Frontline Service Delivery & Citizen-Based Monitoring; National School of Government New Curricula

Meeting report

National School of Government (NSG):  Presentation of the Newly Designed Curricula
Prof Richard Levin, Accounting Officer and Information Officer, National School of Government, presented the newly designed National School of Government (NSG) curriculum. This was based on the following topics:
- The constitutional context
- Building a Capable Developmental State
- Defining the NSG role under the NDP
- Outline of the curriculum programmes, its success and challenges.

Prof Levin said that it is important to keep in mind of the fact that public service and administration is guided by the values and principles as outlined in Chapter 10 of the Constitution. The Constitution calls for a people-centred public service. The curriculum emphasises serving the people.

Prof Levin stated that the National Development Plan (NDP) commits South Africa to building a capable developmental state, based on three key priorities of employment, poverty alleviation and capability of the state to deliver. He defined developmental states as those whose ideological underpinnings are developmental, with a commitment to constructing and deploying administrative and political resources to the task of overall economic development. A developmental state establishes capable institutions, giving them the capacity for effective, selective and sustained interventions to positively change their nation’s developmental trajectories.

Education and learning is needed for this, and will not happen in a void. Capacity building occurs in a social environment which brings with it a particular history, traditions and knowledge. The NDP, in its commitment to an efficient and effective public sector that is capable of delivering quality services to the South African people, is cognisant of the need to embrace a culture of learning and deepen professionalism, ethics and elevate productivity.

The NSG role is defined by three priorities. The first is raising employment, poverty alleviation and minimizing social inequality through inclusive economic growth. The second is improving the quality of education, skills development and innovation. The third is building the capacity of the state to play a developmental, transformative role to the public, for only then will it be able to address twin challenges of poverty and inequality. Skilled public servants who are committed to the public good and capable of delivering consistent high-quality services to the public will be a catalyst of the developmental state.

The NSG provides a curriculum development process that is guided by an integrated learning framework. Curriculum development provides the basis for systematically mapping courses, programmes and qualifications. It is based on three broad competency types (generic, functional and sectoral); competency clusters aligned to existing Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) competency frameworks, and expected levels of performance. Curriculum development provides a clear articulation pathway for progression in the public sector as a whole.

The focal areas of curriculum design and learning include pre-service education and learning, induction and reorientation. The curriculum also puts emphasis on in-service education and learning, administration and support, management, leadership and oversight. Continuous professional development, diagnostics and organisational development are also covered.

The main aim of the new curriculum is to reduce the number of unemployed graduates, by increasing their employment opportunities. Opportunities for youth will be enhanced by offering a Cadet Graduate Programme, to give young graduates the opportunity to learn more about operations. The programme provides mentoring and coaching for Public Service Managers, and mentoring skills for supervisors.

Compulsory Induction Programmes (CIP) are also provided for the public servants, and he set out and explained the structure (see attached presentation). This level offers mandatory education and learning and is linked to an occupational level. The objective is twofold - to professionalise the public service and to remind public officials of the virtues of being a public servant and values of public service.

Prof Levin then outlined four extended NSG curriculum programmes:
- Excellent Customer Service based course, with its aim to develop the required competencies to deliver quality customer service in line with Batho Pele principles
- Project Khaedu (Contact) targets middle and senior managers, to improve public service delivery
- Foundation Management Development Programme (Blended) aims to lay the first building block in a manager’s career path and provide a solid foundation for further development
- Ethics and Anti-Corruption (Blended, Contact and eLearning) aims to sensitise public servants across the board, provincial and local government level on anti-corruption initiatives and to encourage ethical behaviour.

The NSG curriculum design realises that legislative oversight is an area that requires attention. Oversight programmes are offered in partnership with Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The specific NSG course offering solutions in this area is the Legislatures Capacity Building Programme (LCBP)(Blended). The purpose of this programme is to enhance the quality of public leadership and contribute to the professional development of Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Provincial Legislatures (MPLs). The design of the LCBP comprises a series of components, ranging from introductory courses to postgraduate qualifications. The NSG curriculum offers also the eLearning courses, with 1999 learners.

The NSG programme successes involve the comprehensive suite of programmes. They are relevant and responsive to public service and NDP goals, with quality management in place. They are in line with institutional accreditation. Challenges included the dire need for a culture change in the public service. Currently, the NSG programme uptake is uneven. Communication, marketing and client satisfaction need improvement. However, there is a limited budget allocation. There is a need for NSG systems to be more integrated and faster. The delivery needs to be more cost effective, and authentic through utilisation of servicing public servants.

Prof Levin said that the way forward is for the public servants to take responsibility as required by the Public Service Act, 1994. Training should be provided to enhance the quality, extent and impact of the development of human resource capability.

Discussion
Mr M Dirks (ANC) asked if there was still reference being made to, and attempts to achieve, a dedicated all-round public service cadre, and if the curricula could achieve this. He was concerned that the public service had good programmes and policies, but faced major challenges in implementation. He had noticed that whenever there were presentations made to the Portfolio Committee, there are always clear discrepancies or lack of implementation. He noticed that at any level the entire operational objective was to achieve clean audits. While this was good, the clean audits do not equal service delivery.

Ms W Newhoudt-Druchen (ANC) said that the Public Service Regulations determine or stipulate that an employee of the public service should make themselves available for a training and development. She asked who decides on employees to be trained, and whether employees have a right to refuse training or a course offered. Since the NSG trains the unemployed graduates, she asked whether these graduates are interns, and how they get access into NSG if they are not government employees.

She asked for information both on the issue of the “debtor’s book” and “culture change”, and asked to what extent employees see financial management as important. She asked for the numbers of trained graduates, the percentage of women and disabled.

Ms R Lesoma (ANC) asked if there are any further shortcomings the NSG has encountered. She wanted details on how employees are selected for training, and on the role this Committee can play. She too noted that there were no figures for percentages of disabled people and women trained and asked where exactly the training was taking place.

Prof Levin responded that the decision on who was to be trained was within the discretion of a manager. Training selection is also guided by the Performance Management Development Systems (PMDS), as developed by the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), with some discretion to individual departments. In some cases managers prescribe or recommend training especially where there is an incapacity or lack of performance, using PDMS indicators as a guide.

Prof Levin said he was not sure about an employee refusing training; at the moment the NSG engaged with departments, not individuals, although the NSG did need to engage and build relationship with individuals from each department, especially at the entry level.

There was currently no uniformity on training. Groups in townships had been presented with the NSG course, for which European Union funding was available to expand training opportunities. He thought there were many ways to break down the barriers to entry.

NSG is moving towards a new model on financial management, offering mandatory programmes for employees. Public servants are now forced, by the online programmes, to understand their delegations and the precepts of the Public Finance Management Act.

On the issue of percentages concerning women and disabled trainees, Prof Levin asked his colleagues, Ms Soria Arendt and Ms Mkhwanazi to elaborate more to the Committee.

Ms Phindile Mkhwanazi, Chief Financial Officer, NSG, said that NSG had debts owed to it by departments, and it was negotiating with National Treasury how to collect those funds. Now, the NSG was using a pre-payment system, and did not have any current debt.

Ms Lesoma asked for some clarity on shortcomings as highlighted by NSG and what role the Committee could play. Commenting on the funding, she suggested that that the Committee should look at 2.7 billion that National Treasury has allocated to public departments for training, and whether there were overlaps, because she thought that new recruits and management training were particular areas where the NSG could help. The Committee had previously suggested to the Minister that there should be training or induction kits for new managers. Soft skills such as interpersonal skills, human resources and others were key for senior managers in the public service and she also wondered if were there any training products to sensitise every employees on moral and ethical issues of government performance, and to track performance of individuals, DGs and organisational development.

Ms Lesoma enquired whether the NSG mandate is in line with the NDP goals.

Ms Lesoma asked what was allocated for books in the budget, and how much was sourced from overseas, or whether it had developed its own resources and text books based on the South African way of working. These questions could be responded to in writing. She asked how many trainees had passed the NSG, and how many were on the waiting list. Noting that NSG has an assessment tool, for pre and post training, she wanted to know who monitors the performance of trainees and if they do not improve, what was done. She suggested that NSG could make its programmes more competitive and attractive and geared to future employment.

Prof Levin responded that as part of the training kit package, there is a senior management induction for the new recruits. Soft management skills and interpersonal skills are included as part of the training toolkit.

Ms D van der Walt (DA) raised a concern about the outcomes of the training programmes offered by government. She asked at what point the decision is made to train people further and how the NSG determines whether people are trainable for a position, or at what point it might decide on a point of no return. She cited the fact that the attitude of senior staff in the Departments of Health and Education had not improved, and it was important for NSG to change attitudes and get rid of political mindsets that were hampering service in provincial departments.

Ms van der Walt also asked if the NSG had any input into the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) training documentation. She was disappointed to see party-political information during training for municipal managers, as this training should be addressing service delivery.

Ms Lesoma . said it was strange to witness political party manifesto of most important during municipal training for managers, which was the training for service delivery. She found this trend inappropriate a political manifesto belongs to a party. She suggested that NSG should also scrutinize the SALGA booklet.

Ms Lesoma suggested that there should be more details about the NSG budget, and the  number of students who passed, as also how students' improvement or failures would be tracked. She also wanted comment on how it competed with the private sector, and how courses could be made more competitive.

Mr M Ntombela (ANC) added another dimension to the SALGA concerns. He had been a Deputy Chair of SALGA in the past, and he knew that its training had been focused on delivery processes within municipalities. Many role players were pushing one political agenda. He noted the comment on pre-service education with breaking barriers, face to-face and online training components, and asked whether face-to-face training produced better results in practice.

Mr Ntombela also asked if the Public Service Reorientation programme is not tantamount to a refresher course, which sparked little enthusiasm. He wondered if training should instead focus on all public servants who are potential managers. He questioned how NSG can mentor public servants by giving them leadership training across the board. He wondered what employee competency type had the largest uptake by government employees and the reasons for this.

Mr Ntombela asked what particular training qualities made the NSG more attractive than the private sector, and at what level the NSG was offered – equivalent to high school or university. He asked if it would be proper, as a Portfolio Committee, to influence the building of NSG, in order to develop authenticity and respect for it as an institution.

The Chairperson thanked Prof Levin, and said that NSG was clearly a strategic entity to achieve transformation in the public service, but no matter how many sound policy decisions were made, they would come to naught if there were an ineffective and unprofessional public service. For this reason, the Committee should devote its energy to supporting NSG programmes. There did not seem to be results from the R2.7 billion allocated to government departments, and she commented on the discrepancy between the R71 million allocated to the NSG as against the R2.7 billion, suggesting that this Committee, as an oversight body, should be looking to funding of key areas. It would need to look at past performance, clear targets and objectives and approach National Treasury to allocate sufficient budget so that the NSG was not being set up to fail. National Treasury should perhaps be allocating a certain percentage from R2.7 billion to NSG, especially for its compulsory induction programmes. She commented that the only way to run the programmes was for the NSG to do so. The private sector would do its own bidding with no accountability, and a developmental state would have to ensure that NSG was enabled, by a good funding model. She suggested that the NSG must, in order to fulfil the different strategic interventions, come up with a costing that detailed estimates for the programmes, plus the numbers to be trained, to convince National Treasury to give more funding.

She asked about the relationship between the NSG and the Public Services Sector Education and Training Authority (PSETA) and the Local Government SETA (LGSETA). Currently, there were different goals and motives in these entities, and LGSETA had problems with execution.

She asked if the NSG had a database of trainers and specialists, and said that there should be a  relationship between the NSG and the universities, which should help to inform the curriculum in the universities, if they knew what would be expected in the public service. She asked about the value proposition of the NSG in terms of its unique qualities. She asked about its vision and work for the Continent, and was greatly supportive of the NSG.

Prof Levin confirmed that the NSG value proposition is to become a centre of excellence for applied work and learning. The NSG offered niche programmes, which were its main distinguishing feature and competitive edge, along with application and work knowledge. NSG had relationships with universities in many leadership programmes, although it did not want to outsource programmes to universities, rather to develop its own capacity. Uptake of the NSG' s programmes – the Lead Facilitator Development Programme, and the AU/Washington University Leadership Foresight and Innovation Programme - were large. was huge. Several departments have their own training. This gives NSG an international accreditation of its presented programmes.

Prov Levin confirmed that on the funding model, the NSG had done extensive work, and would appreciate support from the Committee. It had a sound approach that will not put strain on the fiscus, but will requires culture change. NSG would be meeting with the Director General (DG) of the Department of Planning, Performance Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME), on training programmes around NDP and thought leadership platforms for all stakeholders. The NSG had a database of accredited trainers and specialists, which included retired Directors General and Parliamentarians.

The NSG have relationships with the PSETA and LGSETA, and had an MoU with PSETA on  implementation of the NSG eLearning programmes.

The issue of training for ministers and executives is very critical. For instance, in China and Vietnam, Ministers were unable to enter without having passed the courses offered at training academies. In the current model of public administration, ministers were, through the Public Service Act, given original powers. There should be customised courses specific for the ministers for primary knowledge and proper implementation.

Prof Levin emphasised that it would be crucial to ensure that the public service could become an employer of choice. Breaking barriers to entry could be discussed at the next meeting. That particular course enabled unemployed graduates to get through application processes and gain understanding of the work in the public service.  NSG offered programmes reminding people why there were in the public services.

NSG offered programmes such as basic and advanced project management, one from Washington University about executing, implementation and specific conditions.

Prof Levin said it was true that audits do not equal service deliver, but the country needs both. He admitted that there were problems, but the NSG is also working with Stanford University to resolve the existing implementation problems, and in time, should build up its own “teaching team”.

Prof Levin conceded that there were some weakness at the level of resources and skills. Systems is a major problem, and there were still manual systems for keeping track of everyone who has been trained and trained. There was still a need to update materials and number of areas that require improvement – and there was potential for a centre with library, part-virtual library at international level and additional resources. The new course on ethics, online, is exciting, but NSG would soon be offering some face-to-fcae training. NSG already had an agreement with the Financial Services Board (FSB) to train the entire institution. This course is partly in line with the recommendations by the Farlam Commission, specifically for the South African Police Service (SAPS).

Prof Levin then expanded upon the “point of no return” for training. He thought that there was insufficient utilisation of the incapacity code. He stressed the need for an assessment centre within the state, to assist departments. That would not be about assessing incompetence or taking punitive action at entry level, but should be geared rather to advancing and enhancing the quality of human resources. In this assessment centre, the NSG should offer coaching and mentoring, and assist the Department. In any democracy, every public servant should know the vision of a particular ruling party’s vision,as well as the electoral mandate and vision.

He noted that the NSG planned to  train and induct over 30 000 public servants this year. The overall number of people trained is 50  000 for the year. NSG would be offering targeted courses to let people work better, in workplace learning. It was something that could give it the competitive edge. 
On the issue of books,Prof Levin said there is a need to produce our own materials

Ms Sonia Arendt, Acting: Training Manger, elaborated that the NSG had no textbooks because all its training and learning was done according to very practical guidelines quite specific to the job. Discussions and peer sharing took place to work out how to apply the learning in the public service. NSG offered practical experience. .Financial management issues are dealt with at the financial management programme, and other topics included ethics of public services, organisational development and others.

The Chairperson suggested that other questions needed to be answered in writing. Members would like to see change and would support the NSG.

Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME): Annual Findings Report2015/16
Dr Ntsiki Tshayingca-Mashiya, Deputy Director General, DPME, said that the Frontline Service Delivery Monitoring Programme (FSDM) gives effect to the priorities outlined in Outcome 12 of building “an efficient, effective and development orientated public service and an empowered, fair and inclusive citizenship”. She mentions that the FSDM report used to be more confined on facilities, compared to the current integrated report.

She said that the programme uses unannounced monitoring visits to assess the quality of service delivery in frontline services facilities, using questionnaires and observations. Dr Tshayingca-Mashiya believes that monitoring and increased capacity in the public service will also yield positive effects. She said that there is a need to strength government responsiveness on service delivery matters.

The approach of FSDM programme is to conduct targeted improvements monitoring – the selected sample of facilities is monitored every year to track improvements, with a methodology that attempts to combine problem-solving facilitation and then monitoring of results. She said that the FSDM programme consists of three activities:

The DPME informs the national department senior management that a facility has been selected for improvements monitoring because of poor scores. The intention is for senior management to create an enabling and supportive environment in which facility-level managers can address the identified challenges.

A meeting is held at facility-level (facilitated by DPME) to obtain progress with agreed improvements. The intention with this meeting is to facilitate auctioning of findings and to facilitate problem solving between the different role players.

Thirdly, the unannounced monitoring of improvements are conducted, applying the same scoring questionnaire tool used for the first assessment. A new score card is then produced for the facility which reflects a longitudinal view of the scores, for each KPA, over time. The trends are based on the score comparison of the current year of monitoring against the previous.

Dr Tshayingca-Mashiya said that in the fifth year of frontline monitoring, 60% (72) facilities that have been selected for improvement monitoring have improved, 38% (46) facilities have regressed and 2% (2) facilities status remains the same. Little control can be enforced by DPME. However the facilitation improvement has resulted in72 facilities improving or keeping their improvement status. It is also important to note that the FSDM monitoring actually leads to improvements in service delivery.

She said that since the inception of the programme, one of the biggest hindrances has been non-actioning of the monitoring findings by responsible individuals. Regrettably, in many cases the reasons for not acting on findings are not clear. The report says that an assumption can be made that one such reason is the punitive culture that was preominant with the country and public service. She said that in facilities where punitive measures are not enforced, there is very little done by responsible officials. The FSDM is not advocating for these punitive measures, but a cultural change in terms of self-management and responsibility, including some level of consequence management.

DPME monitoring reports:
Drivers Licence and Testing Centre (DLTC) facilities
Dr Ntsiki Tshayingca-Mashiya, Deputy Director General, DPME, presented the reports arising out the monitoring of various public sector facilities. 

Eastern Cape Province (2012 – 2016)
DPME still believed in  the need for continuous monitoring as most activities that are part of the improvement plan in Mthatha are still outstanding and/or not yet actioned. These facilities include general maintenance, safety of the facility and long waiting times due to lack of equipment like eye testing machines, which were reported to National Department of Transport (NDOT), but still not yet deployed.

In Buffalo City’s Drivers Licence and Testing Centre (DLTC), there is gradual improvement that has been noted by DPME, but with challenges. She said that these challenges involve access at the main entrance and management of complaints system which can only be managed through ad hoc monitoring by both the Office of the Premier, to avoid regression.

Free State Province (2014 – 2016)
Few improvements had been noted in the Sasolburg DLTC. Maintenance needs to be improved, and the overall cleanliness needs urgent attention. Like in Buffalo City, complaints management system needs to be improved.

Gauteng Province (2013 – 2016)
The Benoni DLTC had several good practices. The parking at the facility remains a challenge as there is no space to expand the facilities. The queue management is still a challenge due to limited waiting areas and congestion in the corridors.

Kwazulu-Natal Province (2012 – 2016)
The Umzimkhulu DLTC has implemented the recommendations in the current facility, and the new facility is 95% complete, and awaiting relocation. All the FSDM indicators have been incorporated into the new facility.

 

Health facilities monitoring result
Eastern Cape Province (2012 – 2016)
In the Virginia Shumane Clinic, the facility has recorded sustained improvements since the baseline assessment. All recommendations have been implemented. Dr Tshayingca-Mashiya said that the only area still to improve is the wearing of name tags by all staff members. 

The Isolomzi Clinic requires an additional room, and this is being constructed. The access control to the facility is also not up to the required standard. The opening and closing times are still not displayed, nor has the road signage been installed.

Free State Province (2012 – 2016)
The Jacobsdal Hospital had shown significant improvements since baseline in 2013/14. However, some challenges in terms of cleanliness persists, driven by an inadequate water supply. Some recommendations in terms of signage are still to be implemented.

Gauteng Province (2012 -2016)
The Sebokeng Hospital has shown sustained improvements since the baseline. There is room for improvement on the issue of queue management, in that the CPS system can be better implemented and better resourced.

In Mohlakeng Clinic, also part of the Ideal Clinic Project, the only remaining issue to be addressed is the absence of road signage. Cleanliness, complaints management and accessibility have been improved.

The Yarona Clinic is also part of the Ideal Clinic Project, between 2013-2016. Its performance is consistently good, with road signage being the only remaining outstanding matter.

Limpopo Province (2011 – 2015)
The Mphahlele Clinic has no significant improvements since the baseline. There is a lack of proper signage externally and internally. The clinic does not have enough seating in the waiting area, and the complaints management system is not well resourced. The security at the clinic is compromised due to issues within the service provider.

Mpumalanga Province (2011 – 2016)
The Kanyamazane Clinic facility has recorded consistent improvements since the baseline. The main challenge in this facility is the absence of road signage.

The Embuhleni Hospital has also shown consistent improvements since the baseline assessment. However, several challenges still exist. The facility is not maintained properly, and the cleanliness needs to be improved. The public toilets need to be repaired and supplied with toiletries.

Northern Cape (2012 – 2016)
The Tshwaragano District Hospital has improved considerably since the baseline assessment. A few minor challenges remain in terms of staff not wearing name tags at all times. The complaints management procedures are not being displayed. The suggestion box needs to be attended to.

North West Province (2013 – 2016)
The Mmakau Clinic has several challenges that have not changed. The internet and external signage is insufficient, and the cleanliness of the public toilets needs improvement. The service interruptions due to staff breaks were also recorded, and there are no health and safety procedures displayed. The complaints system needs attention.

Since the period of 2014/16, the Dryharts Clinic queue management needs to be improved, as the system is insufficient. Signage is also poor. The complaints management system needs to be improved, and the health and safety guidelines need to be displayed.

Western Cape Province (2012 – 2016)
The Gugulethu CHC facility has continued, sustained improvements since the baseline assessment. The facility is going to be relocated, addressing space and infrastructure constraints, as well as waiting times. Signage has been improved significantly. The security remains a challenge in the facility. A complaints management system is in place, but under-resourced.

The Westfleur Hospital is generally a well-performing hospital with several good practices. Some renovations are under way, which affect the waiting times and spaces. The complaints management system is to be resourced appropriately.

Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Frontline Service Delivery Monitoring (FSDM) and Citizen-Based Monitoring.
Dr Tshayingca-Mashiya said this presentation was to highlight how FSDM fitted into the DPME monitoring systems. FSDM supports and augments other monitoring systems through the verification of how citizens experience frontline services on the ground. It provide further areas for assessment through Management Assessment Performance Tool (MPAT), the infrastructure and processes that support quality services to the public.

The main challenges identified were: accommodation of government services, staffing at frontline facilities, and poor coordination between state entities, procurement and equipment. Physical infrastructure challenges had been found in the majority of monitored facilities. She said that these challenges were inadequate sizing, design, construction, poor maintenance, cleaning and furnishing.

The overcrowding at the government facilities continue to occur in historically disadvantaged areas, where citizens have to wait in makeshift waiting areas, and often without access to functional toilets.
Dilapidated buildings form part of the challenges. The inadequate and badly maintained toilets were a defining feature at schools. The lack of clear responsibilities between Department of Public Works and sector departments for maintenance and management of lease contracts is frequently raised by facility managers. She said that the under-staffing at frontline facilities is a major problem at many facilities monitored. Managers from those facilities often complained of the long time taken to appoint staff, because recruitment was handled from the head office. 

Improvements Monitoring: Way Forward
Dr Tshayingca-Mashiya said that the improvement monitoring will continue for the 100 facilities selected. She said that in 2016/17, the improvement / monitoring/ re-scoring approach will be replaced by the improvement/ verification approach which is central to physical verification of the progress recorded against the improvement plan action items. This would be done at the  improvement meeting. It was critical to come up with an approach that will be beneficial in driving sustained improvements in facilities, for the quality service delivery that citizens deserve.

Baseline Monitoring Findings
Since the inception of the FSDM programme in June 2011, there are about 785 facilities that have been monitored. Those that passed the internal quality assurance were 63 DLTCs, 148 Schools, 185 Health facilities, 70 Home Affairs offices, 65 Courts, 67 MCCCs, 97 Police Stations, 90 SASSA facilities. Although this sample size of 785 represented a small percentage of the total number of facilities in the country, departments are encouraged to increase their on-site monitoring presence so as to deepen their understanding of frontline facilities service delivery conditions. In 2015/16, 107 facilities were assessed in all nine provinces.

Some of the improvement monitoring meetings and re-scoring indicated that facilities did not fully implement their activities not only because of budget constraints, but due to lack of commitment by facility management.

The DTLC facilities are still facing challenges on the infrastructure, where maintenance is not taken into consideration. This is prevalent in government owned buildings. This in turn affects the overall operations of a facility, thereby impacting on the quality of service delivery.

Complaints management systems remain a sector-wide challenge, with all facilities scoring poorly, so that the problem is widespread.

The continuous monitoring by DPME and OTP is not sufficient to sustain improvements at some facilities, as is evident from the regressions recorded in 2015/16 at several facilities.

Lack of accountability and poor operations management from some facility managers is evident in the current state of facilities, and this extends through general management of cleaners, adherence to operational hours and enforcement of minimum safety and security measures.

The Justice Sector has good practices in terms of security, especially in their access control. This is evidenced by the presence of metal detectors and x-ray machines in most facilities monitored. Most magistrates court facilities monitored have shown consistent improvements, emphasising the importance and support required from facility management in the implementation of the improvements monitoring list. These improvements may be ascribed to managerial commitment.

Recommendations from 2014-2015
Recommendations included:
- Departments and provinces should be encouraged to ensure that their commitment to frontline performance is reflected in their plans, their budget and their public communications
- Districts and provinces should support facilities to implement their improvement plans, particularly where the facility itself may have limited competency
- Frontline service delivery monitoring should be elevated to a strategic level, for accountability by sector departments. This could be achieved by incorporating responsibilities for frontline monitoring into performance agreements of senior officials in the sector departments
- Managers and decision makers should consistently act on the FSDM findings to improve the quality of services delivered at facility level. This requires close monitoring and working together between DPME, national departments, provinces and municipalities to drive improvements.

Discussion
Mr S Motau (DA) asked if the reasons for regression were known.

Ms Van Der Walt said that frontline staff were essentially “selling” a business, as it is the first interaction, whether telephonically or physically, with clients. She said the public servants should understand this and act accordingly. She thought the DPME had a huge challenge in trying to fix frontline services in the public sector.

Ms Lesoma liked the presentation and the way that it honed in on facilities, and asked if it was possible to get a detailed report that set out the process flows; the DPME baseline was drawn from the Presidential Hotline and izimbizo feedback. She would also like to get details of how many people logged complaints and what the satisfaction of clients was.

The Chairperson appreciated the contributions from the Portfolio Committee, and proposed that this Committee must set a new benchmark for parliamentary oversight. She noted the DPME recommendations to also invite the Department of Public Works. That Department should make a presentation to the Committee about challenges pertaining to accommodation of government services, including in the state buildings.

Ms Lesoma suggested that the Public Service Commission should also be invited to the joint sitting because it had an issue in the service it was receiving itself from the Department of Public Works.

The Chairperson agreed. The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) should also attend to address the Committee on how it intended to address the challenges around frontline managers' delegations. This is very critical because if frontline managers do not have delegated authority, matters remain unresolved.

She said that there was a concern about the reliability of the Presidential Hotline. She proposed that DPME should, in future, provide details on how often the line is checked, and the number of calls, as well as the demographic profile of clients. This should inform government planning and enable planners to see where resources must be channelled.

Finally, she asked that DPME should provide the value proposition, and clear detail on its objectives – including detail on branding the government buildings and details on which departments do not have such standard government features.

Dr Tshayingca-Mashiya said that the DPME was testing the Presidential Hotline. One Committee Member had tested it during the last meeting.

The Chairperson also said that it is the responsibility of this Portfolio Committee to phone and test the hotline.

Dr Tshayingca-Mashiya said that the DPME is working on the issue of demographic profiling, and getting a nominator data for all areas. In relation to the process flow, she confirmed that the information was available from the Izimbizo and Hotline and would like to present the details if time permitted. She felt that an audit of the government facilities should be mandatory for the Department of Public Works, who should look at the condition of all government facilities.

Dr Tshayingca-Mashiya said that most often, the cause of regression is weak leadership and management.

Other business
The Chairperson announced oversight visits to Mpumlanga and Limpopo from 27 to 31 March.

The meeting was adjourned.