Opening address by the Deputy Minister for Public Service and Administration, Honourable Sindisiwe Chikunga, MP at the Public Service Commission State of the Public Service Webinar
Chairperson of the Public Service: Commission, Adv. Richard Sizani
Commissioners of the PSC present
Commissioners from the National Planning Commission
Representatives from Chapter 9 institutions and Academia
Directors-General and senior managers in the Public Service and Public Administration
Our guests from Kenya Public Service Commission,
Rwanda Cooperation Institution
Members of the Media
Ladies and gentlemen
Introduction
Albert Bandura one of the world reopened research scholar in the area of Social Learning Theory, once said, and I quote, “Collective efficacy expresses a shared belief of conjoined capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to produce high levels to attain social change,”
Close quote.
As a progressive Public Service, we cannot emphasize enough the importance of collective efficacy in fulfilling our constitutional mandate as well as the social compact, we are bound to execute, in order to attain the objectives of our National Development Plan. The collective mission and efficacy required in our performance, is critical to ensure sound governance, administration and management of our Public Service and Administration institutions.
Ladies and gentlemen;
Today, we have connected to the Public Service Commission’s Webinar on the State of the Public Service (SOPS), which is one of the closing events of the 2020 Public Service month. The theme for the 2020 Integrated Public Service Month titled “Growing South Africa together for an ethical Public Service” we belong, we care, we serve resonate soundly with the Public Service Commission Webinar which reflects on the State of the Public Service. It provides us with an opportunity to reflect, review and recommit to the Constitutional values and principles as well as the principles of Batho Pele, in order to instil good ethics and professional behaviour in the Public Service.
FOSAD and Cabinet Lekgotla
This Webinar is taking place at a time when government is preparing for Cabinet Lekgotla, which will be preceded by a FOSAD Planning workshop scheduled to take place this afternoon.
I am pleased that, key amongst others, FOSAD will tackle issues relating to the economic reconstruction and recovery plan, the implementation of measures to address the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects as well as the macro organization and capacity of the State to support the above-mentioned issues.
The upcoming FOSAD meeting and Cabinet Lekgotla come at a time when South Africa’s economic growth has:
- Decoupled from global trends;
- Moved from technical recession to economic constriction;
- Experienced low business and consumer confidence as a result of low investment growth;
- A rising wage bill combine;
- Less than desirable economic policy implementation; and
- Also the downgrading of the country by International Rating agencies, for an ordinary person, what this means is that as a country we are blacklisted.
While the above facts are our reality, Government is still expected by the citizens and social partners to deliver public services and hold true to the objectives of the National Development Plan, through the implementation of the Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF). These facts also indicate the urgency required to effect tried and tested economic reforms that will yield economic growth and the much needed social development. As the technocrats in the Public Service and Public Administration, we do need to thoroughly interrogate the causes of delay or bottlenecks in policy implementation on the already existing policies and legislative prescripts and address these with utmost proficiency, efficacy and urgency. Especially when we have an unemployment rate which does not boost confidence.
To this end, I look forward to the panel discussions of this Webinar, especially where our Directors-General will provide technical insights on how we should collectively stir the nation to a trajectory where we can say our Public Service and Administration is ethical, capacitated and capable for the developmental agenda. And, thus we need able to address the socio-economic challenges we currently face. This put more emphasis on the fact that we need an ethical, capacitated and capable cadre of beaurocrats to turn around the current status core in the Public Service and Public Administration.
Programme Director;
In this case the Public Service Commission becomes a very critical institution to provide a snapshot as well as an ongoing diagnosis of the state of the public service with recommendations on how public administration practices should change to better reflect the Public Service envisioned in the Constitution. As such it gives this morning’s discussion great importance as it will reflect on the organisation, administration, governance as well as capacity and the capability of the Public Service with lessons from selected departments in the delivery of services.
An ethical, capable, capacitated and developmental state
His Excellency, the President, in his State of the Nation Address stated seven priorities. Building a capable and a capacitated developmental State was priority number six. The President later announced this priority as number one focus for all South Africans including the Public Service, Public Administration and the Private Sector. The primary reason for this repositioning is informed by the fact that building an ethical, capable, capacitated and developmental state is key to effectively achieve the other six priorities.
I am of the view that an Ethical, Capable, Capacitated and Developmental State as envisaged by the NDP will not flourish if the constitutional values and principles are not internalised and institutionalised and executed within public service and public administration.
The preamble of the Constitution outlines the fundamental values on which government should build a transformed public administration. Section 195 of the Constitution lists 9 principles that should underpin the exercise of state power, public administration and the delivery of services to citizens. And the nine principles are as follows:
a. To promote and maintain a high standard of professional ethics.
b. To promote efficient, economic and effective use of resources.
c. Public administration must be development-oriented.
d. Services must be provided impartially, fairly, equitably and without bias.
e. People's needs must be responded to, and the public must be encouraged to participate in policy-making.
f. Public administration must be accountable.
g. Transparency must be fostered by providing the public with timely, accessible and accurate information.
h. Good human-resource management and career-development practices, to maximise human potential, must be cultivated.
i. Public administration must be broadly representative of the South African people, with employment and personnel management practices based on ability, objectivity, fairness, and the need to redress the imbalances of the past to achieve broad representation.
The values and principles represent a constitutional directive in respect of good governance and public sector leadership. The synergy and nexus between the democratic values and the principles governing public administration are often overlooked but together they represent the building blocks of an ethical, capable capacitated and developmental state.
Public Service Commission (PSC) guide on values and principles
Ladies and gentlemen;
I am pleased to say that the PSC has developed a Guide on these Values and Principles. The Guide begins to define what the values and principles mean on a practical level for public servants in their day to day work and how operations should change to create a public service and public administration that complies with these values and principles. Building a strong culture of ethical and values-driven leadership of the Public Service is critical in fighting corruption, greed, impunity and selfishness.
On this day in history, 1 October, Karl Marx published “Das Kapital”. In one of his writings, he says, I quote “Philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways. The point, however, is to change it.” Unquote.
I look forward to the information that will be shared this morning to interpret, reflect on and inform this much-needed change. Because when we know better, we can do better.
Programme Director, as I conclude, I will be amiss if I do not extend a word of appreciation to all our approximately 1, 2 million Public Servants, in the employ of government who have for the past months extraordinarily performed their duties and kept the machinery of state working regardless of the difficult conditions posed by the spread of COVID 19 virus. At the peak of the pandemic, our Public Servants, kept the country moving.
We pay tribute to the lives of all these public servants who succumbed to this virus while selflessly serving our nation. At this moment, we convey our heartfelt condolences to their families, their colleagues in the Public Service and communities which they come from.
As the Public Service, We are Ethical, We are Capable and Can do Better to Grow South Africa together as “We Belong to the Public Service, We Care for our Clients, and We Serve our Communities”.
God Bless our Public Service and our Public Administration;
God Bless South Africa;
God Bless Africa and The World;
I thank you.
