A ”back to basics” approach was needed to counter shortfalls in governance and administration in the public-service sector, Public Service and Administration Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi said on Tuesday.
”Certain areas have not changed [for the better]. The improvement of the public service is about getting the basics right,” Fraser-Moleketi told reporters in Pretoria on Tuesday.
Last year good results had been achieved in the development of service-delivery improvement plans. However in this financial year only 20% of departments had complied.
”The quality of the plans is not in all instances satisfactory, in particular there is a need to implement plans at the level of service-delivery points,” said Fraser-Moleketi, mentioning police stations, schools, and hospitals as examples.
The findings pointed to the need for sustained hands-on support for departments, coupled with systematic enforcement of the regulations.
Weak management and lack of stewardship was also a concern and citing the recently launched Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy (Palama) as an example, she said evidence of successes on this front could already be seen.
”We are working very hard … Palama is moving, we are seeing increased outcomes.”
The department was engaging with managers and employees at the service-delivery level and highlighting conditions of employment, as well as ensuring there was strong ”stewardship” over these departments.
Fraser-Moleketi said progress had been made in filling senior posts and the signing of performance agreements; the harmonisation of planning across the three spheres of government, and the improvement of home affairs’ civic services.
She said that by August 4, 84% of performance agreements from senior posts had been received — 34 out of the 37 national departments and 89 out of 109 provincial departments.
Three director-general positions were still vacant, two at a national level and one the provincial level.
The department had sought to ensure that all vacant senior manager positions were filled within six months, taking into account demographic targets, and that performance agreements were signed.
A further stumbling block was the percentage of delegations of powers made by executive authorities — ministers — to administrative heads, or heads of department.
”Essentially, in 90% of the departments the delegations are unsatisfactory,” she said.
Regarding wage increments, she said the current 16-notch salary structure would be changed — with less notches — to allow for salary and grade progression for non-professionals.
The details of this would be ”spelt out” at a later stage. The Home Affairs Department had also undertaken a number of projects to improve delivery of civic services such as turnaround time for issuing of identity documents.
Fraser-Moleketi said turnaround time currently stood at an average of 68 days, down from the initial baseline of 163 days and the February 2008 average of 103 days.
She attributed this to harmonised distribution by a single service provider which reduced the average postage time of three days.
”The department is also engaging with the South African Post Office to improve distribution to citizens.”
Home Affairs acting director general Vusi Mkhize said a pilot programme to phase in smart ID cards would also be launched in December.
He said this was in response to ID fraud and would replace existing ID cards. – Sapa