Hon Chairperson, Cabinet colleagues, Deputy Minister for the Public Service and Administration, chairperson of the committee, members of the select committee, representatives of the SA Local Government Association, Salga, the Deputy Chairperson of the Public Service Commission, hon delegates to the House, the portfolio leadership in the Ministry, our distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, as we would say: Long live the spirit of Mama Sisulu. I want to thank you for affording us an opportunity to address this honourable House and debate our Budget Vote for the financial year 2011-12.
We tabled our budget before Parliament, in terms of which we committed ourselves to delivering services through the following institutions: the Department of Public Service and Administration, DPSA; the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama; the Public Service Sector Education and Training Authority, PSeta; the Centre for Public Service Innovation, CPSI; the State Information Technology Agency, Sita; and the Government Employees Medical Scheme, Gems.
We also partner with the office of the Public Service Commission in our relationship, where we feature as good governance facilitators and with them providing administrative support to the Public Service Commission, an independent body that is a custodian of good governance.
About two weeks ago we debated the budget in the National Assembly and raised the following: that at the minimum our work is focused on achieving one of the 12 outcomes of government, under the theme "Building an efficient, effective and development-oriented Public Service and an empowered, fair and inclusive citizenship"; and that the maximum focus of this portfolio has to deal with all those issues that will ensure the total consolidation, stabilisation and activation of the state machinery around the sustenance of the values of our administration, affecting all three spheres of government, as well as the state-owned entities. In this respect, we are committed to giving special attention to supporting the local sphere of our government.
We also indicated that we will continue to give unwavering support to the work of the Public Service Commission to ensure a response to and compliance with the recommendations they make after investigations.
We reported that we are reviewing the ministerial handbook; that we continue to give support in the settlement of disputes between executive authorities and accounting officers; that we are championing a project for the repositioning of the Public Service for accelerated service delivery; and that we are intensifying the fight against corruption through the activities of the anticorruption unit and are playing a leading role in the work of the National Anticorruption Forum, in partnership with the government and civil society.
We said that Palama would soon become a preparatory school for entry to our Public Service. We also said that we would leave no stone unturned and dig into the history of PSeta to correct the wrongs.
As the country's focal point is the African Peer Review Mechanism, APRM, a voluntary instrument for peer review by African Union member states, we led the country in writing the second report accounting for the implementation of the national programme of action. We are proud to announce that we have been found to be in compliance with the instrument.
We are currently leading a project to write the third and final report to be submitted in the year 2013, which report will be a precursor to us being reviewed for the second time. In terms of the third report, we have committed ourselves to it largely focusing on the subject of xenophobia. This will give our peers an opportunity to engage with us on this difficult topic, and we will be able to use the opportunity as a mirror for introspection. Consultations have started and we would appreciate the involvement of Parliament, as we have previously made a call for such, particularly on honourable House, owing to its legislative co-ordination role across the three spheres.
Two weeks ago, we said the following about Sita, and I quote:
We will give a targeted record of Sita performance during the presentation of the same budget at the National Council of Provinces in two weeks' time, under the theme "Sita today, Sita tomorrow, Sita to the future", where we will give an account as to why we have embarked on a turnaround strategy, what the strategy entails, what we achieved through the strategy and what we are doing to consolidate the gains arising from the strategy.
Today, we are giving an account of such matters, and I would like to reflect as follows. After an extensive consultation with the stakeholders during 2009, we resolved that serious interventions were required to address the challenges faced by Sita. The challenges that required serious and immediate attention spanned the areas of poor service delivery; the absence of an integrated customer relationship management approach; procurement processes fraught with weaknesses, culminating in irregular expenditure and noncompliance with regulatory frameworks; the perceived high cost and pricing models; the high turnover rate of leadership at the executive level and the lack of core skills; and poor governance leadership. All these have impacted on Sita, as we have explained, and which we then said we needed to turn around.
The Sita turnaround strategy has identified seven strategic outcomes for the period until 2014, which are as follows: delivering quality service delivery to the public sector; being a proficient lead agency in public sector information and communication technology, ICT; providing effective and integrated public sector ICT supply-chain management; having competitive pricing and financial sustainability; being an effective ICT regulator; doing effective governance and monitoring; and being an employer of choice.
In this regard, we will not have what has happened - as we celebrate Sita's 10 years of existence - which is the agency having had more than 10 chief executive officers.
Sita has achieved the following deliverables to date, as set out in the turnaround strategy: a fully constituted board of directors, which was appointed during April 2010; a chief operations officer was appointed during November 2010; a chief executive officer was appointed during January 2011; and all outstanding executive appointments will be finalised during the fourth quarter of this calendar year.
It should be noted that, whereas there has been much talk on Sita's challenges, which we are addressing as per the strategy, we can still refer to a record of service delivery, featuring the following highlights, to mention but a few. A telemedicine project is currently under way at the departments of health and social development in Limpopo. This project entails the upgrading of infrastructure to ensure suitability for the utilisation of telemedicine equipment and facilities, thus ensuring that citizens in the rural communities receive adequate health consultations for effective health care. Of the 14 sites identified, 10 have been successfully upgraded.
The national network upgrade programme for the SA Police Service has made some progress, and the ICT teams deployed have ensured high service delivery levels. The high level of service excellence on the active directory support at the Mpumalanga department of education has raised the potential of the integration of IT support functions.
Sita successfully hosted the Independent Electoral Commission's call centre during the local government elections of 2011. The development of a master systems plan, MSP, for the Mpumalanga department of social development is well under way, and phase one of the project is nearing completion.
The printing of the preliminary results for the matric class of 2010 was successfully completed by 30 December 2010, as per commitment. On 1 January 2011 the printing of the Grade 12 examination results and the Adult Basic Education and Training - Abet - results started. The period 1 January to 3 January was critical, as the results had to be completed by 5 January, ensuring that Sita met the expectations of the Department of Basic Education.
The poverty index system, which was implemented as a pilot project for the City of Johannesburg, in collaboration with the departments of housing, social development and health, provides a composite view of indigent citizens. It enables the city to track human development in its constituencies and support government objectives in the war against poverty.
In order to regain lost confidence and to give space for the implementation of the turnaround strategy, we led consultation processes and will continue to do so with national and provincial government departments. Through these engagements, Sita is expanding its base.
Five out of the nine integrated finance management system modules have been built or acquired. Sita also provides connectivity to the Thusong centres. The Sita Library Information Management System, Slims, has been implemented to replace legacy systems at provincial and public libraries nationally. So far, provincial libraries one metro in the City of Cape Town and 85 public libraries, have been migrated. Sita is on track to meet the deadline of December 2011 for full migration.
Chairperson, as I share with you the report on these results, allow me to restate that the reasons why Sita was established in 1999 were primarily in order to achieve the following: to ensure that government reaps the benefits of bulk purchasing of ICT goods and services; to deliver e- government services as part of improving citizens' access to public services; to re-engineer the business processes of government in order to improve Public Service efficiency and processes; to facilitate public- private partnerships on risks and reward-sharing in the acquisition of ICT goods and services; to develop, in collaboration with other government institutions, the national information management systems and technology, IMST: and to develop an ICT skills development plan.
In terms of the turnaround strategy, we are now at the stage of reconciling the Sita performance profile with the objectives of its development. The provision of government services on the Internet means that Sita must provide wider service coverage for government through the government network, and therefore costs must be drastically reduced, whilst government network utilisation is optimised.
The optimal utilisation of the Sita Next Generation Network, NGN, must result in the reduction of overall voice and data costs. Sita will drive the programme to ensure that all government departments use the value-added services of the network. Through Sita, we will soon unveil an electronic mechanism for the declaration of interests by SMS members.
Mufambisi wa ntirho, mi nge hi pfala bulu ra hina hi ku kombisa leswaku vatirhelamfumo i vanhu va nkoka swinene. Hinkwaswo leswi hi tibohaka leswaku hi ta swi endla tanihi mfumo, hi endla tano hi ku tiva leswaku va kona naswona va tihlengeletile emiehleketweni ya vona ku korhokela tiko. Hina va ndzawulo hi simekile pfhumba leri hi lerisaka hi ri tiko leswaku hi veka mahlo ya hina ehenhla ka vona hi vula hi ku, "Mutirhelamfumo wa mina, vumundzuku bya mina". Hi ri karhi hi londza leswaku na vona va tlherisela hi xandla va vula leswaku, "Ina, hi kona hi tiyimiserile ku tirha". (Translation of Xitsonga paragraph follows.)
[Chairperson, allow us to close this discussion by indicating that public servants are people of great importance. Everything that we commit ourselves to doing as government, we commit to knowing that they are there and that they have made up their minds to serve the nation. We, as the department, have launched a campaign that is guiding us as a nation to fix our eyes on them and it says, "My Public Servant, My Future". We also demand that they reply by saying, "Yes, we are here and we are ready to work."]
We continue with our consultation on the project "My Public Servant, My Future", and yesterday we had a session with the Black Business Executive Council, which is a forum of chief executive officers in the private sector. We appreciate their views on this matter, and we will surely take them on board. We will continue to consult and will consult academia, broader civil society, public servants themselves and this very august House and Parliament. It is time to focus on our public servants for information-sharing and empowerment. Chairperson, thank you very much for this opportunity. I present the budget. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister Richard Baloyi, hon Deputy Minister Ayanda Dlodlo, hon members of the House, distinguished guests, this budget is dedicated to the loss of the inimitable earth-mama, Mama Albertina Sisulu.
The 52nd national conference of the ANC in Polokwane resolved to create a single Public Service which would enable administrations in all spheres of government to be organised and to operate in ways that would ensure efficient, qualitative, collaborative and accountable service delivery that would promote the social and economic development of the Republic.
A single Public Service would further require the enhancement of service delivery through flexible structures that enable and promote operational and front-line integration, innovation by means of electronic government, human capital and talent management, managerial accountability, performance and a people-orientated service.
This is in line with the expression in the strategy and tactics document in that the building of a developmental state must be based on four attributes: strategic orientation, capacity to lead, organisational capacity and technical capacity. It also requires further enhancement of service delivery through systematic information and knowledge management, and corroboration between institutes within and across spheres of government, as well as between those spheres and private developmental sectors.
We therefore say as the committee to our hon Minister that as the ANC continues to lead and drive the process of unification of the administration in the three spheres of government through the initiation of an integrated Public Service, you must put in place the necessary processes towards the implementation thereof.
The President has declared 2011 as the year of job creation. To respond to that call, the starting point would be to fill all the funded vacant positions in the Public Service. It has been agreed that there is scope to improve the employment intake in the public sector - in the process strengthening education, health, the social work sectors and the criminal justice system in South Africa - by filling all the posts. That would make an indelible contribution to job creation. Of course, in terms of updates, we commend the department for the efforts taken thus far.
In addition, there are opportunities to create stable employment through the Public Service employing people for certain tasks that are currently outsourced and casualised. By dealing with the casualisation of jobs, we will ensure that the unions will indeed also support the department in that regard because they are against casualisation.
The Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama, was developed to help build a capable Public Service through providing and co- ordinating extensive opportunities and to access leadership and management competency and development-orientated programmes specifically aligned with the learning and knowledge needs of Public Service managers and executives. If this can happen, it will help correct the bureaucratic attitude of the past in terms of changing public servants to create a development- orientated Public Service cadre. Palama therefore has an obligation to ensure that public servants are capacitated in leadership, management and administrative competencies that are central to the South Africa developmental state.
Hon Minister, in last year's Budget Vote the department undertook to launch the executive development programme, a postgraduate certificate in executive leadership, which will be customised for local government leadership and for members of legislatures and Parliament.
Currently, we have just had local government elections, and over 50% of councillors are brand new. In that context, movement in that regard must be speeded up. During this year we want to see the implementation of the programme. We believe that Palama's role is central in our efforts to achieve the crucial national objective of creating a fair, balanced, productive, knowledgeable and sustainable Public Service that will secure and strengthen our democracy.
The State Information Technology Agency, Sita, has been created. We welcome that and we welcome the progress that has been made thus far. I think that from now on all the players that have needed to gain from it will indeed have to be recorded in terms of the objective of having to have a targeted record of Sita's performance. That will indeed be monitored and there will be a dialectical relationship between the House and the department.
Hon Minister, the department should give this targeted performance information to the House committee from time to time. In the same breath, we also want details and the specifics of phase 2 of Sita's turnaround strategy, which is aimed at transforming Sita into a prime system integrated for government.
In his state of the nation address on 14 February 2003, President Thabo Mbeki identified the need for a Public Service echelon of multiskilled community development workers. Both presidential and provincial izimbizo revealed deficiencies in service delivery to communities, and therefore a need was identified to examine where we currently stood regarding the delivery of service to the poor and how service delivery could be improved.
South Africa's Constitution reflects a commitment to establishing a developmental state and a participatory democracy. In this context, much progress has been made by government. The increment in public investment has been noted. The remaining challenge, however, in the second decade of democracy is to address poverty and inequalities. This can only be done with the type of Public Service cadre that we are talking about.
The introduction of the community development workers, CDWs, is designed to address institutional gaps in order to meet the constitutional mandate as well as to accelerate service delivery and promotion. We would also want the department to act as a watchdog in implementing the decision of the resolution, especially in terms of health care where the CDW has to collaborate with ward committees. This is very important.
I am happy to see that there have been numerous innovations in the CDW programme, including the excellence awards, innovation awards, the launch of the grass-roots innovation booklet - a handbook for community development workers - and the CDW programme master plan. Further, hon Minister, we must accordingly examine all critical questions that lead to the support we give to this cadre of workers. I think they must not be marginalised, but integrated into the entire Public Service.
Government has established the Government Employees Medical Scheme, Gems, to address historical imbalances and inequalities in respect of the provision of conditions of service of public servants. We would also want the department to move further down to the lowest salaried public servant so that those who do not have access to medical benefits can be given access.
During the course of this financial year, this House will expect quarterly reports, as we have said, but we will also need to engage with the Minister as to which areas are going to be best located in terms of the oversight visits.
Batho Pele was adopted in 1997 as the framework to establish a new service delivery ethic in the public sector, in line with the nation's constitutional ideals which promote efficient, economic and effective use of public resources in a manner that is development-oriented and responsive to the needs of the people. Batho Pele constitutes the inner core of the White Paper on Transforming Public Service Delivery, which allows citizens living in Third World conditions to hold public servants accountable.
It was intended that the vigorous adoption of these democratic principles would lead to a discernable break from the overcentralised, hierarchical and rule-bound system inherited from the previous dispensation and would set out a mechanism for accountability.
Hon Minister, our oversight experience in the Select Committee on Co- operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Cogta, has shown us that the focus of delivery has shifted in terms of Batho Pele principles, especially at the municipal level. This has been demonstrated by a series of service delivery protests, which implies that while there might be a political challenge, at the official level Batho Pele principles aren't in place because the people get information and answers when they are in front of a municipal counter. Therefore we ask the hon Minister to what extent service delivery has been transformed in line with Batho Pele principles.
In South Africa corruption is a manifestation of many problematic social dynamics. We know that the department has set up an anticorruption unit, that there is a prevention hot line and many mechanisms to fight corruption. So we would also request the Minister to apprise the committee of the extent to which we are able to reduce corruption. This is precisely because the government has taken over what the ANC fought for for many years. The ANC has been fighting apartheid as a corruption, apartheid having been defined as a crime against humanity. Therefore, we need to be apprised of developments because we must reduce corruption, and others that may not know history must know that the ANC started to fight corruption long before the democratic dispensation.
Hon Minister, there has been an outcry from civil society, the media and the public on the growing demand that this problem must really be overcome. We do not need to be dictated to by the media from time to time, but we must respond to what causes the media to write the things they do.
At the same time, the growing realisation must be that we need to get a grip on this phenomenon in order to bring it down in such a way that everyone has confidence in the leadership of the government. Government must take further steps to fight corruption by incorporating all relevant stakeholders to play their role, to contribute and to assist in this regard. It should not only be the national government that fights corruption: the provincial and local government should also use the anticorruption strategy as a brief to fight corruption in their own spheres.
Let me conclude by saying that the committee accepts the budget and we wish for there to be continual engagement in this regard. Thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister and hon members, according to Chapter 10 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, public administration must be governed by democratic values enshrined in the Constitution. These must include the following principles: a high standard of professional ethics; efficient, economic and effective use of resources; accountability; good human resource management and career management practices; and the public administration must be broadly representative of South African people, with employment and personnel management practices based on ability, objectivity and fairness.
The department received R690 billion to achieve these goals. To support the Budget Vote, one needs to look at the previous year's performance. A professional Public Service should be staffed by competent and dedicated professional officials. Furthermore, does effective service delivery by all public departments, including education and health, not rely on the commitment of appropriately qualified officials and how well they are managed?
Didn't the then Minister for the Public Service and Administration, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, emphasise the importance of human resource planning five years ago? If this is the norm - with which the DA agrees - how is it then possible that the 2010 State of the Public Service Report by the Public Service Commission found that the Public Service still faced considerable challenges in the area of effective human resource management? The Public Service Commission found that just 16 out of 144 departments submitted human resource development plans. This is a compliance rate of only 11%. Is that why the Chairperson of the Public Service Commission, Dr Ralph Mgijima, concluded that "the Public Service is not at a point where it can confidently say that most of its managers are adequately competent in human resource management"?
Isn't it true that to have efficient management it is essential to follow correct appointment procedures?
Erken minister Baloyi dit nie inderdaad nie as hy verwys na ... [Isn't Minister Baloyi indeed acknowledging this when he refers to ...]
"... the right people, with the right skills, in the right place, at the right time"?
Is dit nie so dat doeltreffende aanstellings akkurate posbeskrywings vereis nie? Hoekom bevind die Staatsdienskommissie dan dat talle basiese beginsels nie nagekom word nie? Voorbeelde is dat poste geadverteer word sonder posbeskrywings en dat daar vir slegs 36% van die 122 poste posbeoordelings gedoen is. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Isn't it true that effective appointments require accurate job descriptions? Why did the Public Service Commission then find that several basic principles are not being complied with? Examples of this are posts that are advertised without job descriptions and that job evaluations have been done for only 36% of the 122 posts.]
Why must appointments take 11 months, on average, to be completed? I have noticed that the Minister would like to reduce the period for appointments and I would support him in that.
Verder is daar voor die verkiesing spoedeisend opgetree om die Plaaslike Regering: Munisipale Stelselswet te wysig om korrupsie en politieke inmenging te bekamp. Die wysigingswet is deur beide Huise voor die munisipale verkiesings goedgekeur. Die verkiesing is verby en die wet is nog nie deur die President bekragtig nie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[In addition, before the elections urgent action was taken to amend the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act to curb corruption and political interference. The amending Act was approved by both Houses before the municipal elections. The elections are over and the Act has still not been ratified by the President.]
Must we wait for all the cadres to be appointed and irresponsible appointments to be made before the law is implemented? This is just another sign that, for the next term of office, it will be business as usual for municipalities and the communities will suffer poor service delivery because competent people were not appointed in a responsible manner.
Kan ons saamstem dat een van die basiese beginsels van doeltreffende departementele bestuur is om werknemers verantwoordelik te hou vir die nakoming van hulle pligte? Hoe word dit dan gedoen as daar nie gebruik gemaak word van pligstate, prestasie-ooreenkomste en prestasiemetings nie? Hoekom het ons meganismes op papier wat ons nie nakom nie? Ons moet nie lippediens bewys nie, maar ons moet behoorlike prestasie-ooreenkomste teken en navolg. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Can we agree that one of the basic principles of efficient departmental management is to hold employees accountable for the discharging of their duties? How is it possible to do this if duty sheets, performance agreements and performance assessments are not being used? Why do we have mechanisms on paper that we don't comply with? We shouldn't be paying lip service, but we must sign and follow proper performance agreements.]
There is a performance management development system, but managers simply do not submit the performance agreements requested from them. If heads of departments do not comply with requirements, how can one expect the subordinates to comply? In addition, why are so many heads of department themselves never formally evaluated? Therefore, would we not all agree with President Zuma that we face a crisis of accountability? If officials are not held accountable, it is logical that financial mismanagement and corruption will follow.
In order to fight corruption isn't it essential that senior managers entrusted with public funds maintain a high standard of professional ethics? Shouldn't their integrity be beyond reproach? Therefore, doesn't it make sense that they must disclose their financial interests by the end of April every year?
It is worrying that, over the past three financial years, the compliance rate of senior managers in the entire Public Service has never been more than 50%, and that it is declining. Why should officials have the discretion to decide whether or not to investigate cases of alleged corruption and why is it that half of all departments have no anticorruption strategies?
Discipline is one of the most basic principles of effective management. Did the Public Service Commission not recommend to Cabinet that they should charge noncompliant officials with misconduct in terms of the code of conduct? There has been no feedback received from departments on 63% of the cases referred to the national anticorruption hot line. Officials suspected of fraud or corruption are often just suspended from duty for long periods with full pay. It is a positive statement from the Minister to want to engage in a process to ensure that suspensions with full pay are finalised within 60 days. Why are so many senior managers lenient in imposing disciplinary sanctions against the guilty, and why do they only give a written warning and not dismiss the guilty? Does the Public Service Commission not recommend that all fraud be reported to the police?
I must also commend the Minister on his endeavours to review working hours in the Public Service. As you stated, economies that pursue the 45-hour work week will grow at a faster pace than those economies that follow a 38- hour week. While we can argue a convincing case why Africa as a continent has lagged behind most economies, especially when we consider the effects of colonialism and apartheid, these arguments will lose credibility - if they have not already done so. The structure of the working hours in the SA Public Service impedes access to public services. I thank you. [Time expired.]
Deputy Chair, Minister, hon Deputy Minister and members, I want to take this opportunity in Youth Month to salute the youth of this country, and thank those young people who have contributed to ensuring that democracy is restored in our country by voting for the mighty ANC in the local government elections.
One of the biggest challenges facing this country is corruption within the Public Service. Corruption is widespread and beginning to take the shape and size of organised crime. Yearly, billions of rands are taken from government coffers by these criminals. Corruption is counter-revolutionary and every disciplined citizen of this country must take a stand against this disgusting behaviour by exposing and reporting it wherever it occurs.
I am delighted that the department established a special anticorruption unit in November and it should continue fighting corruption more vigorously. We remain resolute in our determination to fight corruption in society as the ANC. Corruption is an enemy of our cherished historical values of serving the people with dedication, selflessness and the highest standards of integrity. We are committed to acting against the current rampant and selfish quest for personal wealth which undermines the values of the kind of democratic society we are trying to build.
The first attribute of a developmental state under our conditions should be its strategic capacity: popular legitimacy deriving from its democratic nature and approach of people-centred and people-driven change. In this regard, it should be able to lead in the definition of a common national agenda and in mobilising all of society to take part in its implementation.
We maintain that the ongoing transformation of the state is meant to ensure that these capacities are attained and the process of identifying weaknesses and correcting them will be intensified. This includes engendering new doctrines, culture and practices, as well as ensuring that the state institutions reflect the demographics of the country, including appropriate representation of women and people with disabilities. This applies to the Public Service in its totality as well as to specialised institutions such as the judiciary, the police, intelligence agencies, and the Defence Force. All these organs should serve the people in an efficient and impartial manner.
The community development workers, CDWs, are the heroes of government and must be recognised as such. One of the structures that assist the CDWs is the Thusong service centres. These establishments bring government departments to South Africans' front door. They are vital for service delivery in the Public Service. Government's vision for the Thusong Service Centres is to provide every South African citizen with access to information and services within their place of residence and in each local municipality by 2014, with the purpose of improving the quality of their lives through integrated service delivery.
The Thusong Service Centres serve not only the community through the tireless efforts of CDWs, but also the efforts of ward committees and councillors. The department needs to take a serious look at these centres and see how they can be improved upon in order to bring more government services to the people.
With regard to the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama, some government departments have admittedly attracted negative attention, as have some of our municipalities, especially the smaller, more isolated ones in the rural areas. These circumstances have set an urgent agenda for continuing Public Service improvement and the corresponding and required public training and management development.
For the Public Service to respond adequately to all these issues raised in the so-called service-delivery-related protests that we are experiencing, there is a need for the public servants to relate perfectly to a demanding environment. Palama therefore needs to be more focused and an appropriately resourced organisation with people that are key to playing its role in developing the public sector cadre required by the South African developmental state.
During the 52nd national congress in Polokwane, we resolved that we should continue to lead and drive the process of unification of the administration in the three spheres of government into a single public sector service. Uppermost on the government's agenda for the ongoing social and economic upliftment and transformation of our society is improvement in the delivery of basic and other services to the people of South Africa.
Currently, delivery is hampered by weaknesses in numerous areas, including, amongst other things, national frameworks and policies that do not extend to local government in areas of service delivery and public administration and management, marked differences in remuneration and condition of services in the Public Service, and local governments which make mobility and the transferral of functions difficult.
The single Public Service is based on the principle that the institutions across government - whether local, provincial or national - that comprise the machinery of state have to work together to more effectively fulfil the needs of South African society. This means that their structures must be aligned and structured in such a way that there are no barriers to co- operation.
The single Public Service initiative seeks to ensure greater alignment across the three spheres of government in the areas of human resource management and development, service delivery, information and communication technology, anticorruption and the design of framework legislation. As the ANC, we are delighted to note that the department will commence with the implementation of the process map to Parliament, which includes the review of the draft public administration management Bill for alignment with the preferred legislative option. We support the Vote. Thank you, Chair. [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Chairperson, Minister and Deputy Minister for the Public Service and Administration, hon members of the NCOP, premiers of the respective provinces, distinguished guests, I stand here on behalf of the Premier of the Eastern Cape. I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to stand here and table the views shared by the premier of the province.
I must say up front, hon Deputy Chairperson, with regard to the earlier discussion honouring the passing of the gallant fighter Mama Albertina Sisulu, who made an immense contribution to the history of this country regarding its liberation, that we definitely as a country owe her and her family, and we must extend our condolences to the family.
The Eastern Cape province remains on course to achieve the goals as set out in the election manifesto of the ruling party, which has been translated into 12 national outcomes. National outcome number 12 talks about an efficient, effective and development-oriented Public Service and empowered citizenship. As a province, we have developed eight provincial priorities, and priority number seven is aligned with national outcome number 12: building a developmental state, improving the Public Service and strengthening democratic institutions.
As we are all aware, as a developmental state we strive to address challenges such as low economic growth, our decaying infrastructure, poverty and unequal development. Obviously, as a province, we are not immune to the challenges that are experienced by other provinces - those of poor service delivery.
The single most obvious challenge confronting the Eastern Cape provincial government is the absence of a uniform Public Service culture, characterised by a focused, committed, capable and strong workforce with a strong service ethos that is in line with the code of conduct and Batho Pele principles. That is why we are looking forward to the single Public Service Bill consultation, which will be taking place this year and next year. We think that it will be helpful to the whole country and, in particular, to the province because the Bill's main objective is the fostering of a common culture across all spheres of government.
The other area of interest for the province will be strategic human resource management and development, which continues to be one of the major challenges for the province. We welcome the guidance and support that the Department of Public Service and Administration provides to provinces in a variety of ways.
The human resource effectiveness assessment tool, whilst not perfect, has alerted the Eastern Cape provincial government to the extent of the challenge we face in this area, and we are positioning ourselves, through focused interventions, to turn the situation around.
As government, in welcoming the anticorruption unit, we have conceded that, amongst other things, our accumulated weaknesses include an inability to deal effectively with new tendencies, such as social distance, patronage, careerism, corruption and abuse of power. We are witnessing how corruption has permeated all sectors of our society. This selfishness derails the government's quest to deliver much-needed services to our people and betrays the vision of our founding forebears of delivering a better life to all through social, economic and political emancipation.
As a province, we have resolved to review our procurement policies in order to promote co-operatives and small, medium and micro enterprises as part of supply-chain management. We had to incur additional costs to put in place mechanisms to deal with corruption in the procurement processes, particularly with respect to conflicts of interest by officials. With the implementation of the mentioned minimum interventions, we are confident as government that these will go a long way in improving the quality of service delivery to South Africans in general and to the people of the Eastern Cape in particular.
In order to strengthen our ability to monitor and direct service delivery effectively, the province is in the process of finalising an integrated monitoring and reporting framework, which will be implemented across the province under the focused eye of the executive council.
We would also like to highlight the challenge of integrated planning, not only within the Eastern Cape, but also in relation to the various players at the national level. In this regard, we would like to work with the Department of Public Service and Administration to strengthen our own relationship and the relationship with the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs in order to ensure alignment between the integrated development plans, the 12 outcomes and the provincial programme of action. The issue here is getting the platforms of convergence working.
Lastly, on the issue of wage negotiations, we think that it would serve the country well if all of us who are involved in the negotiations took the time to reflect on our approaches and conduct during this process, in relation to our strategic interests and those of the country. We simply cannot afford strikes year in and year out.
We must also highlight that an area of particular interest in the province is that the Minister, in his Budget Vote speech delivered on 26 May to the National Assembly, indicated that they are not making an allocation to the State Information Technology Agency, Sita, because it is self-sustainable. But we think that it will be important for the Minister and the department to take a closer look at the relations between Sita and the provinces. The sustainability of Sita and how it sustains itself might mean that it is efficient and working effectively, but, on the other hand, there is the possibility that things might not be going right with, in particular, the tariffs that Sita is setting for provinces.
I know for a fact that some of the departments have a problem with how Sita outlines its tariffs in as far as the services that it offers are concerned. We also acknowledge that there will be obligatory ones, mandatory ones and those that are nonmandatory. There is a growing sense of various departments wanting to pull out of relations with Sita. I think that it would be wise for the Minister and the department to take a closer look at this area. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Phini likaSihlalo wale Ndlu, amalungu ahloniphekile, umhlonishwa uNgqongqoshe [Deputy Chairperson of this House, hon members, hon Minister], the main task of this department is to organise and administrate the Public Service in our country.
Ngiyazi ukuthi injongo ngqangi yalo Mnyango wukuhlela nokwengamela izinsiza eziya kubantu baleli lizwe lethu. Kodwa-ke kunezinto ezithile engizibukayo, njengokuthi uma silokhu sinabantu abakhalaza ngosizo lwasemphakathini kuze kulahleke nemiphefumulo yabantu abangenacala ngoba nje bengalutholi usizo ngendlela abasuke befisa ngayo.
Ngiyaqonda ukuthi unikezwe uMthethosisekelo waleli lizwe ukuze kube nguwe olusa zonke izinhlaka zikahulumeni. UMnyango wakho ake usebenzisane kakhulu nohulumeni basekhaya uma kuqokwa abantu abazosebenza eMinyangweni ethile. Akusiwo amakhansela ahluleka ukuletha izinsiza emphakathini. Uma kungaqashwa mina, njengoZulu, ngineziqu ze-BA kwi-Accounting, ngiqashwe njengeMenenja yakwamasipala; uyabona ukuthi izibalo nobumenenja yizinto ezimbili ezahlukene okungaholela ekutheni abantu bakithi bangakutholi ukusizakala.
Uma usebenza eduze kwabo ukwazi ukubhekisisa ukuthi lawaya mandla anikezwa lowa mkhandlu ukuze iziqashele - kufanele phela uMnyango wezemiSebenzi yoMphakathi ubheke ukuthi iziqu umuntu anazo ziyahambisana yini nendawo umuntu aqashwe kuyo, ngoba kuyenzeka ukuthi kuvele kuqashwe indoda noma inkosikazi yimbe nje ibe ingeke ikwazi ukwenza lowo msebenzi.
Ngiyazi ukuthi lo Mnyango usunabo manje abantu okufanele baqaphele ukuphathwa budedengu bezimali zikahulumeni kodwa okubuye kungikhathaze yilesiya sibalo esikhulu sabantu - noma lezo zimenenja ezinkulu - abehlulekayo ukuhambisana nophenyo olusuke lwenziwa njengokuthi umuntu amiswe emsebenzini kodwa abe ehola. Ukuqondiswa kwezigwegwe kuye kungacaci ukuthi kubheke kuphi. Kungumsebenzi osemahlombe akho njengendodana yaleli lizwe ukuthi ubhekisise izinto ezinjengalezo ukuthi ziqhutshwa ngohlelo.
Njenge-IFP, siyaleseka leli Voti leSabiwomali nanokuthi sazi kahle kamhlophe ukuthi uMnyango wakho yiwona obaluleke kunayo yonke eminye iMinyango kahulumeni ekubhekeleleni ukuthi izakhamuzi zaleli lizwe ziyakuthola yini ukusizakala. Ngiyabonga. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[The main objective of this department is to organise service delivery for the public of our country and be responsible for the administration thereof. However, there are a few noticeable things, such as the constant complaints about the lack of service delivery that lead to the loss of innocent lives.
I understand that the Minister is mandated by the Constitution of this country to lead all the spheres of government. The department must work closely with local government in appointing people who will be working for the particular departments. It is not the councillors who fail to deliver services to the public. Let us say I, as Mr Zulu, with a BA degree in Accounting, was to be employed as the municipal manager. Accounting and management are two different things, which could be the reason why people do not get help.
If you are working closer with them you can see that the powers are given to the council to employ people on their own - the Department of Public Works must ensure that the qualifications candidates have are relevant to the positions people are employed for, because sometimes you find that they employ a certain man or woman who cannot perform in that position.
This department now has people who must monitor the mismanagement of state funds. However, what worries me the most is the high number of people - or those managers at the top - who fail to comply with the investigation that is being conducted, like a person who still gets paid during his or her suspension period. The disciplinary hearings do not take a clear stand. It is your responsibility to ensure that such things follow proper procedures.
The IFP supports this Budget Vote and we acknowledge the importance of your department above all other government departments in ensuring that the people of this country are helped. I thank you.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister for the Public Service and Administration, hon members of the NCOP, hon chairperson and members of the select committee, the SA Local Government Association members, leaders of the national Public Service and Administration portfolio, leaders of institutions, distinguished guests, fellow South Africans, thank you for affording us this opportunity, and welcome to this address from the office of the Deputy Ministry for the Public Service and Administration.
We are barely eight days away from marking the 35th anniversary of the 1976 uprisings that reverberated throughout our country, when thousands of schoolchildren in this country risked life and limb and courageously followed their convictions when they decided to march against the injustices perpetrated by an inhumane and unjust social and political system.
During the period that the leaders of the liberation struggle were either imprisoned, exiled or silenced in some form or another, it was these young people who rose and looked at apartheid with fearless eyes, faced rifles with stones and rocks, and decided to sacrifice everything they had, including their lives, on the altar of hope, to fight for an equal say in issues that affected their lives. We are today able to enjoy the rights commensurate with living in one of the best democracies in the world because of the unwavering and unstinting collective efforts of these young people.
Fellow South Africans, may we never forget the spirit and dedication of those who stood up in the name of freedom, equality and fraternity. Our country has navigated itself through a very long and painful past to where we are today. Though we will never forget our pain, today we are a nation and people steadfastly committed to constructing a new future based on unity, equality and respect for each other's rights and diversity.
I think that as my Minister and I present our Budget Vote, it would be fitting to challenge the youth of South Africa in this Youth Month to honour those who sacrificed their childhood and youth and ensure that they follow in the footsteps of those martyrs and luminaries and build with us a viable, efficient, effective and development-oriented Public Service.
Chairperson, in honour of Ma Sisulu, who too was a leader in her young days, I would like to challenge the youth of Parliament and the public administration to work diligently and with honour and dignity in service of our people, as many others who would have liked to be in their position never lived to see this freedom and be servants of the people in a free South Africa for which they fought.
The Ministry for the Public Service and Administration, which is honoured to present its Budget Vote to the NCOP, is determined and committed to the construction of this future. We remain unyielding in our promise to never again allow public resources to be used to serve the needs and wants of one group of people, across gender, class and race, at the expense of another.
We remain steadfast in our commitment to the creation of an efficient, effective and development-oriented Public Service and an empowered, fair and inclusive citizenry. We will support the office of the Minister in leading the Public Service and Administration, provide professional advice and support to ensure Public Service excellence, and promote good governance nationally, on the African continent and globally so as to be an exemplary, professional, ethical and accountable department and government that embodies the principles of Batho Pele and service excellence.
The main priorities of the office of the Deputy Minister in 2011 include a viable and committed strategy to ensure that our community development workers are effective in their mandate as the foot soldiers of government. The potential ultimate effect of a knowledgeable and dedicated community development cadre motivates us to work tirelessly to ensure that we transform the current status quo in their operations to one more conducive and favourable to the development of our communities.
A review of the Public Service Regulations, which focuses on all the gaps for the institutionalisation of a number of service delivery mechanisms as well as a framework for community development and public participation, is currently under way. The amended regulations will address the working conditions of this community-based public servant who is the face of government in the delivery of services to our people.
The code of conduct for community development workers, CDWs, will also be reviewed to address the conflict between the Public Service and political activities. This year we plan to work with more vigour in ensuring that the CDWs are linked with the existing community structures such as school governing bodies, community police fora, ratepayers' associations, traditional institutions, citizen assemblies and religious bodies.
We are also aware of specific challenges that may hamper the impact of the programme with regard to the acceleration of service delivery to citizens. One of the challenges is the complex relationship between CDWs, ward committee members and ward councillors and the discrepancies in remuneration, accountability and reporting lines.
The governance, management, planning and reporting functions have been inconsistent and fragmented across the different spheres of government. The key elements of the redesigned governance and management CDW model are as follows. In terms of national co-ordination of the programme or model the DPSA will be responsible. At the provincial level the co-ordination of the programme will be located in the premier's office, while at the local co- ordination level the CDWs will work and will be based at the Thusong centres.
We will also be reviewing the operating hours of Thusong centres around the country. It does not make sense for this vital service point to be open only during working hours, when most people who need their services are also at their places of employment or at school.
The work on Thusong centres has moved at an impressive pace since inception. We have developed a blueprint to connect Thusong centres. Eighty per cent of them were already connected by Sita in 2011. Sita has also deployed satellite connectivity to Thusong centres across those that have been established. A process to validate equipment deployment and facilitate site sign-off is currently being undertaken.
The Thusong centres will be established in places where services are unreachable through innovative means and extended to train stations where commuters can access the facility on their way to work or school or when they return home. We have engaged the Passenger Rail Agency of SA to explore the possibility of having mobile Thusong centres on rail. These trains will be designed to offer many of the services that rural and peri- urban communities access with difficulty.
We are working with the Departments of Basic Education, Communications and Health to develop blueprints for the connectivity of schools and clinics, some of which the Minister has already alluded to.
In all the work we do the department will continue to monitor the implementation of gender, disability and youth frameworks by all departments through the analysis of periodic reports submitted. The enhancement of skills for gender and disability focal points will be done through training in mainstreaming the implementation of the strategic frameworks.
I wish to state that there is a need to explore ways to improve the working relationship between the political heads and the heads of department. To this end, mechanisms should be put in place to ensure that accountability in terms of administrative responsibilities, as outlined in the Constitution, the Public Finance Management Act and the Public Service Act, is not compromised based on the poor working relationship between the executing authority and the accounting officers.
Having said this, relationship management at all levels is key to an effective and efficient workplace. It should be noted that in instances where the relationship sours, the department gets embroiled in tensions that make it difficult for the system to operate optimally. In these instances, the image of government gets tainted and the shareholders of this government, our people, ultimately bear the brunt for this through poor service delivery and performance by departments.
Public service also needs to deal with the burden of cost to the state occasioned by indecisive and incompetent leadership in the area of human resource management and the handling of labour relations matters. The challenges in the Public Service include the management of discipline, sick leave, corruption and conflicts of interest, including the management of the integrity of the public servant.
The scourge of HIV and Aids also contributes to the loss of skilled staff and loss of man-hours owing to ill health. The Minister of Health has also lamented the nation's unhealthy lifestyle and this is a problem for our employees as well. In order to curtail the cost of ill health to the employer, the Government Employees Medical Scheme will accelerate its employee wellness programme to deal with this.
The Gems membership currently stands at 556 000 and is set to grow in this financial year to 620 000. We can say proudly that this is one of the well- performing Public Service entities and we will continue to enhance its product offering so that it becomes the medical scheme of choice for all Public Service members.
The department will embark on a study to consolidate the work of entities charged with addressing corruption in the public service. A single reporting and accounting entity needs to be established that would deal with corruption in a streamlined fashion. There are too many anticorruption drives that work in a fragmented fashion and, as a result, the government's global drive against corruption gets compromised and becomes less effective. I dare say this continues to be the responsibility of the Department of Public Service and Administration.
Our priorities for 2011-12 are informed by our commitment to placing citizens at the centre of service delivery and to delivering services in a co-ordinated, cost-effective and timely manner in order to achieve clearly defined outcomes. As we celebrate Youth Month together with the youth of South Africa let us take cognisance of the continent's efforts to celebrate the work of the Public Service in this month as well.
Let us celebrate and honour the lives of Tsietsi Mashinini and the class of 1976 for their service to the people of South Africa. Special thanks go to the department staff and my Minister for walking me through to finally deliver this speech. Thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, in 2010 President Zuma urged the Public Service to work smarter and faster, to know where people were and what their needs were, and to respond faster to those needs.
This is a realisation that the Public Service in South Africa is in need of an urgent overhaul. In 2011, we are still far from attaining an excellent Public Service culture. I am sure the community of Freemantle High School in the Eastern Cape would bear testimony to this.
The department received an unqualified audit with some irregularities in 2010. I am happy that the major internal and external problems, especially with regard to the State Information Technology Agency, Sita, and the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama, have been realised and are being addressed.
Minister, the department is still struggling with the development and retention of priority skills. The vacancy rates are still high and this leads to invoices not being processed on time, which results in underspending. Furthermore, the signing of performance agreements on time remains a challenge. Monitoring is essential in order to hold Ministers accountable, with regard to the signing of performance agreements, which would further be filed with the Public Service Commission.
The fact that implementation protocols under the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act have not been developed or co-ordinated properly, means that government's ability to track progress and address challenges is still limited. For example, out of the many issues which were raised by the community of Chris Hani during the 2008 "Taking Parliament to the People", zero or none has been implemented to date. It is promises, promises and promises. [Interjections.]
We cannot claim that the fight against corruption has achieved anything. Hence, one newspaper headline cleverly stated this year that Ministers who want frugality should set a good example. The correct implementation and adherence to the Public Finance Management Act, PFMA, by all departments, is essential. State departments have improved, particularly in the handling of finances in the past year. Nevertheless, much is still being wasted. By October 2010, up to R25 billion was still being investigated for possible tender and procurement fraud.
More concerning is the Public Service wage bill. The ballooning wage bill is likely to compromise economic growth and increase inflationary risk. The total bill has increased by 10,38%.
In conclusion, as stated by Sipho Pityana, South Africa is witnessing a transition from the politics of social justice, liberation and public service, to that of personal wealth accumulation, concentration of political power and hegemony. We cannot continue in this way and expect great things from this nation. I thank you, Chairperson. [Time expired.]
Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, hon members of the NCOP, hon members of Salga, director-general and distinguished guests, what ties us together is our shared purpose and responsibility to transform the South African Public Service into a formidable, effective vehicle capable of supporting the socioeconomic development that South Africa and its people need and deserve: a public administration capable of ensuring human safety and security for each and every person; ensuring the dignified existence of all our people within a human rights framework; and working in a trajectory of perpetual improvement and elevation for all, but particularly providing support to the poor in order to close the gap and erase the sharp disparities that mark the livelihoods of the privileged and the underprivileged.
Uppermost on government's agenda for the ongoing social and economic upliftment and transformation of our society is improvement in the delivery of basic and other services to the people of South Africa. The single Public Service is based on the principle that the institutions across government, whether local, provincial or national, that comprise the machinery of state, have to work together to more effectively fulfil the needs of South African society.
This means that their structures must be aligned and structured in such a way that there are no barriers to co-operation. The single Public Service initiative seeks to ensure greater alignment across the three spheres of government in the areas of human resource management and development, service delivery, information and communication technology, anticorruption and the design of framework legislation.
We therefore urge the department, as the ANC - which continues to lead and drive the process of amalgamation and administration in the three spheres of government through the initiation of an integrated Public Service during this financial year - to urgently implement a single Public Service framework, which will enhance service delivery.
The government has indicated its determination to build a cadre of community development workers, CDWs. This is to ensure that the government works with the people as closely as possible to empower them to participate in and benefit from the process of reconstruction and development.
This challenging but exciting work will require people who are truly committed to serving the people. These are not people who join the Public Service merely to have a job and earn a salary. Rather, these are fellow South Africans who are moved by our common responsibility to ensure that millions of our people break out of the dehumanising trap of poverty and underdevelopment.
They are committed to the realisation of the goal we have set ourselves to create a caring and people-centred society. They understand and have internalised the call for all of us to adhere to a new patriotism. The department has to play a leading role in helping to identify those among our population who fit this description to encourage them to take up the challenge of serving as CDWs.
This is because our work among the people gives us the possibility to get to know and assess many individuals. We will have to use the knowledge to ensure that the nation gets the right people, as it builds the new Public Service cadre of CDWs.
Corruption has a devastating effect on poor people, especially corruption in the Public Service. Corruption costs the government millions every year, money that could have been better spent on delivering services. Corruption also means that some people get an unfair advantage because they can afford to bribe officials to do them special favours. Where resources are scarce and many people need those resources, corruption often sets in.
Therefore, as the ANC, we maintain that corruption is the antithesis of the revolutionary morality that is supposed to be upheld by all functionaries of the entire liberation movement.
The challenges identified in the service delivery protests around the country were due to poor service delivery in some areas. In addition, public confidence in government's ability to deliver has been undermined by corruption and maladministration. Chairperson, I must consider the time. [Laughter.]
In fulfilling its role of building institutional capacity, specifically to fight corruption, the department launched the minimum anticorruption capacity audit, and the anticorruption capacity-building programme, aimed at preventing, detecting and investigating corrupt and unethical practices in the workplace.
During this financial year capacity constraints on government departments should be identified and a prevention plan should be in place to assist those departments that lack critical capacity. Admittedly, some government departments have attracted negative attention, as have some of our municipalities, especially the smaller, more isolated ones in rural areas.
These circumstances have set an urgent agenda for continuing Public Service improvement, and for corresponding and required Public Service training and management development. For the Public Service to respond adequately to all these issues that have been raised in the so-called service-delivery- related protests that we are experiencing, there is a need for the Public Service to relate perfectly to the demanding environment.
Palama therefore needs to be a more focused and appropriately resourced organisation with key people to play its role in developing the public sector cadre required by the South African developmental state.
The role of Palama is central to the developmental role of building the technical capacity of the public service, ensuring professional competence and inculcating a service ethos and citizen-centred values and attributes.
Professional competence will only be obtained by building public sector cadres who can deliver services to the people, show a caring attitude in dealing with citizens, earnestly listen to the people's concerns, truthfully reflect the wishes of the people, sincerely address their hardships and do more to speed up effective service delivery to the people. Therefore, as the ANC, we support the passing of the Budget Vote of the Department of Public Service and Administration. I thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, firstly, let me take this opportunity to thank my right-hand support, the Deputy Minister, whose agility, robustness and forthrightness are my strength. [Applause.] I want to thank the private office staff for their tolerance in sometimes working under difficult situations. I want to thank the entire Ministry and senior leaders of our institutions. I want to thank my family for accepting my scarcity, as I spend more time with government and the department. [Applause.]
I want to thank all the speakers here today. And I want to indicate to all of them, starting from the chairperson of the committee, that we remain committed to subjecting ourselves to your oversight and leadership. We will respond to all the issues that you raised. No one raised an issue that we can ignore. We will follow up on all the issues raised. That's a commitment.
We thank the chairperson of the committee, and as we march on the journey of strengthening the State Information Technology Agency, we will definitely talk to the second phase as he called on us to do. As we do that, what can be expected is that we are going to talk about the triangle of ICT in government. As we do that, we will be talking about Sita, we will be talking about the Government Information Technology Officers - Gito - Council, and we will be talking about the office of the government chief information officer within the Department for the Public Service and Administration.
The success of Sita is also defined in terms of the co-operation they receive from the Gito Council and from the office of the government chief information officer. As we unveil and talk to you in terms of the second phase, as the committee, we will then give an account in terms of what we are doing to strengthen Sita. This is because we want to realise what we set ourselves to achieve in 1999 when we established Sita, namely that we would perfect and strengthen our governance through information technology.
We appreciate the issues raised by the MEC. The NCOP is a very interesting House of Parliament, where one even finds MECs coming and sharply raising issues in their capacity as members of legislatures. It's a very interesting arrangement. Hon MEC, the issues you raised were noted. In fact, you talked about issues that have been identified and have begun to receive priority attention in the province of the Eastern Cape.
On 4 May, we were in the Eastern Cape and had a meeting with the executive council led by the premier. At that meeting, we agreed to establish a team that is going to deal with the strengthening of Sita in the province. That team, hon MEC, will deal with the issues that you were raising.
We have been in the Eastern Cape because when we dealt with the question of the African Peer Review Mechanism when writing our second report, we identified blockages to service delivery as one of the crosscutting issues that we had to account for. We also had to deal with that as a mirror reflecting our performance. We chose the Eastern Cape specifically to deal with those issues. We thank you for raising those issues.
I have just had a conference here with my right-hand support - a very serious conference - wherein we debated and resolved that when we roll out the "My Public Servant, My Future" project in the provinces, we will start in the province of the Eastern Cape. [Applause.]
When we debated this budget in the National Assembly on the question of local government, which is at the coalface of service delivery, we resolved that, as we gave priority attention to providing support at the local government level, to unveil a plan in no time, led by the Deputy Minister, in terms of how we were going to make sure that there was professionalism in the local sphere. When we combine that with the project of "My Public Servant, My Future", we are saying that in any situation in which there are service-delivery-related demonstrations, they will not be due to the contribution of public servants. It will be due to other things, such as resource constraints, which we will then be in a position to address.
Having said this, I want to say thanks and, once more, commit ourselves to following up on all the speeches that members delivered here to make sure that we attend to the issues raised. When we say that the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy is going to play an active role as a preparatory school, we mean it. At the moment, what happens is that Palama comes into the picture to deal with induction and further training. But sometimes you find that the induction and further training may not address some of the key issues that were supposed to have been addressed right at entry level. That is why we say that we need to use Palama as that preparatory school.
Having said this, we say to the select committee of the NCOP that as we deal with these issues it is possible in terms of real separation of powers to work together - that your oversight for us is not an irritation. Be assured of that. Your oversight is assistance; your oversight is partnership; your oversight is teamwork. We welcome it. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.