on the Programme of Action, 10h00-12h00, Union Buildings, Pretoria
3 July 2007
Introduction
The G&A Cluster strives to improve the quality of life of the people by
improving governance, the capacity and organisation of the state and its
underlying systems. The Cluster's priorities derive from Government's
commitment to improve its service to the people as embodied in the 2004
electoral mandate.
Following the January 2007 Cabinet Lekgotla and the President's State of the
Nation Address on 9 February 2007, the Cluster developed a Programme of Action
(POA) for implementation of the mandate. The Cluster has four priorities:
* promoting good governance
* strengthening the capacity of the state
* achieving and maintaining the optimal organisation of the state
* developing and enhancing the state's transversal systems.
Government's POA for 2007 was approved by Cabinet on 5 March. The briefing
on the first report of the Cluster took place on 10 May. This is the briefing
on the second report for 2007, finalised by Cabinet on 26 May.
Overview of cluster progress
Although it is important to scrutinise the detailed project progress on a
regular basis as facilitated by this review, it is equally important to take a
step back at intervals to consider whether the work of the Cluster is making a
positive difference. The halfway mark in the year is an appropriate occasion
for reflection.
Anti-corruption efforts at local level are focused on implementing an
anti-corruption strategy, while the national and provincial anti-corruption
strategy was implemented from 2002 to 2005 and its impact is currently being
assessed. The renewed gender and disability programmes are focusing on the
creation of Gender and Disability Focal Points in departments to drive the
implementation of the gender and disability strategic frameworks. The first
cohort of the Accelerated Development Programme (more than 100 middle managers
who are mainly black women) will graduate early next year.
Batho Pele is making a positive difference in the public service. A national
advocacy programme is cascading the principles of Batho Pele to local
government, so that a common service delivery ethos is instilled in all spheres
of government. The Cluster has boosted the number of departments that have
developed Service Delivery Improvement Programmes (from approximately less than
50% to more than 80%), which will form the basis for comprehensive monitoring
and evaluation of service delivery performance in years to come. The campaign
to induct all new public servants in the principles of Batho Pele will begin in
earnest next year.
Through the efforts of the Cluster, ward committees have been established in
almost all wards (96%) throughout the country, strengthening local democracy.
The Cluster is also working to create educational programmes for ward committee
members and will introduce a stipend to cover their expenses. The national
Imbizo programme is bringing government leaders into direct contact with the
people to address their concerns and service delivery challenges.
Local government is benefiting from the concerted efforts of the Cluster to
build its capacity. The Cluster has engaged national and provincial sector
departments to support local government and has deployed experts to
municipalities to strengthen capacity and transfer skills. Monitoring and
evaluation (M&E)of local government at provincial level has been greatly
strengthened, with M&E units established in 8 out of 9 Premier's Offices
and 6 out of 9 provincial local government departments.
Competency frameworks for senior managers and performance management
frameworks for municipalities have been developed. Capacity building programmes
for local government office bearers and officials have made good initial
progress. Intergovernmental relations structures and processes are firmly
entrenched, and solid technical work has been done on support to traditional
leaders and property rates regulations. The Local Government Laws Amendment
Bill was approved by Cabinet on 26 June 2007 for introduction into Parliament
for consideration during this year.
Local government has commenced a skills audit and a skills database is being
developed in the public service. The skills information is designed to assist
in designing capacity building initiatives and in human resource planning.
Competency assessments for senior managers will become compulsory next year.
The intention is to provide departments with additional information regarding
the capacity of candidates and incumbent managers for selection and
developmental purposes.
A new Human Resource Development Strategy has been prepared, which includes
capacity building steps such as the establishment of a National Public Sector
Academy [currently the South African Management Development Institute (Samdi)];
partnerships with Higher Education Institutions and Further Education and
Training Colleges; e-learning for the public service; learnerships, internships
and traineeships; a more strategic role for professional bodies; leadership
management development strategies; and strengthened systems for workplace
learning. The capacity building initiatives are supported by organisational
initiatives (human resource management interventions) and governance
initiatives, including monitoring and evaluation.
The Samdi's preparations to transform itself into a National Public Sector
Academy are underway and nine project teams have been established to look at
different aspects. The Academy will be a key pillar of the implementation of
the Human Resource Development (HRD) strategy. The Samdi's training programmes
continue to strengthen capacity in the public service in areas such as supply
chain management, anti-corruption, gender mainstreaming and disability
management. Induction and orientation will be a lead programme for
'massification,' which aims to reach the maximum number of public servants
possible through partnership arrangements with provincial academies and service
providers.
The Single Public Service is a massive undertaking designed to improve
service delivery by integrating the front office, the back office and the
institutions delivering services to the people. Critical preparatory work is
being undertaken to develop common norms and standards in relation to human
resource practices. Funding options are being explored. The draft Single Public
Service Bill has been prepared and will be released for public comment after
approval by Cabinet. Internal consultation on the draft Bill is underway.
A critical element of the Single Public Service is the integration of
service delivery, which allows citizens to receive 'government services' as a
whole in a convenient location without having to travel far and wide. Thusong
Centres have begun to meet this demand, and new Thusong Centres are being
established to add to the 90 already in place. A critical focus is internet
connectivity at these centres, especially to make the Batho Pele Gateway
available at the centres, and the Alexandra Thusong Centre will be used as a
blueprint for future centres. The Cluster also promotes the work of the
Community Development Workers (CDWs) as integrators of government services who
provide information about services and assess communities' needs. There are
more than 3 000 CDWs in the field.
E-Government includes the use of Information and Communication Technologies
(ICTs) to facilitate more accessible government services. Two Cluster projects
seek to achieve this. The first is the Track and Trace system developed by the
Department of Home Affairs, which allows citizens to ascertain progress
regarding their ID or passport applications by sms. A related Cluster
initiative is the Citizen Relations Portal, which will allow citizens to make
enquiries about service delivery. These projects seek to promote the use of
ICTs by citizens and the public service to deliver services more effectively
and efficiently.
The National Spatial Development Perspective assists districts to develop
local economic strategies that support areas of need and potential. A pilot of
13 districts has been completed and further districts are being identified.
National and provincial departments are supporting municipalities in finalising
their Integrated Development Plans. Engagement by national and provincial
departments with the spatial plans of local government is essential for
effective implementation.
The Government-wide Monitoring and Evaluation System (GWM&ES) is under
construction. The aim is to develop a dashboard reflecting public sector
performance and other statistical information. The GWM&ES processes
information from a wide range of sources, including government's transversal
systems, including the National Statistical System of Statistics South Africa.
The Presidency recently published the Mid-Term Review, providing analysis and
trends gleaned from 72 macro-indicators. Capacity building for M&E is being
designed by Samdi.
Evaluation of cluster work
Institutional change takes time. In 1999/2000 the Public Service Review
Report argued that the transformation of the public service was complex and
likely to take much longer than initially expected. Public service
transformation and administrative reform have proved to be ongoing processes,
requiring public servants to manage changes to systems, structures and policies
while delivering high quality services to the people. Most Governance and
Administration projects are medium to long term.
The work of the Cluster constantly improves the public service landscape but
the work is ongoing. Batho Pele, which was conceived in 1997, has been
implemented and revitalised since then. A campaign initiated in 2004 has
recently been intensified. Ministers are conducting unannounced visits to
service delivery points. In the spirit of the Single Public Service, Batho Pele
training is also underway in municipalities. Batho Pele as a programme is
continually being improved while remaining faithful to the principles
identified at the outset.
Gender and disability representivity in the public service has been an area
of weakness, since the targets for women in management and disabled people in
the public service are not being met. A concerted effort is being made to
rectify this situation. Programmes to facilitate public participation have
yielded good results, although the rate of the resolution of the issues raised
at izimbizo can still be improved. On average there has been good compliance
with the requirements of the Public Service Anti-corruption Strategy and most
departments have complied with the minimum anti-corruption requirements. The
Local Government Strategy is being launched in provinces and
municipalities.
The Cluster has undertaken critical work in support of municipalities
through Project Consolidate since 2004, by deploying engineering, financial
management and other technical experts. Municipalities have already shown
improvements in the quality of the Integrated Development Plans, strengthened
financial viability, improved governance and the filling of senior management
posts. The 5-Year Local Government Strategic Agenda has been under
implementation since January 2006. Following on from Project Consolidate's
hands-on support to local government, it also addresses institutional capacity
and policy refinement. Intergovernmental relations have been significantly
strengthened through the implementation of the Intergovernmental Relations
Framework Act, 2005.
Integration has been a common theme in the work of the Cluster, especially
in relation to service delivery. The need for integration is the inspiration
behind the Single Public Service initiative, and innovative programmes such as
the Thusong Centres and the Community Development Workers show that we have
made remarkable progress in a few years. The challenge will be to integrate the
various institutions that deliver services and to present a single window on
government for the citizen, wherever they may be.
The transversal systems of government must also be integrated, especially
planning and monitoring and evaluation. Ambitious programmes are underway in
these areas, in order to harmonise the planning of the national, provincial and
local spheres, and in order to establish an integrated framework for monitoring
and evaluation. Both of these programmes have not yet been fully implemented,
and once the initial implementation is in place, the systems will continue
operating with modifications where required.
The Cluster's work is making a positive difference to public administration
through its pillars of governance, capacity, macro-organisation and transversal
systems. The Programme of Action focuses on a one-year time span, which often
provides only a snapshot of a much larger project or programme underway. In
addition to the bimonthly reporting on the Programme of Action, Cluster
programmes and projects should also be considered individually, within their
broader time span, especially as and when the implementation and monitoring and
evaluation cycles come to an end.
The Cluster has been responsive to high-level debates on the developmental
state, the two economies and the organisation and capacity of the state, which
have been incorporated into the Programme of Action, although much of this work
has been submitted to the Cabinet Makgotla. Overall the Cluster has identified
the areas of improvement required, and has established programmes and project
to address them. However, implementation must be tightened, in particular the
meeting of deadlines and the economic, efficient and effective use of
resources.
Detailed Report for April - June 2007
Good governance
Anti-corruption
The Local Government Anti-corruption Strategy is being implemented in 27
districts with the support of the provincial departments responsible for local
government. Four provinces have launched the strategy. Selected Project
Consolidate municipalities were supported to implement the required policies,
procedures and systems.
Gender and disability
Advocacy roadshows for the Draft Strategic Framework for Gender Equality and
the JobACCESS Strategic Framework have been completed. Comments have been
sought and are being incorporated into Guidelines and Implementation Plans for
both documents.
Batho Pele
Over 184 municipalities, covering seven provinces, have been trained in
Batho Pele. The programme forms part of the Single Public Service process and
aims to ensure that there is a single service delivery ethos for the three
spheres of government. Work is continuing to obtain the buy-in of the
leadership and senior management at municipalities. Community Development
Workers are being trained to assist with the monitoring of the programme's
implementation.
The Samdi has initiated a massified induction programme aimed at ensuring
that new public servants (a target of 100 000 per year has been set) receive
training on the core values of public service delivery and development,
focusing on knowledge of the Constitution and Batho Pele values.
Public participation
The National Imbizo Week took place from 10 to 17 April. Eighteen Cabinet
Ministers, 13 Deputy Ministers and nine Premiers participated in 310 imbizo
events through the country. In the same month President Mbeki visited
Johannesburg for a municipal imbizo. Greater emphasis is being placed in the
imbizo programme on ensuring greater alignment with local economic development
within the framework of the National Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP),
the Provincial Growth and Development Strategies (PGDSs) and the municipal
Integrated Development Plans (IDPs). The second National Imbizo Week for this
year will be held in October.
Ninety-six percent of municipalities have established ward committees and
much has been done to build the capacity of ward committees. A training
programme at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level 2 has been developed
and piloted in municipalities in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga. A national
database for the programme is being created, which will be linked to the
initiative of the Department of Communications to provide cellphones to all
ward committee members.
Capacity of the state
Local Government Strategic Agenda
Six national departments [the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, the
Department of Minerals and Energy, the Department of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Housing and
the Department of Provincial and Local Government (dplg)] submitted progress
reports on their local government support programmes in May 2007. All provinces
have support programmes in place and submitted reports.
A total of 297 additional skills and resources have been mobilised for
deployment to municipalities from Old Mutual, the SA Planning Institute, local
economic development (LED) professionals, the dplg, Department of Water Affairs
and Forestry, the National Treasury, the Development Bank of Southern Africa,
the Department for International Development United Kingdom (UK), the South
African Institute for Civil Engineers, the South African Association of
Consulting Engineers, the Institute for Municipal Financial Officers and the
United States Agency for International Development.
The project to develop monitoring, evaluation and reporting capacity in the
Offices of the Premier and Departments of Local Government has made good
progress. Eight out of nine Offices of the Premier have established monitoring
and evaluation (M&E) units, although only one is at full capacity. In the
Provincial Departments of Local Government, six out of nine provinces have
M&E units.
A managerial competency framework and occupational competency profiles have
been developed for senior managers in municipalities and incorporated into the
Municipal Regulations. Competency guidelines have been gazetted for public
comment in June. The competency framework will need to take cognisance of the
National Treasury's Competency Regulations in relation to supply chain and
financial management.
Preparations for the local government skills audit have been finalised.
Implementation of phase 1 involves the determination of skills gaps in 10
municipalities, the drafting of a toolkit and the establishment of norms and
standards with regard to municipal functions. The project will aim to ensure
that the same skills audit tools are used to ensure comparable data.
One hundred and eighty-one municipalities out of 283 have responded to the
audit of performance management systems at local government level. One hundred
and forty-one have adopted performance management frameworks. Ninety-nine
municipalities have linked their performance management systems to their
Service Delivery Improvement Plans.
Two skills programmes of the four contained in the Municipal Leadership
Development Programme (MLDP) have been piloted in 14 municipalities. Two
hundred and fifty-five councillors and officials were trained. The programmes
have been extended to five additional municipalities. The pilot will be
followed by a capacity building rollout that would include other functional
elements of leadership and management training.
Intergovernmental relations (IGR) fora have been established in all district
municipalities and all nine provinces, while 15 Minmecs have been established
at national level. IGR Toolkits, a policy, advocacy and information resource
for IGR were launched at the 10th anniversary of the National Council of
Provinces in May. The Toolkits are also available on the dplg website.
Consultation on the establishment of a National Programme of Support for
Traditional Leaders will be finalised in June. All provinces have adopted
guideline regulations that guide the drafting of provincial regulations for the
transformation of Traditional Authorities into Traditional Councils and the
establishment of Local Houses. Eleven departments have agreed to participate in
the process of allocating roles and functions to traditional leadership.
Policy proposals that will inform municipal differential rating of various
property categories in relation to the residential property sector have been
developed. A formal engagement between the National Treasury and the dplg will
commence this month.
Skills development
A communication strategy for the public service skills database project 'HR
Connect' was implemented. Introductory workshops were held with 21 departments.
Forty thousand personal survey forms were distributed. Departments have been
requested to submit their forms by 20 June. Departments also received training
on the process of aligning organograms with the Organising Framework of
Occupations.
The local government skills database will be developed once phase 1 of the
skills audit has been completed and the skills audit database has been set up.
The project will take the Department of Public Service and Administration's
(dpsa's) approach to the skills audit for the national and provincial levels
into account.
All departments have been informed of Cabinet's decision to make the
utilisation of competency assessments compulsory as part of the recruitment
process for Senior Management Service (SMS) posts. The assessment battery has
been reviewed and refinements will be made. A Leadership Development Management
Strategic Framework is being developed. A centralised information system based
on the assessment results will assist in tracking skills gaps, targeting
executive development programmes, the deployment of scarce skills and
headhunting.
The final draft of the Human Resource Development Strategy (HRDS)
implementation guide and plan has been completed. A workshop with provinces and
identified national departments was held to finalise activities for the
strategic objectives identified in the HRDS. A policy on the utilisation of the
1% training budget is being developed based on information of gaps and best
practices in departments.
Capacity building
Cabinet approved the transformation of Samdi into a Public Service Academy
in November 2006. Schools of government abroad were visited to gain insights
into training programmes and organisational forms. Nine project teams are
working on aspects of the reconstitution into the Academy. A draft learning
framework has been developed. Consultations with unions are underway regarding
the multi-phased process of reconstituting Samdi into the Academy.
The Accelerated Development Programme is a training programme for middle
managers, intended to fast-track them for senior management positions. The
first cohort has completed the advanced phase and action learning projects are
being completed. Phase 2, the executive phase, commences this month. The
steering committee has identified six provinces and departments to form part of
the second cohort.
A total of 625 officials in national and provincial departments were trained
in supply chain management in the period January to June. A total of 563
municipal officials were trained in the same period. An e-learning programme
for Bid Committee members is under development. Additional associate trainers
will be appointed to respond to increased demand. The National Treasury is
funding 150 supply chain management courses for the public sector.
Thirteen Samdi training sessions on anti-corruption have been held. The unit
standards for the gender mainstreaming course have been gazetted for public
comment by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) to fast-track
curriculum and training materials development. Donor funding has been received
for this programme. Eighteen municipalities and two national departments have
received training in disability management. Marketing of these courses to
government departments is being stepped up.
Macro-organisation of the state
Single Public Service
Further consultations were held within government on the Single Public
Service, including discussions at the South African Local Government
Association (Salga) Conference on 22 to 26 April. The draft Single Public
Service Bill is being finalised for submission to Cabinet in July. Projects to
determine human resource management norms and standards and the remuneration
and conditions of service dispensation for the Single Public Service are
underway.
Integrated service delivery
Projects aimed at expanding citizen access to government services are
underway. The Alexandra Thusong Centre will be used as a blueprint for ICT
connectivity at Thusong Centres. The ICT infrastructure at the Centre will be
upgraded. Once connectivity is established at Alexandra Centre, connectivity to
all first-generation Thusong Centres will be addressed.
More than 3 000 Community Development Workers (CDWs) have been trained and
are deployed across all municipalities. An Awards Ceremony for CDWs was held in
Cape Town on 5 June. A Handbook for CDWs and a guide for communities about CDWs
entitled 'Grassroots Innovation' have been published and the CDW website has
been upgraded.
e-Government projects
The Citizen Relations Portal, which aims to connect citizens with service
delivery departments via sms, is underway. A related project, 'Track and
Trace,' launched by the Department of Home Affairs, has now captured 640 618
applications. The sms service has responded to 348 795 queries for marital
status and passport and ID applications and 126 230 notifications have been
made.
Transversal systems
Integrated planning
In 2006, 13 districts were identified for the application of the National
Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP) on a pilot basis. Final reports for 11
of the districts have been completed and the remaining two will be completed in
June. A workshop for the sharing of the lessons of the pilots was held in May.
A further 10 districts and metros will be assisted to apply the NSDP by
December.
Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) were analysed in April. District IGR
fora and IDP engagements were held in all provinces to provide feedback
regarding IDP credibility. Municipalities are currently finalising their IDPs
for submission on 30 June.
Monitoring and evaluation
A draft Government-wide Monitoring and Evaluation (GWM&E) Policy
Framework has been developed and is being consulted upon with the National
Treasury, Samdi and various M&E experts. A preliminary audit was conducted
of the Programme of Action M&E system.
In compiling the Mid-Term Review (MTR), a selection of 70 macro-indicators
was used to develop a data analysis and trends analysis publication. The data
was collected from various sources, including government departments and
various surveys. The MTR was published in June.
The Samdi is leading the M&E capacity-building initiative. Two national
focus groups on training needs have taken place and two more are planned. Plans
are underway for a baseline study on training needs for the GWM&E System. A
report is being developed on M&E programmes offered by Higher Education
Institutions.
The project on the Draft Compendium of Definitions of the National
Development Indicators is being undertaken together with the Presidency.
Administrative data of the Free State Department of Education is being
improved. Memoranda of Understanding for partnership in the National
Statistical System (NSS) are being discussed with several departments. Reports
on statistical capacity audits of the Departments of Transport, Education and
Minerals and Energy have been completed.
Collaboration between the dpsa and the dplg is underway to develop a
strategy to enhance public participation in M&E. The dpsa's focus will be
to provide a generic framework for participation in the Government-wide M&E
System and the African Peer Review Mechanism. The dplg is developing a public
participation policy for local government.
Issued by: Department of Public Service and Administration
3 July 2007
