improvement of organisational performance

The PSC has placed emphasis on the improvement of organisational performance, doing more with less through various efficiencies, and improving on its audit outcomes. Over the past few years, much emphasis was placed on improving the turnaround time in dealing with grievances and public administration investigations through the review of standard operating procedures. The PSC will make significant efforts to improve the functionality of the Integrated Grievance and Complaints Management System, which is an automated case management system. The main advancement in 2020/21 was that analytical reports could be generated from the Data Warehouse where data is systematically collected in standardised formats for all departments. The reports can either be for a department, a sector or a specific indicator like 30-day payment of invoices.

1. Gender and Disability Mainstreaming

The Office of the Public Service Commission (OPSC) annually reviews and submits the Gender and Disability Mainstreaming Programme of Action to the DPSA. As at January 2021, the representation of females in the Senior Management Service (SMS) of the OPSC was 51% and at the Middle Management Service (MMS) it was at 47%. Although there is no Public Service-wide target for representation at the MMS, the OPSC believes that it can only attain the required target if a strong cohort of middle managers has the requisite skills and capacity to be promoted to the SMS.

3.3 Addressing challenges with office accommodation

The PSC has provincial offices in all the provinces, with a small complement of around 10 employees, supporting Provincially Based Commissioners in executing the mandate of the PSC in the provinces. The ergonomics of some provincial offices are not conducive to the occupational health and safety of employees, which is compounded by the additional COVID-19 requirements, yet the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) has been unresponsive to the PSC’s attempts to address these issues. Some of the PSC’s offices are also not in all respects compliant with the mandatory Minimum Physical Security Standards, due to a lack of responsiveness of the DPWI/ Landlords and a lack of financial resources.

3.4 Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment

The PSC has, since 2018/19, set performance standards in its Annual Performance Plan to measure the appointment of service providers who meet the B-BBEE requirements and have exceeded its target in this regard. When the PSC tabled its Adjusted Annual Performance Plan to Parliament in July 2020, the indicator was adjusted upwards from 10% to 40% of B-BBEE suppliers appointed to ensure that the PSC promotes the appointment of the B-BBEE suppliers in its procurement. During the period 01 July 2020 to 31 December 2020, the percentage of B-BBEE compliant suppliers appointed by the PSC was 55,9%.

3.5 Looking into the impact on the operations of the Public Service

The COVID-19 experience has demonstrated that the Public Service can adopt hybrid modes of working and service delivery, thus reducing the need for daily commuting to the office by all employees. This also contributes towards reduced traffic, as well as water and electricity consumption at the office. On the contrary, the savings from the employer are likely to result in increased expenses for employees who work from home. In addition, hybrid modes of working highlight possible challenges on issues of employee health and safety for employees and the safety of the employers' assets whilst working from home and commuting with assets, such as computers, between home and the place of work. These issues necessitate the need to review various Public Service frameworks and policies.

3.6 Promoting ethical leadership and anti-corruption

The NDP Vision 2030 addresses the need for a developmental state that is capable, built on strong leadership, sound policies, skilled managers and workers, accountability and observance of the rule of law. The NDP adds that the capable state cannot materialise by decree, but that it has to be built, brick by brick, institution by institution, and sustained and rejuvenated over time.

The State of the Nation Address (SONA) 2021 highlighted that Government “had started implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy, which lays the basis for a comprehensive and integrated society-wide response to corruption.” However, the Strategy is not new, it was initiated in September 2015. Its objectives were to:

• Rejuvenate a national dialogue and direct energy towards practical mechanisms to reduce corruption and improve ethical practice across sectors and amongst citizens in South Africa.
• Provide a robust conceptual framework and strategic pillars to guide anti-corruption approaches across relevant sectors in the country.
• Support coordination between government, business and civil society efforts to reduce corruption and improve accountability and ethical practice.
• Provide a tool for monitoring progress towards a less corrupt society.

 

Corruption is a major hindrance to good governance in the public sector. As a result, Government has tasked business, civil society and the public sector with tightening anti-corruption measures as part of a mechanism to prevent and curb corruption. However, it is evident that these mechanisms have not yielded much needed results due to the failure of governance that was observed in the procurement of Personal Protective Equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, which involved both public servants and the private sector. It is for this reason that the PSC hosted a Virtual Roundtable in October 2020, amongst others addressing the (a) implementation of the constitutional principle of Efficient, Effective and Economic use of resources in the procurement environment, and (b) the challenges experienced during COVID-19 within the procurement environment and the financial implications of these challenges on the fiscus.

Conflict of interest is a major contributor to corruption in public institutions, with the foundation being the abuse of power, which erodes the moral fibre of society. In order to address the challenge of conflict of interest and abuse of power, the PSC needs to go back to the basics, such as recruitment processes, which should be thorough. This means when recruiting and selecting candidates, the public service needs individuals who are acutely aware of their public duty, which is to serve the people of South Africa. The PSC has thus commenced with a study on ethics in recruitment and selection processes in the Public Service.

 

1. BUDGET ANALYSIS

The Public Service Commission’s overall budget allocation for 2021/22 is R282.4 million, compared to R273.7 million in 2020/21. This represents an increase of 3.2 per cent in nominal terms. However, in real terms the total budget for the Commission increased by only 0.98 per cent between the 2020/21 and 2021/22 financial years. This is due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused readjustment of budgets across the public service.

Budget allocated will focus on fighting corruption, strengthening human resource practices and management and monitoring and evaluating service delivery performance in the public service. It will also monitor service delivery and the implementation of the financial disclosure framework and strengthening the financial disclosure system to combat corruption.The budget of the Commission is divided into four programmes, namely Administration; Leadership and Management Practices; Monitoring and Evaluation; and Integrity and Anti-Corruption. The main cost drivers of the Commission are Programme 1: Administration (R136.1m) and Programme 4: Integrity and Anti-Corruption (R57.9m).

Table 1: Overall budget allocation for 2021/22 financial year

Programme	Budget			Nominal Rand change	Real Rand change	Nominal % change	Real % change
R million	2020/21      Million		2021/22 Million	2021/22		2021/22	2021/22
Programme 1: Administration		130,5	136,1	5,6	0,1	4,29 per cent	0,09 per cent
Programme 2: Leadership and Management Practices		43,8	44,8	1,0	-0,8	2,28 per cent	-1,84 per cent
Programme 3: Monitoring and Evaluation		42,6	43,6	1,0	-0,8	2,35 per cent	-1,78 per cent
Programme 4: Integrity and Anti-Corruption		56,8	57,9	1,1	-1,2	1,94 per cent	-2,17 per cent
TOTAL		273,7	282,4	8,7	-2,7	3,2 per cent	0,98 per cent

Source: National Treasury (2021)

 

 

1. PROGRAMME PERFORMANCE

The PSC has four programmes whose budget and activities are as follows:

1. Programme 1: Administration

The purpose of this Programme is to provide overall management of the PSC and centralised support services. The budget for Programme 1 increased from R130.5 million in 2020/21 to R136.1 million in 2021/22. This represents a 0.09 per cent increase in real terms in the budget allocation between 2020/21 and 2021/22. The programme is one of the three major cost drivers under this Vote, consuming 48.19 per cent of the overall allocation. It is also the only programme that experiences a real percentage increase, albeit marginal. The main cost drivers under this programme are the Chief Financial Officer (R51.8m); Corporate Services (R24.4m); Property Management (R24.3m) and Public Service Commission (R23.0m). The compensation of employees budget under this Programme has per cent, due to Cabinet‐approved reductions to fund the budget shortfall for essential services during the COVID‐19 pandemic.

This programme carries the bulk of the budget due to the budget of the Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson and 12 nationally and provincially based Commissioners being part of Programme 1. The number of Commissioners is prescribed in section 196 of the Constitution. Furthermore, the PSC has centralised its support function and as a result, the budget for Administration is high as it includes the budget for centralised support services e.g. accommodation costs, State Information Technology Agency (SITA) services, training, internal audit, operation lease payments, Auditor General’s fees, and so on.

1. Programme 2: Leadership and Management Practices

The Leadership and Management Practices (Programme 2) is responsible for promoting sound Public Service leadership, human resource management, labour relations and labour practices. The programme has two sub-programmes, namely: Labour Relations Improvement, and Leadership and Human Resource Reviews.

The budget allocation for Programme 2 increased from R43.8 million in 2020/21 to R44.8 million in 2021/22. In real terms the budget allocation of Programme 2 decreased by 1.84 per cent between 2020/21 and 2021/22, due to Cabinet‐approved reductions to fund the budget shortfall for essential services during the COVID‐19 pandemic. This programme consumes the third largest portion (15.86 per cent) of the overall budget. The bulk of the Programme’s budget (R20.3 million) is allocated to the Leadership and Management Practices sub-programme, which provides overall management of the programme. In line with government initiatives outlined in Priority 6 of the NDP, the PSC will focus on professionalisation of the Public Service through promoting meritocracy and ethical conduct in the areas of HRM and Leadership practices. It is important to note that effective HRM and Leadership practices would contribute towards sound labour relations, employee productivity and organisational performance.

Furthermore, the PSC will support the establishment of the administrative Head of the Public Service as this is an essential step in professionalising the Public Service and managing the career incidents of HoDs and other senior management service members.  The other main cost driver is Labour Relations Improvement (R15.2m), which is responsible for promoting labour relations and practices through the timeous investigation of properly referred grievances and the provision of best practices in the public service. The Commission plans to address grievances and complaints arising from the reorganisation process, and induct new Heads of Department and Executive Authorities with the aim of strengthening compliance with the principles of reorganisation and effective public administration.

In line with government initiatives in Priority 6 of the NDP, the PSC will focus on professionalisation of the public service through promoting meritocracy and ethical conduct in areas of Human Resources Management and Leadership practices. The PSC’s contribution will be facilitated through research, monitoring and capacity development on key topical issues relating to, among others, ethical practice in the recruitment process, effective discipline management, the strategic repositioning of Human Resources in departments as well as effective management of continuous employee development. The Commission will under this programme promote sound labour relations and practices through timeous investigation of all properly referred grievances and provision of best practices. The Commission intends to finalise grievances of the employees on salary 2 -12 within 30 days from date of receipt of all relevant information.

1. Programme 3: Monitoring and Evaluation

The main purpose of the programme is to improve the functionality of the Public Service through institutional and service delivery evaluation. Programme 3 accounts for 15.43 per cent (R43.6 million) of the Commission’s total budget vote in 2021/22. Between 2020/21 and 2021/22, the budget allocation for Programme 3 increased by 2.35 per cent in nominal terms, but decreased by 1.78 per cent in real terms, due to Cabinet‐approved reductions to fund the budget shortfall for essential services during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The main cost drivers of the Programme are Programme Management: Monitoring and Evaluation at R25.8 million and Service Delivery and Compliance Evaluations at R9.2 million. The PSC conducts service delivery inspections at various service points in order to influence positive behavioural change in the manner in which services are rendered in the Public Service by the public servants. Service delivery inspections are regarded as a fact-finding exercise to observe and get first-hand information on service delivery.

The main contribution of the PSC of monitoring and evaluating function will be on improved leadership, governance and accountability, functional, efficient and integrated government and professional, meritocratic and ethical public administration. This contribution will be realised through monitoring of departmental compliance with Constitutional Values and Principles(CVPs) in order to ensure that the Public Service is responsive to the needs of the citizens. One of the mechanisms the PSC intends to use to measure the responsiveness of the Public Service is monitoring departmental performance against their respective service standards. The PSC’s work on building stronger institutions will be complemented by service delivery inspections, so that the institutions can also be evaluated from the perspective of the citizen so that solutions to real world service delivery problems can be developed.

The PSC aims to continue with sector specific service delivery inspections for over the medium term. The PSC intends to conduct service delivery inspections in ten health facilities. The PSC will enhance its knowledge base through lessons in the rollout of District Service Delivery Model (DSDM) by the Presidency as articulated by the President in the 2018 State of the Nation Address. Furthermore, the PSC produces evaluations and advice addressed to decision-makers with a view to changing public administration practices and behaviours. In line with its Constitutional mandate, the PSC’s contribution towards strengthening state capability has prioritised the ambition to build a value-driven public service through ethical, credible and accountable leadership, and embedding constitutional values and principles across the public sector.  

1. Programme 4: Integrity and Anti-Corruption

The Integrity and Anti-Corruption programme is responsible for undertaking public administration investigations, promoting a high standard of professional ethical conduct amongst public servants and contributing to the prevention and combating of corruption.The budget allocation for Programme 4 accounts for 20.50 per cent share or R57.9 million of the total budget vote in 2021/22. In 2021/22, the allocation for Programme 4 increased by 1.94 per cent in nominal terms, but in real terms, it decreased by 2.17 per cent, due to Cabinet‐approved reductions to fund the budget shortfall for essential services during the COVID‐19 pandemic.

The main cost drivers under this programme are Programme Management: Integrity and Anti‐Corruption at R26.0 million and Professional Ethics at R20.0 million, respectively. There has been a decrease in the number of complaints lodged and closed by the PSC over a four-year period. This may be attributed to the departments putting in place own complaints mechanisms, including reporting lines and investigative capacities, as required by the Minimum Anti-Corruption Capacities (MACC) established by Cabinet. This shows the effectiveness of the Programme, although the issue of addressing public service employees conducting business with the State is progressing slower than anticipated.   

A responsive and values driven public service depends on, among other things, the investigative function of the PSC on public administration malpractices, particularly in the areas of irregular appointments and curbing of corruption in government departments. The PSC will continue to investigate public administration malpractices, scrutinise compliance with financial disclosure framework management of the National Anti-Corruption Hotlines and conduct investigative research on professional ethics. 

 

1. OBSERVATIONS AND FINDINGS

The Portfolio Committee identified the following matters in relation to the Budget Vote 12,

1. The Committee notes and considered the Annual Performance Plan 2021/22 financial year of the Public Service Commission. The Annual Performance Plan covers the functions of the Commission enshrined in section 196 of the Constitution. The Committee further notes that the PSC’s strategic focus, mainlycontribute towards building a responsive, ethical and value-driven public service that responds timeously, efficiently and effectively to the needs of the citizens.

 

1. The Committee notesthe PSC’s initiative onthe legislative reform project intending to introduceto Parliament a Bill that will allow the Commission to be supported by a Secretariat that is independent of government in order to strengthen its independence and impartiality. The Bill will further ensure that Commissioners are purely appointed based on merit, competence and experience in relation to the public administration, aligned to the NDP. The NDP states that “the appointment of commissioners becomes a litmus test for the government’s commitment to retaining the independence of the Public Service Commission.Moreover, the Bill seeks to extend the scope of the Commission of investigation, monitoring and evaluation to all organs of state including municipalities and State Owned Enterprises. The PSC has reported that the PSC Amendment Bill had been submitted to the Minister for Public Service and Administration.

 

1. The Committee further notes existing vacancies of the Commissioners at the National Office and in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu Natal provinces. The Committee was wary of Section 3(2)(a) of the Public Service Commission Act, 1997 which stipulatesthat such posts be filled within a 60-day period.

 

1. The Commission has advertised the vacant Director-General’s position as part of stabilising the administration of the PSC. The Chairperson of the PSC assured the Committee that they will speed up the process of appointment of the Director-General at the Commission.

 

1. Recruitment in the public service is among top priorities of the PSC in the 2021/22 financial year. This priority is guided by the National Development Plan, which stipulates that “strengthening the role of the Public Service Commission would help ensure that recruitment into the public service is based on merit and competency”.

 

1. The Public Service Commission has to be proactive rather than being reactive in tackling corruption in the public service. The Committee notes such proactivity. The Commission has to fully capacitate and provide support to Programme 4: Integrity and Anti-Corruption to be in a position to use information received through National Anti-Corruption Hotline and Financial Disclosure Forms to investigate officials who are suspicious of committing acts on unethical conduct. Being proactive means that the PSC will make public servants more accountable. The NDP recommends making public servants legally accountable as individuals for their actions, particularly with public resources.

 

1. The Committee was concerned about the absence of a mechanism to assess the performance of individual commissioners throughout their term of contract to enable the Committee to facilitate and recommend the renewal or non-renewal of their term of contract.

 

1. It is over 11 years with government implementing the National Development Plan, among the objectives of the country’s blueprint plan was to strengthen the PSC. There are numerous interventions that the NDP proposed, which are implemented by the PSC over the past years. The Committee was of the view that the PSC conduct an evaluation on the outcomes relating to the NDP or implemented by the public service.

 

1. RECOMMENDATIONS

The Portfolio Committee recommends that the Public Service Commission undertake the following activities:

1. The Public Service Commission in collaboration with the Minister should fast track the finalisation of the draft Public Service Commission Bill, which aims at strengthening the independence of the Commission through operating with its own administration outside of the Public Service Act. The Bill should be tabled timeously to Parliament, to allow the Committee ample time to process it.

 

1. The Public Service Commission should begin to engage with the Presidency and Parliament on developing mechanisms to be used to measure individual Commissioners performance. Performance mechanisms should address and assist Parliament as well as Provincial legislatures on the “renewable for one additional term of a commissioner” as stipulated in Section 196(10). Since each commissioner is responsible for a specific focus area, it would be easy for Parliament to assess performance on a yearly basis from reports issued and engagements with Parliament on such issues. However, this assessment must be structured properly.

 

1. The Public Service Commission should put more emphasis in implementing Section 196 (4)(f)(iii) of the Constitution in monitoring and investigating adherence to applicable procedures in the public service. The PSC should be proactive and innovative in monitoring and investigating adherence to applicable procedures in the public service as this will assist government in uprooting unethical practices.

 

1. The Public Service Commission should put in place a system to monitor adherence to prescripts relating to personnel practices in the public service, including those relating to the recruitment, appointment, transfer, discharge and other aspect of the careers of employees in the public service.

 

1. The Public Service Commission should begin to monitor and report on the adherence of issued circulars by the Department of Public Service and Administration to other government departments to determine compliance level with the intention of addressing challenges confronting the public service. The mechanism may be to ask the Department, after a predetermined period, to apprise the Commission on the level of compliance and non-compliance.

 

1. The PSC should strengthen existing mechanisms by being proactive in investigating suspected corrupt officials using information received from the Anti-Corruption Hotline and Financial Disclosure Forms. The PSC should recommend to the Department of Public Service and Administration once investigations are concluded that officials who are found to be corrupt, especially regarding doing business with the State, cannot work for the public service again.

 

1. The PSC should evaluate performance of the public service on the objectives of the National Development Plan in order to determine the level of implementation. 

 

1. The PSC should review its communication strategy in order to attract all media platforms in disseminating its reports about the state of the public service to the citizens. The PSC must forge media partnerships with all media houses, including being active on other social media platforms as a way of popularising and marketing its work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONCERNING THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE

 

 

1.  The Portfolio Committee should assist the Commission in ensuring that all vacant Commissioner posts at National and Provincial level are filled within 60 days as per Section 3(2)(a) of the Public Service Commission Act, 1997.  

 

 

1. CONCLUSION

The Portfolio Committee is satisfied with the fact that the PSC continues to deal with key services even as the pandemic has disturbed the course of service delivery in the public service. The Committee understands that service delivery will definitely be affected and will not be at hundred per cent, but the efforts towards minimising the impact of the pandemic are appreciated. The PSC should be a proactive institution that tackles all forms of unethical conduct existing in the public service. Media platforms including social media have to be effectively utilised to inform and communicate issues confronting the public service with the citizens in this country. The Committee will continue to support the PSC towards achieving what it can achieve under the circumstances.

The Portfolio Committee recommends as follows:

That the House approves the Budget Vote 12 of the Public Service Commission.

 

Report to be considered.