Employment and job creation will be at the centre of Gauteng’s policy, Premier Nomvula Mokonyane said in her state of the province speech on Tuesday.
”The creation of decent work and sustainable livelihoods must be at the centre of our work,” said Mokonyane.
”This becomes even more critical in the context of recession, which is compounding the challenges of poverty, hunger and unemployment and making it even more difficult for our people to survive.”
Mokonyane promised that the government would tackle the recession with social grants, infrastructure and human resources development, cooperation with business and labour, job creation through the expanded public works programme and reorganisation of government administration to make it more efficient.
”The public service must do more with less,” she said.
Reform of the government service was a key part of Mokonyane’s address. She accused some private service providers of greed and of ignoring their contracted commitments.
”For a long time the government has been taken for a ride by greedy service providers who care less about the welfare of our people,” said Mokonyane. ”The buck stops now.”
She said her government would shift its priorities towards ”real delivery issues” and away from ”intentions” and expect better results.
She criticised government managers who shirked their responsibilities with their ”over-reliance” on consultants.
The cost-effectiveness of their relationship with service providers, consultants and others would be reviewed.
”We are going to be very strict on issues of value for money and demand high standards of performance from anyone who does business with government,” said Mokonyane. ”We demand better service and nothing less.”
She said those service providers who fulfilled their contracts deserved to be paid on time.
If government officials were slow to compensate businesses for work done, then they were not only undermining development, but encouraging crime.
”The employees of our agencies must begin to understand that by failing to pay emerging businesses in time, they become accomplices
in crime to undermine and stall economic growth and development.”
Ordinary civil servants also came in for criticism from the premier. Mokonyane said that during the election campaign and at imbizos, the behaviour of civil servants was a regular complaint.
”The level of rudeness and arrogance displayed by some of our civil servants towards the public has reached unacceptable proportions. We must bring an end to this scourge.
”A new work culture must prevail. We are determined to do things differently. Hard work, efficiency, speed and quality service will be the order of the day,” she said.
Officials who did not perform would be dealt with ”severely”, she said, singling out law enforcement and court officers for rough treatment.
”If police officers and court officials lose case dockets, they will have to lose their jobs too. We cannot afford to have a justice system that is compromised by rogue elements.” – Sapa