Hon House Chair, hon Ministers, Deputy Ministers and hon members of this House, firstly I want to say in this House, it is pointless for me when we are meeting in a committee deliberating on things and at the end, people will come here and cry, looking for mercy. We were there discussing the appointment of the commissioner. And when one does not win and get what he wants to get, they come here to complain and cry. You are not going to get mercy here. We are not going to ask any permission from anybody, who we want to take this ANC forward! [Applause.]
Our sector dealt with the mammoth task of championing the reconsideration of the national government with tremendous success. We complement the Ministry of Public Service and Administration for this milestone. We cannot leave aside the Ministry of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation for their part in macroplanning for the entire state and government regarding reliable official
statistics and ensuring the overall implantation of the National Development Plan.
In this sector, we deal with the inadequate budgets at both Statistics SA and the Public Service Commission. These two institutions are a good example of managing well what they have and to still perform on their mandates far better than compromising them. We only feel bad because they can only stretch that much with what they are given. If the National Treasury would consider topping them up, they would deliver beyond the normal expectation. We also do not want them to be compromised on the core functions given to them by the Constitution in the case of the Public Service Commission and the administrative justice in case of Statistics SA.
The Thusong Service Centres location and funding model remain key issues. The committee will be conducting oversight on ensuring policy framework and management of this facility is given attention for the benefit of poor people and easy access to services by every member of society.
We assure this House that service delivery is on course within our sector.
Concerning vacancies in the public service, our approach is that the Integrated Financial Management System be updated with a sense of urgency so that the shortfalls within the persal system can be addressed. In this manner, the public service would know which posts are redundant and therefore should be abolished against the ones that are vacant and should be filled. In this manner also, the public service would by default deal effectively with the challenge of the wage bill because the budget would not be assigned to oganograms that are not real.
The portfolio committee encouraged lifestyle audits within the public agreement that the Office of Standards and Compliance and the Technical Assistance Unit were crucial to be established, following promulgation of the Public Administration Management Act 11 of 2014 and the subsequent formulation of the Public Service Regulation of 2016. This is a gap that the Fifth Parliament's portfolio committee and the department filled in terms of
legislative and policy tools. Now is the time to begin implementation.
In that manner the public service and government can really make a dent to endemic corruption and we and the legislative establishment can also be empowered to call the public service and the executive to account on this matter. The portfolio committee raised together with the Department of Public Service and Administration the issue of suspensions that go for years on and not being finalised, while officials draw a salary.
The issue of not properly formulating charges, thus making them litigious in a court of law. It is a challenge that the public service must address seeing that the implicated officials win cases against government when they had wronged the same government.
The committee also raised together with the Ministry and the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation the issue of board of trustees vacancies and Brand SA which made it difficult for the executive to take decisions without the board. This also held back their increment
and bonuses due to employees. We were assured by both the Ministry and Brand SA executive that the matter was receiving their urgent attention.
We are a bit happy about the issue of permanence and agreements that they are becoming less and less and noncompliance challenge. However, we would be happier when the compliance rate becomes fully compliant.
The newly introduced performance management development system would work well with compliance and ensuring that bonuses are paid only to due candidates, and that capacity development challenges can be identified earlier to improve on individual employees as well as the service they are supposed to deliver.
I propose that the House adopt this report and by the way the ANC supports it.
IsiXhosa:
Into yokuba abantu baza kukhalaza ngokuba sinikana iibhonasi, ngela xesha sasithatha ulawulo loMzantsi Afrika, banikana iibhonasi nemihlaba kwaye akuzange
kubekho mntu uthethayo. Sifuna imihlaba yethu. [Kwaqhwatywa.]
English:
Motion agreed to.
Report on First Quarterly Performance 2019/2020 financial year: Department of Public Service and Administration and its entities, and Public Service Commission accordingly adopted (Democratic Alliance, Economic Freedom Fighters and Freedom Front Plus dissenting).
Report on First Quarterly Performance 2019/2020 financial year: Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and entities accordingly adopted (Democratic Alliance, Economic Freedom Fighters and Freedom Front Plus dissenting).
Report on First Quarterly Performance 2019/2020 financial year: Statistics South Africa accordingly adopted (Democratic Alliance and Freedom Front Plus dissenting).
The House adjourned at 16:10. -----------------------