G Fraser-Moleketi: Senior Management Service (SMS) Conference
opening

13 September 2007

I believe it is appropriate to start this conference with the words of the
President from a letter to Ministers, Premiers and Deputy Ministers dated 8
March 2007.

In this letter he referred to a meeting with The Forum of SA Directors
General where the Presidency "directed our Directors General (DGs) to produce
in a month's time, a realistic, specific and time bound Programme of Action
that will help our country to advance the project of creating a better life for
all, at a faster pace than we have managed to achieve in our previous
twelve-and-a-half years of freedom.

"In reality, we demanded of our Directors General the audacity of (the
French revolutionary) Danton staring with an identification of the most
critical interventions we must make to ensure the realisation of our already
agreed objectives. I sincerely hope that in this regard, we, the Presidency,
Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Premier, will position ourselves as supporters
of the DGs, and not act as opponents of the determined efforts they will
propose to help us break new ground relatively quickly and though concerted and
co-ordinated action as revolutionaries.

"This means that all of us, including the DGs, should turn our backs on
routine. It means that we must repudiate the comfort zones at have encouraged
us, literally to rest on our laurels, arising from the fact that we have seen
and can quantify the positive results of our work during the short years of our
liberation. He goes on to say that "this means … that we must, once again,
reposition ourselves as innovators, who dare to challenge the proven truths
that our successful practice, to date, has established as proven truths.

"To achieve this outcome, we must everyday remind ourselves that we serve in
government because we are revolutionaries. As revolutionaries and therefore
agents of revolutionary change, we have no choice but to cultivate a frame of
mind that celebrates and does not fear change, a frame of mind that repudiates
timidity, that constantly criticises many of the routines that we have
established, that questions the established order that is our much admired
offspring, that has the daring and courage fully to open itself to the exiting
ability to embark on the new and original – that has the courage to reconstruct
itself according to the insurrectionary principle and practice of audacity and
audacity and once more, audacity!

Our democracy and constitutional and rights based dispensation derives its
character from a long-nurtured vision, a vision that found expression in the
freedom charter and flows through to the Bill of Rights and our Constitution.
Not only is this vision articulated through the broader principles embraced in
the Constitution, but finds direct expression in the Chapter 10, which deals
with the public service.

As the letter clearly urged that we act audaciously let us reflect on the
word "audacious." It reflects the need to be innovative, pioneering, daring,
creative, imaginative, visionary; extra-ordinary we exercise our management and
leadership roles. One cannot lead anyone further than one is able or prepared
to go oneself. There is a need to shift the envelope from where we came in
1994, to where we are moving in 2010. It is with this audacious spirit that we
must sound our leadership trumpet as we embrace the vision enshrined in our
Constitution, directed and inspired by the leadership of the senior managers,
following the mandate of the electorate to the public representatives appointed
as our executing authorities:

- to make a reality of the requirements of our Constitution that our public
administration must be governed by the democratic values and principles which
include in précis

* a high standard of professional ethics
* the efficient, economic and effective use of resources
* development orientation of the Public Service
* transparency and accountability
* good governance
* ensuring non-sexism, non-racism, inclusivity and representivity
* maximising human potential.

It is these basics to which we must constantly return and by which we must
constantly assess our progress.

As managerial leaders it is your responsibility to direct and lead the
operational and programmatic aspects of implementing the political mandate. In
our historical context and with the huge challenges we face, this is a
demanding role and one which will take your best efforts and energy. We must
always respect the distinction or we face the danger of undermining our
democracy. I believe that Professor Agyriades will reflect more on this subject
and speak of the responsibility that rests with this leadership to give policy
advice, based on the factual context that enables political leadership to take
policy decisions and identify the appropriate outcomes in order that stateless
and programmes can be developed and implemented to produce these required
outcomes.

Of importance is the political administrative interface. We must avoid what
Jacques Bourgault (IIAS 2007,Vol 73(2) 257-274) referred to as "the practice of
working in silos is one of the most common flaws described by those working
within the civil service after all, political-administrative cannibalism can
gnaw away at the cohesion of the team and coherent implementation of the
agenda." The president referred to the need to act and work together as "in all
instances where these two officers fail to understand their roles and therefore
(fail to) co-operate accordingly the insurrection will fail. It will fail
because instead of facing the defined and real enemy, these two commanding
officers of 'our forces' would have opened another front of struggle." We must
work together understanding our different roles.

In April this year, during the International Human Resource Management
conference held in Cape Town, I stated that "the developmental state needs more
than sound management, but requires leadership at all levels of the service
delivery chain. What we need is to build leadership, to produce critical
thinkers at every level of the chain, who dare to be different, to look at
problems with new eyes, to recognise problems where others see the situation as
an indisputable way we do things."

The Senior Management Service Conference held in 2006, assessed the
challenges associated with building the capacity of the state to improve
service delivery. Some of the key issues emanating from this conference were
identified as the need to:

* continuously support and build capacity of senior managers through
information and learning networks in order to improve service delivery
* accelerate leadership and management development in order to develop a
culture of accurate reporting, accountability and responsibility of senior
managers
* ensure that senior managers have a complete understanding of government
priorities and are able to translate government policy into sustainable
programmes that positively impact on the lives of citizens
* identify best practices for leadership and management in the public
service.

Taking stock of the state of the public service leadership cadre in 2006,
this has informed the golden thread this year, which is "Performance and
Leadership Development Management in the 21st Century: Best Practice and
Implications for Service Delivery Improvement," in order to address the nub of
our leadership challenges. This conference will therefore focus on the
strategic development and growth for leadership development in a more organised
and formal manner and seeks to address issues such as:

* the impact of globalisation on leadership shared with us from the United
Nations (UN) perspective by Professor Argyriades
* examples of evolving best practice on leadership from a country from the
Southern Hemisphere, like Chile
* the local Single Public Service initiative and its implications for the role
of Senior Management leadership in speeding up service delivery using a new
model of service delivery which removes the artificial barriers that have
impeded delivery
* the importance of strengthening leadership capability in the public
service
* the total commitment to implementing the Heads of Department's 8-Principle
Action Plan for Promoting Gender Equality in the Public Service Workplace
* institutionalising in future a Public Service Women Management Week and a
Women Manager's Forum in the workplace
* the launch of the discussion document for the SMS, the Leadership Development
Management Strategic Framework which is intended to institutionalise the
leadership development and training agenda.

The focus of the 2007 SMS Conference shifts from generic management issues,
to becoming a consultative and interactive platform, for the pavilion of ideas
emanating from the robust engagement and knowledge sharing, which should
ultimately influence the policy direction on leadership and organisational
performance management within the public service.

Since the inception of the SMS in 2001, the number of SMS members has
registered more than 7 000, who are highly qualified, but has this rich
knowledge base translated into results driven action and audaciousness

The evolution of this dispensation has led to numerous interventions in an
attempt to transform the accountability of leadership in our organisations. A
frequently asked question is "What impact has the SMS initiative had on the
Public Service since its inception and what challenges still remain?"

I contend that SMS is indeed a profound intervention in transforming the way
the public service is managed and how managers are accountable for service
delivery. An overview of the SMS Review Reports during the period 2000 to 2006,
which will be distributed at this conference today, depicts the history of the
SMS initiative, its establishment and institutionalisation and the impact it
has had in transforming the public service. While this initiative is moving in
the right direction, there remain a number of challenges.

Too frequently one hears of how certain things cannot be done, how problems
prevent service delivery, how and this is highlighted by the Public Service
Commission reports, non-compliance in specific departments is still tolerated,
especially with respect to the signing of performance contracts and the issuing
of bonuses, financial disclosures and recruitment practices and yet the
legislative framework clearly articulates the parameters.

The Constitution in 197(4) reminds us that provincial governments are
responsible for employment practices within a framework of uniform norms and
standards across the public service. Let us today honestly evaluate our
value-add and accountability as managers at the coalface. The Leadership
Development Management Strategic Framework which I will be launching tonight is
intended to address a balance between organic and organised measures to drive
the capacity development of SMS members. It will introduce strategic
interventions o respond to the recommendations of the SMS Review Reports. The
fundamental goal of this framework is to address the development of Senior
Managers in totality, which should intrinsically guarantee the development of
other employees at all levels within the public service.

Currently women comprise 32% of all SMS positions, while there are very few
women with disabilities in key decision making positions. The Public Service
Commission recent Audit Report on Gender Mainstreaming indicates that seven out
of the nine provinces reflect no women with disabilities in their Senior
Management Services. Let us reflect on this could that be your province?

While several progressive policies have been put in place to address
employment equity including the advancement of women in the workplace
implementation of such policies remains a challenge. Senior managers have to be
held accountable for achieving women's empowerment, gender equality and equity
as well as the eradication of workplace discrimination.

In this regard, I launched the Head of Departments 8-Principle Action Plan
for Promoting Gender Equality during the month of August, to fast track real
transformation for women in the workplace.

These eight-principles are:

* transformation for non sexism in the workplace
* establishing a policy environment
* meeting equity targets
* creating an enabling environment
* mainstreaming gender
* empowerment
* providing adequate human, physical and financial resources
* accountability, reporting, monitoring and evaluation.

The eight-principles have particular significance for advancing women into
and within management. We are further recommending that one week a year be
declared a Public Service Women Management Week during National Women's
Month.

All SMS women in departments will with the Director-General or Head of
Department convene women management meetings to track the implementation of the
action plan. In addition, I spoke of establishing a Women Manager's Forum for
the Public Service, which will be further deliberated upon during this
conference from one of the Commissions. This forum will create the space for
monitoring departmental progress towards meeting gender equity targets and the
empowerment of all women in the workplace as well as providing women managers'
opportunities for supporting each other in executing their
responsibilities.

This conference offers an important platform to re-confirm our commitment to
meeting national priorities, by discussing evolving key initiatives undertaken
by the Public Service. In this regard the Single Public Service project is an
attempt to remove artificial barriers between spheres of government, removing
duplication of services, creating a seamless delivery chain for the citizen
through a single window, one stop shop experience where there is "no wrong
door." This will facilitate an integrated service delivery model across the
three spheres of government.

The imperatives for increasing the rate and quality of service and
infrastructure delivery at local level since 1994 have highlighted concerns
about the capacity of the state to rise to the challenge. Several measures have
been adopted to increase the resources available to both the public service and
local government, and to improve its overall human resource capacity to
deliver. The critical challenge remains ensuring that Human Resources
Principles and Practices support the development of the necessary capacity
throughout the spheres of government. The development of leadership skills
within the local sphere is as vital and crucial as within the provincial and
national spheres.

While this conference deliberates on enhancing leadership towards meeting
these challenges, we need to be mindful of our current responsibilities and how
we execute these roles in a professional, efficient and effective manner for
immediate service delivery improvement. The key attributes about being a leader
are encompassed in the understanding of the tenets of constitutional
democracy:

* collaborate with people for whom you must plan by listening
* connect with them by participative governance
* co-ordinate them in a learning network to gain comparative experiences and
apply new methodologies and transferring skills
* by inspiring and motivating in a spirit of humility, compliance will be the
result.

The annual SMS Conference has become a key milestone event on the Public
Service calendar. It acts primarily as a vehicle to focus on pertinent issues
which drive the engine room of government and takes a snapshot view of whether
we have the right machinery to deliver on our agenda.

In conclusion, I exhort all of you here today to see yourselves as pioneers
who wear the cloak of audacity, not only to transform the Public Service, but
to turn it into a powerful agent for development so that the people are able to
access what is rightfully theirs and which for too long they were unjustly
denied.

Thank you.

For enquiries:
Lewis Rabkin
Cell: 082 487 3220

For interview requests please call:
Lebohang Mafakosi
Cell: 082 312 4641

Issued by: Department of Public Service and Administration
13 September 2007