on the Programme of Action
2 November 2007
Introduction
The Governance and Administration (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
are derived 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 (SONA) 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; and
* 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. The briefing on the
second and third report took place on 3 July and 28 August respectively. This
is the briefing on the fourth report for 2007, finalised by Cabinet on 16
October 2007.
Strengthening Governance and Administration is an open-ended process in a
transforming society and the more so in a developmental state. This makes it
all the more exciting when one can say that we have reached certain milestones
or can record significant progress, as I believe is currently the case. Before
I go into detail on the POA I would like to point to some of these milestones
that we have recently reached or are approaching.
I believe that in years to come we will see the implementation of the
Occupation Specific Dispensation (OSDs). The Occupation Specific Dispensation
for professionals in the public service as a significant milestone. While this
is not specific to the POA, rewarding skill, performance and service is a major
building block in our human resource development strategy, in our commitment to
retaining and attracting skills and building the skills base of our
economy.
While talking of the development of human capital, the massification of the
induction programme and the transformation of the South African Management
Development Institute (SAMDI) into an academy is one of those milestones that
we can see ahead of us, approaching with impressive speed.
In this briefing we will go into what is surely one of the most significant
projects of public sector transformation, the Single Public Service, an
initiative which will change the way that we as citizens interact with
government and the ease with which we are able to access government
services.
We have recently seen how in Home Affairs, in the midst of a major
turnaround strategy, a department which is too often perceived as
dysfunctional, with (audacious) leadership and strong management, the Minister
has been able to introduce the Track and Trace system, which is enhancing
access to service in that department.
In local government, where the spread and multiplicity of decentralised
systems presents its own particular challenges to transformation and
acceleration of service, we have seen significant processes start to gather
momentum with implementation of the competency framework of senior managers
under way in the metros, the implementation of the Municipal Leadership
Development Programme (MLDP) and the mainstreaming of hands-on support to
municipalities. There are other equally far-reaching initiatives underway which
we will go into further.
Single Public Service update
The Single Public Service (SPS) is a flagship project which aims to
strengthen the capacity and organisation of the state to enable improved
service delivery and development. The tabling of legislation on the Single
Public Service next year, together with the development of new policy on
provincial government and the review of policy on local government are crucial
and interlinked processes, which will provide the way forward for public
administration in the fourth term of democratic governance.
In both of these processes Government is keen to consult within public
administration and with civil society and the public at large. Government aims
to ensure that as many views and inputs as possible are solicited. The
Department of Public Service and Administration (the dpsa) is currently engaged
in an intensive stakeholder engagement on the draft Single Public Service Bill.
The dpsa has engaged with national government structures, Premier's Forums,
municipalities and public service and local government unions. An engagement
with Nedlac is planned.
To date the following structures have been engaged on the draft Bill:
* Organised Local Government (nine provincial workshops that included: five
metros; 36 district councils; 198 municipalities.)
* Provincial Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) Structures: Eastern Cape; Free
State; KwaZulu-Natal; Limpopo; Mpumalanga (cluster); Northern Cape and Western
Cape (SPS Overview)
* Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature: Office of the Premier's Committee
* Public Service Commission (PSC)
* Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC)
* Joint Federations and Unions (Imatu, SAMWU, Fedusa)
* Imatu
* Western Cape Local Government Municipal Managers Institute
* Local Government Minmec
Future engagements include:
* PSC Workshop (follow up engagement)
* National and provincial departments' workshops
* Round Table with experts
* Remaining provincial IGR Structures
* Nedlac
* Metros and other Local Government Structures on invitation
* National House of Traditional Leaders
* Other stakeholders on invitation
Following this consultation process, a revised draft Bill will be gazetted
which will provide a further opportunity for inputs to be provided before
tabling in Parliament during the course of next year.
Special report on the Massified Induction Programme
The process for Massified Induction Programme (MIP) curriculum review and
development of manuals for levels 1-5 and 6-12 is complete. A total of 207
trainers have been trained as induction facilitators in Provinces. The South
African Management Development Institute (SAMDI) has compiled a list consisting
of private providers and higher education institutions (HEIs). These providers
will constitute additional capacity for national departments but will also
assist in provincial rollout where necessary.
The intention of the MIP is to ensure that all 100 000 entrant public
servants per year receive a short induction course on the core values of
service delivery, Batho Pele, the structure of Government and the South African
Developmental state. Rollout is envisaged to take place in early 2008. The
following key aspects of planning have been completed:
* Development of a detailed planning model and implementation plan;
* Development of new interactive workbooks, reference manuals and presentation
slides;
* Establishment of the project structure for the implementation and support to
national departments and provinces; and
* Directors-General have been advised of developments, and asked for their
assistance.
The scale of training in provinces and national departments is outlined
below:
* 70% of public servants are in provinces: in provincial departments or
provincial sites of national departments
* This requires, on average, eight induction training sessions in each province
per week, forever.
* They will be delivered equally by departments, by outsourced trainers in
departments, or by externally provided sessions co-ordinated by the
Academy.
* In national departments, where 30% of public servants are found, there
will be an average of seven sessions per year.
The KwaZuluâNatal province has been selected as the pilot site for the MIP.
The pilot will start in November 2007 and has three key elements:
* Training trainers in the use of the newly developed interactive
manuals;
* Testing the rollout in selected departments with training by SAMDI accredited
trainers; and
* Monitoring both levels of training before the final mass-printing of
materials.
Special report on Gender and Disability
During the fourth reporting cycle on the POA of government, the G&A
Cluster presented a special report on Gender and Disabilities issues in the
Public Service. The special report was responding to the Cabinet request to
deliberate on the general non-compliance with Gender and Disability Employment
Equity Targets in the Public Service.
Gender Issues
The special report indicated that the total number of female employees at
all levels in the Public Service is 54.38%. Of the total number of women
employees in the Public Service, Black women (African, Asian and Coloured)
comprise 87,81% of the women employees while white women comprise 12.19%.
The report also showed that women make up 31,56% of senior management
positions, while men constitute 68,44%. This means that for every one woman at
the Senior Management System (SMS) level, there are two men in management.
Although challenges remain, government has continuously put measures in
place aimed at ensuring that a target of 50 percent of women in Senior
Management positions in the Public Service is met by 2009. In the current
calendar year for example, the dpsa collaborated with SAMDI in the development
of the unit standard for the gender mainstreaming training for the public
service. This unit standard has now been accredited by SAQA. This process is
part of the fast-tracking of gender mainstreaming within government in general.
The institutionalisation of an annual Public Service Women Management Week
during national women's month is being undertaken.
During the Senior Management Services Conference in September 2007, women
senior managers fully endorsed the notion of the formation of a Women Managers'
Forum in individual departments and in the Public Service as a whole. The
strategic aim is to highlight commitment at the topmost level towards promoting
gender equality in the Public Service and to create the space for women
managers to monitor progress in implementation of the 8-Principle Action Plan
by their department.
Disability Issues
The report indicated that the number of people with disabilities employed
within the Public Service grew at a steady pace of 0,11 percent in March 2002,
0,16 percent in December 2005 and 0,2 percent in June 2007.
Between 2002 and 2007, the number of people with disabilities employed by
the Public Service grew at an average rate of 0.09%. This slow pace of growth
indicates that, if current trends are to continue, the 2% disability target
will not be met by the deadline of 31 March 2010.
Of the total number of 1 172 416 Public Service employees, there are only
736 women with disabilities employed at all levels, compared with 1 207 men
with disabilities employed.
In the recent research study conducted by Public Service Commission on
Gender Mainstreaming in 2007, the report highlighted that employment of people
with disabilities in senior positions in the Public Service is not being
addressed appropriately by departments. The figure for males with disabilities
in management is 0,1% whereas for females it is 0,06%.
In attempting to address this challenge, Cabinet adopted the JobACCESS
Strategy as a Public Service initiative to fast track achievement of employment
equity targets in respect of disability by 31 March 2010.
The JobACCESS Strategic Framework is premised on the need to urgently
develop and skill people with disabilities in order to enhance their
employability in the Public Service. It further encourages departments to have
at least 2% learners with disabilities in their learnership programmes. In
addition, mentoring and coaching are some of the other measures designed to
enhance employment of people with disabilities.
The JobACCESS Strategy also advocates the forging of partnerships with
disabled people's organisation, institutions of higher learning, and schools
for learners with disabilities, to provide a wider pool from which to recruit
people with disabilities.
Furthermore, the strategy strongly encourages departments to appoint
dedicated Disability Focal Persons to advance mainstreaming of disability
issues in the workplace. It includes a draft Handbook on Reasonable
Accommodation and Accessibility for people with disabilities in the workplace.
This Handbook provides guidelines to government agencies to enhance
accessibility into built-environments, accommodation in terms of workspace,
assistive devices and adequate ergonomics for people with disabilities.
Progress Report for September â October 2007
Good Governance
Anti-corruption
The Local Government Anti-Corruption Strategy (LGAC) was developed for
implementation in all 283 municipalities. The Strategy was launched nationally
in October 2006, and the roll out to provinces has commenced in Western Cape,
Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape and North West. The strategy was also implemented in
11 of the 27 identified district municipalities, focusing on the following
areas:
i. Procurement processes
ii. Employment practices
iii. Housing
iv. Financial Management.
A process is underway to roll out this support to the remaining district
municipalities. Furthermore, a Local Government Anti Corruption Communication
Strategy is also being finalised with the view to manage negative perceptions
of corruption in these identified district municipalities.
Gender and disability
The Head of Department's (HOD) Eight Principle Action Plan for promoting
women's empowerment and gender equality in the Public Service workplace was
launched in August 2007. Indicators for the social audit and barriers analysis
have been developed. A Draft Handbook on Accessibility and Reasonable
Accommodation has been finalised in order to offer guidance to departments.
Batho Pele
A target to train three officials from each of the 100 municipalities has
been set for 2007/08 financial year. As of 22 September 2007 a total of 650
officials from 225 municipalities had been trained.
Public participation
The Imbizo database has been provided to co-ordinators in Mpumalanga, North
West and Limpopo. The Deputy President's Imbizo programme in Limpopo took place
from 26 to 28 October 2007.
98% of ward committees have been established. A training programme aimed at
enhancing the functionality of ward committees has been designed was launched
on the 29 October 2007.
Capacity of the State
The Local Government Strategic Agenda was adopted by Cabinet in 2006 with
the purpose of facilitating government-wide support to municipalities. The
following section highlights some of the key interventions undertaken during
this reporting cycle.
Integrated Development Planning
There was a 100% credible Integrated Development Plan (IDP) adoption rate
for the 2006/07 financial year, for the first time since 2001. However, sector
involvement in municipal planning and the alignment of national, provincial and
local plans remains a challenge.
In response to this challenge, the Department of Provincial and Local
Government (dplg) developed a Master Sector Plan Guide and an IDP Format Guide.
The Master Sector Plan will assist municipalities to develop spatially focused
infrastructure and municipal support plan. The Departments of Water Affairs
& Forestry, Environmental Affairs & Tourism, Minerals & Energy and
Transport are utilising the Guide to facilitate the finalisation of their
Plans.
The IDP Format Guide will assist district, local and metro municipalities in
the structuring of their IDPs. The Guide will be distributed through the
provincial development planning forums for implementation by municipalities.
The Department of Provincial and Local Government will prioritise targeted
support in the Eastern Cape, Free State, Mpumalanga and North West provinces.
The areas of focus will include support in the spatial development frameworks
and land use management, monitoring the planning to expenditure, as well as
providing hands-on support together with national sector departments.
With respect to the intergovernmental alignment of development planning the
National Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP) pilot project has been extended
to a further 10 District Municipalities and further extensions will commence in
November.
Local Government Transformation:
Capacity building
All six Metropolitan municipalities have adopted and started implementing
the competency framework for senior managers in municipalities. Information
sessions have been conducted in 30 district municipalities in seven provinces
in preparation for implementation.
The draft Local Government Skills Audit Tool has been piloted in two
municipalities. A discussion document towards a National Training and
Development Strategy for Local Government has been shared with seven
provinces.
The development of leadership skills at local government level is ongoing,
with 2 municipalities currently completing the remaining Municipal Leadership
Development (MLDP) skills programmes. These programmes are focusing on problem
solving and analytical thinking as well as Communal Knowledge Management.
Provinces are in the process of verifying the results of the Performance
Management Systems (PMS) Audit that was conducted. Municipal PMS support plans
and budgets have been developed by Gauteng, Limpopo, North West and
KwaZulu-Natal provinces.
Mainstreaming Hands-on Support to municipalities
A draft deployment framework is in place and being consulted on with
relevant partners and deploying organisations. Ongoing mobilisation of
stakeholders to provide hands-on-support is taking place. Valuable capacity
building is taking place at local level.
Monitoring and Evaluation
We are also improving our institutional capacity on monitoring, reporting
and evaluation to ensure effective implementation of the 5 Year Local
Government Strategic Agenda. To date, 8 out of 9 Offices of the Premier (OTPs)
have established Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) units, with the Northern
Cape province still outstanding. 5 out of 9 Provincial Departments of Local
Government (DLGs) have established M&E units, with Mpumalanga,
KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape and North West provinces still outstanding.
Intergovernmental Relations and the policy review process
The revised Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) Indicators measure the conduct
of IGR across the three spheres. They focus on institutional and structural
arrangements, compliance with the legal and policy environment, and a range of
management and leadership programme areas. These indicators have been completed
and will be gazetted by December 2007.
The high level IGR report consists of a central review of the policy and
legislative framework for IGR, which places in context the six accompanying
case studies that focus on the practice and conduct of IGR. This is nearing
completion and will be distributed to intergovernmental structures (PCC and
MinMEC) for consultative purposes prior to submission to Parliament in March
2008.
The Local Government Laws Amendment Bill has been passed in the National
Assembly (25 October 2007) and has been introduced in the Select Committee in
the National Council of Provinces. This Bill deals with amendments to local
government legislation in addressing the repeal of old order legislation,
improving planning and budgeting for purposes of service delivery, enhancing
the performance management system, dealing decisively with potential incidents
of corruption in procurement processes, and relief to ratepayers and consumers.
In regard to property rating, formal consultations on the policy proposals will
inform the Regulations on Municipal Differential Rating of various property
categories. These differential ratings apply to different property categories
such as agriculture, commerce and industry.
The first phase of the policy process on the system of provincial and local
government has been completed, which involves the submission of public comment
on the 65 policy questions. The next phase will entail the release of a Green
Paper on Provincial Government and a discussion document on Local Government.
The public engagement on these documents will culminate in the release on the
White Paper on Provincial Government and an assessment report on Local
Government, which will provide concrete recommendations and options on
strengthening our governance arrangement.
Skills development
The job profiles for 20 departments related to the Organising Framework of
Occupations (OFO) have been developed and all aspects of job profiling for
phase 1 are completed. The experience and qualifications of employees in
government departments is profiled.
Skills audits have been conducted in two municipalities as part of the
development and appropriate utilisation of the local government skills
database.
The draft Leadership Development Management Strategic Framework was launched
during the Senior Management Service (SMS) conference for consultation.
A draft Human Resource Development (HRD) Strategic Framework has been
finalised and submitted for approval. A pilot project is underway in the
Gauteng Dept of Sport and Recreation on the development of an HRD
Implementation Plan. The launch of HRD Strategy is planned for November
2007.
Capacity Building
A desktop report on the current SMS-level capacity building programmes for
the public service has been completed. This report will be supplemented with
information gathered through a questionnaire and interviews with higher
education institutions (HEIs).
Following consultations with union representatives, a match and place
process of staff into the new Academy organogram is underway. Mid-term
financing was received for the new infrastructure and the move of the Academy
to new premises.
A total of 110 employees were nominated to enrol for the Accelerated
Development Programme (ADP) in August 2006 and 77 of them have graduated to the
Executive Phase which has commenced and will be completed in the next financial
year.
A total of 1414 officials from national and provincial departments and 1517
from municipalities have been trained on Supply Chain Management (SCM). The
Senior Managers at SAMDI are piloting the e-Learning Programme for Bid
Committees which was finalised by 31 August 2007.
16 training sessions on Anti-corruption were delivered to government
departments including additional training for Investigators in Limpopo. The
material design framework for the Gender Mainstreaming training programme has
been completed. A total of 18 municipalities (versus the target of ten) from
all nine provinces have been trained on Disability Management.
Macro Organisation of the State
Single Public Service
The Cabinet Lekgotla approved that consultations on the Single Public
Service draft Bill should proceed. A detailed stakeholder engagement strategy
and activity plan was developed. Consultations with unions, municipalities and
other stakeholders are underway.
The proposal on common norms and standards for Human Resource Management and
Development (HRM&D) for the Single Public Service project was completed by
August 2007. A report was presented to the project steering committee on 10
September and further comments have been requested from South African Local
Government Association (SALGA) and department of Provincial and Local
Government (dplg).
The service providers to investigate costing scenarios for the Single Public
Service have been appointed and work has commenced. The different work streams
such as Remuneration, Pension and Medical have also commenced with their
work.
Integrated Service Delivery
The service standards developed as part of the implementation of the Access
Strategy have been completed and will be presented at the Gauteng Intersectoral
Steering Committee for alignment with department-specific service
standards.
Empowerment workshops were completed in three provinces as part of deepening
and broadening the conceptualisation and implementation of the Community
Development Workers (CDWs) programme. A roundtable discussion on the role of
CDWs in stimulating local economic development was held.
E-Government projects
A process to appoint a business solution architect to assist in developing
detailed User Requirement Specifications for the Citizen Relations Portal (CRP)
is underway. DPSA is in the process of establishing internal capacity to manage
and administer the CRP system.
The priority applications for the "Who Am I Online" project have been
identified and will be approved by the management of the Department of Home
Affairs (DHA). The hardware upgrade for the Passport Systems Hardware project
is still ongoing for all 110 DHA offices.
Home Affairs e-Government projects
Track & Trace Rollout
All offices have been installed with the Track & Trace equipment. The
implementation started on the 19 February 2007. Scanners and receipt slip
printers were successfully rolled out to 254 of 259 offices. Rollout of this
equipment will be finalised by the end of November 2007. To date, 1249 front
line staff have been trained in customer service procedures and further
training will be provided to 427 additional staff in the frontline office. To
enhance the effectiveness of the existing Client Service Centre, the Department
will implement a Contact Centre, which will deal with all enquiries and service
delivery complaints which can be resolved on the first call. The Client Service
Centre will deal with cases which cannot be resolved through a single call.
Identity document distribution
The Department has investigated the various modes of postage in relation to
the following dimensions:
* Postage of application forms from front offices to head office
* Postage of enabling documents from the head office to front offices
* Postage of uncollected enabling documents from front offices to serviceable
postal addresses
The Department previously signed a service level agreement (SLA) with the
South African Post Office (SAPO) for the distribution of uncollected enabling
documents from front offices to serviceable addresses. The SLA was to be
revised during 2007 in order to include secure mail delivery options. This
review process was however expanded to include all three dimensions of postage
engaged by the Department. Direct postage of identity documents to postal
addresses was discontinued with effect from June 2007.
As a result of these challenges, the Department has decided to appoint a
single service provider to provide secure and fast postal services in order to
improve turnaround times and ensure secure delivery of applications and
enabling documents. The single service provider will commence its operations by
the end of November 2007.
ID Smart card
A review of all IT projects is underway, including the possible
implementation of ID cards. A Request for Information (RFI) was developed to
obtain information in relation to the status of technology, costs of producing
the ID card, capability of producing the ID card internally versus externally
and developing a logistical strategy. It is anticipated that the RFI will be
published by mid November 2007. A report will be made to political principals
by January 2008.
New passport system
The Department will receive a new passport printing system during June 2008.
The new printing system will be commissioned during December 2008. The
implementation plan for the replacement of the old Coat of Arms in SA passports
with the new Coat of Arms was implemented as from 1 November 2007.
Online fingerprint verification
Online verification has been piloted at four front offices in Tshwane,
Polokwane, and Durban and Mthatha. This pilot was a proof of concept and was
successful. However, the technology currently in use is closed to a single
technology vendor. The Department wants to have an open system to procure
technology via the open market. The Department has decided to discontinue with
NAMITEC technology. As a result, there will be a rollout of a refugee online
verification system during January 2008. The two pilots will run parallel to
ensure that the Department does not duplicate efforts and introduce a single
system that interfaces with the automated fingerprint identification system
(AFIS). The Department has since awarded a tender for the implementation of the
âwho am I onlineâ system, and online verification technology will be
implemented through this tender as a quick win. Full scale rollout is planned
to commence during January 2008 along with revised ID processes.
Transversal handing over of records to Namibia
The Minister of Home Affairs, Ms Mapisa-Nqakula, signed an agreement with
her counterpart relating to the transfer of records to Namibia. Although
records were previously handed over in 2000 and 2004, during 2005 the Minister
of Home Affairs and Immigration of Namibia indicated that there were further
records remaining in South Africa. It was established that these were:
* Marriage records from early 1930s to the 1970s
* Birth, marriage and death records from 1972 to 1978
* Records of marriages in Walvis Bay from after independence in 1990 but before
integration into Namibia in 1994
In terms of the agreement entered into between the two countries South
Africa agreed to search for, and transfer the remaining records. Records remain
confidential and South Africa has made copies of all documents. Although the
originals are now in Namibia, South Africa will be able to have access to the
records when necessary.
An agreement was signed by the Ministers of Home Affairs (RSA) and Home
Affairs & Immigration Namibia on the 30th of October 2007. The handover of
records to the Namibian Government took place on the 30th of October 2007,
during the State visit by President Mbeki. More than twenty thousand records
were drawn from South African archives. 3 452 records were for births, 2 799
were for marriages and 14 873 were for deaths. Although the handing over of the
records marks the closing of a chapter in the history of both countries, the
excellent cooperation between officials in concluding and implementing the
agreement, as well as the recent opening of two new border posts in tourist
areas bodes well for future projects relating to immigration and civic
services.
Transversal Systems
Integrated Planning
The extension of the National Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP) to a
further 10 District Municipalities has commenced. Six districts are procuring
service providers and will commence with fieldwork research in October 2007,
while the remaining municipalities will commence in November 2007. The copies
of the NSDP were distributed.
There has been a 100% credible Integrated Development Plan (IDP) adoption
rate for 2006/07 financial year.
Monitoring and Evaluation
The Government Wide Monitoring and Evaluation (GWME) Framework is being
finalised. The last GWME task team meeting agreed that the Task Team would
become a Co-ordinating Forum and a proposal will be tabled to principals at
Presidency and DPSA.
The 3rd cycle of POA reporting went smoothly and the 4th cycle was initiated
on 14 September 2007. The testing for the automation of the 5th cycle was
conducted on 15 October 2007 and the POA team is embarking on an exercise of a
qualitative assessment of POA activities from 2006.
The project on the publication of mid-term review based on high-level
development indicators has been completed. Copies have been distributed at both
national and provincial departments as well as libraries and academic
institutions. The revised publication is currently on the gov.za website
In terms of building the capacity for GWME, 22 workshops were conducted on
M&E for programmes and projects for 504 officials in all provinces. A
questionnaire has been prepared for the baseline study on training needs and a
report on the provision of M&E programmes by HEIs and other providers has
been completed.
Reports on the review of registers of Department of Education (DoE) are
underway, and the refinement of Compendium indicators is complete. The final
version of SA Statistical Quality Assessment Framework document is due for
signing off by the Statistician General.
Issued by: Department of Public Service and Administration
2 November 2007
