Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration has promised to act decisively on Heads of Government Departments who do not sign performance agreements.
According to the Public Service Commission (PSC), there is a large number of Heads of Departments who do not sign performance agreements, and thus cannot be evaluated, but are given award certificates.
Even more disturbing, according to the PSC, was the fact that these Heads of Government Departments were being issued with merit awards by the different departments.
PSC also told the committee that even though the performance agreements were a useful management tool, they were, in some cases, only used for compliance purposes and often contained poor content, and were used by supervisors for punitive rather than developmental purposes.
The committee also raised concerns over civil servants who have businesses. “We need to evaluate if their involvement in extra business activities do not impact negatively on their performance. Are we receiving value for money in terms of the salaries government pay them and the output there-of?
"Also, we need to check whether these civil servants have obtained permission from their seniors to receive extra income as per government regulation," said the Chairperson of the Committee, Ms Joyce Moloi-Moropa.
The Commission urged Parliament to ensure that its recommendations were implemented by the different government Departments, saying that often they were ignored. It requested Parliament to call departments to account when they have not implemented the recommendations.
"If Parliament calls departments to account, then this will improve the compliance rate of departments with regards to the recommendations of the PSC," said the Commission Chairperson Dr Ralph Mgijima.
Ms Moloi-Moropa said the committee would act on the managers who do not sign performance agreements. "This is a very serious matter and as Parliament we will leave no stone unturned to get this area right. If we have the correct kind of management in government, most problems will automatically fall off. This must start from the top without any compromise."
PSC added that most departments' performances were negatively affected by the long time it took to fill vacancies. It said that on average it took more than 90 days to fill a vacancy.
For enquiries or interviews with the chairperson, please contact:
Ms Kanyisa Ndyondya
Tel: 021 403 8041
Cell: 0836240585
Issued by: Parliament of South Africa
18 November 2009
Source: Parliament of South Africa (http://www.parliament.gov.za)
