/ 8 December 2008

Longer term for DGs

Plan "seeks to ensure that the transition after the elections is smooth and does not disrupt service delivery"

The terms of key directors general in the national government will be extended for up to a year to help new ministers to settle in next year and ensure continuity and service delivery, the Cabinet announced on Thursday.

On Wednesday the Cabinet approved a plan to manage the transition from the present government to the new administration that will be elected next year.

The election date has not yet been announced, but the poll will probably take place in late March or April to allow for the new president to be sworn in on April 27.

“The plan seeks to ensure that the transition after the elections is smooth and does not disrupt service delivery,” said government spokesperson Themba Maseko.

“All departments should ensure that policies and procedures are institutionalised, that the contracts of directors generals that expire immediately after elections be addressed in consultation with the president or the president elect after the elections with a view to achieving continuity,” Maseko said.

Maseko is in charge of the transition team that will ensure that department heads prepare reports for their successors and key officials are retained in the offices of ministers to ensure continuity.

Normally, incoming ministers are allowed to bring their own director generals and political advisers with them, who leave when the minister’s term expires.

The government wants to retain a core team in ministries to ensure that “a fresh minister and a fresh DG don’t come into office at the same time”, a government official said.

The director general of finance, Lesetja Kganyago, will be asked to continue in his job despite his contract ending in June next year.

“We have the MTEF [medium term expenditure framework] in October. You can’t have a new DG starting in July and a new minister starting just before that,” the official said.