Enhancing Public Service Governance in 2011/12

1. PRESENTATION ON BRRR 2011/12 Mlungisi Biyela Research Unit 19 October 2011

2. 1. Introduction The entities of Public Service and Administration had presented their first and second quarter expenditure reports on the 4th -5th October 2011.

3. 2. . Committee’s Observations The Committee observes that the Department and its entities had promptly appeared before the Committee whenever required to do so, notwithstanding the fact that at times the information might be shoddy and insufficient. The Portfolio Committee will continue to make follow-ups where necessary until issues are finally resolved.

4. Observations The following needs to be highlighted: •The Portfolio Committee encourages continuous efforts aimed at ensuring service delivery of quality and at granting access to services for communities in far flung rural areas. The Committee believes that Thusong Services Centres should be extended to areas where they are non-existent. These centres should also be well equipped and manned by competent personnel.

5. Observations •The Portfolio Committee notes that the vetting processes remain a challenge, especially for officials recruited in supply chain management. This works against the zeal to pre-empt and prevent corruption in the public service. •The Portfolio Committee realizes that the Executive has not been vigilant in ensuring that senior management service signs performance agreements on time for proper evaluation and accountability.

6. Observations •The Portfolio Committee wishes to highlight that turnaround times in the filling of vacancies have relatively improved, but the ideal state has not been realised. •The Portfolio Committee wishes to highlight that the spirit to implement the Job-Access Strategic Framework has not been efficiently carried through to ensure that women and people with disabilities have access to employment in the public service and that these vulnerable groups are promoted to senior management positions, so that their constitutional rights are upheld.

7. Observations •The Portfolio Committee notes that the Auditor-General’s Report had so many reservations concerning governance issues. The Committee would like to see these challenges promptly addressed before they become endemic. •The Portfolio Committee also notes that the spending trends are not painting a good picture and this will impact on service delivery and its quality.

8. 3.Recommendations •Continuous efforts should be made to ensure service delivery of quality and to grant access to services for communities in far flung rural areas. Thusong Services Centres should be extended to areas where they are non-existent. These centres should also be well equipped and manned by competent personnel. •Vetting processes should be improved and be vigorous, especially for officials recruited in supply chain management, so that corruption can be pre-empted and prevented.

9. Recommendations •The Executive should be vigilant to ensure that senior management service signs performance agreements on time for proper evaluation and accountability. •Turnaround times in the filling of vacancies must be improved.

10. Recommendations •The Job-Access Strategic Framework must be vigilantly implemented to ensure that women and people with disabilities have access to employment in the public service and that these vulnerable groups are promoted to senior management positions, so that their constitutional rights are upheld. •The Portfolio Committee recommends that all outstanding issues that are supposed to be addressed by the entities in the financial year under review, should indeed be addressed; and the current programmes and matters in the 2011/12 financial year should continue to receive due attention.

11. Recommendations •The Portfolio Committee is of the view that the position of the Director-General should be filled immediately so that governance issues, as outlined in the Auditor-General’s Report, are speedily resolved. •The Portfolio Committee recommends that the Suspensions Guideline should be effectively used; and that all government institutions should be made aware of it in order to minimize the time lapse between suspension period and finalization of an alleged misconduct.

12. Recommendations •Connectivity to Thusong Service Centres should be given urgent attention in order to accelerate service delivery and access to government services. •The PERSAL clean-up process has taken too long. This matter should be speeded up in order to have an effective information management system.

13. Recommendations •The Department must work vigorously towards the attainment of multi-year wage agreements in order to avoid prolonged industrial action. In light of this, the Portfolio Committee recommends the medium-term review of the Department and its entities’ budget, subject to speedy spending on services and programmes for which the funds had been allocated.

14. 4. Conclusion The Portfolio Committee is of the view that some goals and objectives might not be met given the rate of spending in the Department. However, the Committee is satisfied that most of the goals and objectives of the Department are still work in progress. The Portfolio Committee believes that given the pace of implementation of some programmes, value for money may not be realized. The Portfolio Committee concludes that, in terms of available information and efforts by the entities to address outstanding matters, budgetary review should be supported to execute the entities’ mandated programmes.