The Office of the Premier's recent executive management appointments received accolades from the Provincial Legislature during the first Portfolio Committee meeting with the Office of the Premier (OTP) in Bhisho today.
The Chairperson of the OTP Portfolio Committee, Phumzile Justice Mnguni, commended the department for the strategic appointment of specialists and veterans in the fields of communications and legal services.
He said the appointments demonstrate a commitment of the Office of the Premier to affirm its role as a nerve centre of the provincial administration in advancing service delivery improvements. He acknowledged Advocate Herlu Smith who is appointed as Chief State Law Advisor (previously a General Manager of Legal Services at the Provincial Legislature) and Manelisi Wolela who is appointed as General Manager of Provincial Communications (previously Deputy Commissioner of Communication in the Department of Correctional Services) as known and established campaigners in the field of legal services and media respectively.
Mnguni's comments followed the introductions done by Eastern Cape Director-General (DG), Mbulelo Sogoni at the start of the first session of the department with the portfolio committee where the Office of the Premier presented its draft Annual Performance Plan (APP) for the 2012/13 financial year.
In terms of the APP, the Office of the Premier plans to strengthen its executive oversight function to foster service delivery improvement, enhance internal controls, promote good governance and, particularly, the war against fraud and corruption, as well as improving communications with stakeholders and the public. The department identified six key outputs to guide its activities for the 2012/13 financial year.
These are ensuring quality and access to services, enhancing human resource capacity, re-engineering of business processes and systems, enhanced fight against fraud and corruption strengthened policy and programme development and execution as well as improved participatory governance.
Details will be comprehensively outlined in both the State of the Province Address on Friday, 17 February 2012 and the Premier’s Policy Speech of the Office of the Premier as well as policy speeches by various Members of the Executive Council during March 2012.
Sogoni said the Office of the Premier will primarily focus on ensuring successful implementation of government's national outcomes particularly outcome number 12 which seeks to ensure "an efficient, effective and development oriented public service and an empowered and fair, inclusive citizenship". The DG said although the Office of the Premier is not primarily responsible for delivering education, roads and infrastructure, it is accountable for the delivery of all government services to the people of the Eastern Cape.
Enquiries:
Mahlubandile Qwase
Cell: 083 259 9039
Manelisi Wolela
Cell: 083 626 0304
Tel : 040 609 6015 / 040 639 2070
E-mail: Manelisi.wolela@otp.ecprov.gov.za
