The Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Ministers present, colleagues, special delegates, comrades and friends, today is another milestone where this House is passing a Bill, a Bill that is aimed at building structures and systems that will accelerate the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. As we all know, government in this country is the single biggest employer. It employs over a million people. Today, we are developing the rules of the game that must govern these more than a million employees; manage, co-ordinate and facilitate what has to happen.
As we all know, the development goals are about halving poverty and unemployment by 2014, but they are also there to ensure that we address a range of constraints in this Bill that include skills, the demands of the second economy, public administration and economic matters. These instruments are aimed at ensuring that we have a better Public Service; a service that is responsive and a service that is friendly to the people.
The state is enjoined constitutionally to ensure that high quality service to the people is delivered. The state has to find the most innovative methods and channels to deliver services within the system of government. The state should have a prerogative to optimally utilise resources in the most effective and efficient manner. The state is reliant on the strength and capability of systems of government in place to ensure successful implementation of a range of programmes designed to respond to developmental challenges.
The current delivery initiatives are hampered by weaknesses in the system. One of them is the continuing silo approach in the delivery of services, resulting in poor co-ordination, poor integration and therefore affects the collective efforts of government. There is a lack of protocol even when you want to co-ordinate services. There is no protocol that ensures that the approach of integration around service delivery is attained.
There is a lack of administrative integration and poor co-ordination between departments and spheres of government. There is an inconvenience to citizens because they have to travel long distances to get to many of the service delivery points. Research has shown that government institutions are not citizen-friendly and Batho Pele principles are far from being implemented as required. The question that we must ask ourselves is: Whereto from here?
The committee agrees to the Bill in as far as it addresses these issues that we believe are important: The creation of a strong centre of government that is in a position to hold service delivery vehicles together and to provide support, guidance and advice where needed; the creation of seamless and integrated service delivery through a single-window approach; the convenience to citizens, integrated service delivery platforms and front offices; the creation of a shared vision with a common culture of service delivery and a systematic sharing of knowledge, expertise, resources and best practices to preclude weak links.
Therefore, we believe that special payment regimes have to be developed so that we are able to attract scarce skills and not only attract them, but also retain them within the system. There should be an optimal utilisation of the limited resources underpinned by the creation of government institutions that are accessible, efficient, representative, accountable, sustainable and responsive to the service delivery needs of people.
Before we came to the Chamber, we had a meeting with the Department of Defence. They are raising an issue of interoperability between systems. They are unable to ensure that systems speak to each other in terms of information and communication technology. Not only that, they are also getting a lot of qualified audits because of systems that are obsolete and old, 25 years old, but at the same time these systems are not helpful in ensuring accountability in relation to resources.
We believe that this Bill is going to create a platform where these things are addressed. Among others there is the issue of mobility of staff. Staff members can be taken wherever they are required. For example, one can take a director-general from a particular department and make him a municipal manager in another area, so that people are able to access skills that are required in a particular area where there is need. To us that is very important.
The police are putting that into practice. In Botswana this system is also in operation. When an official is employed by government he knows that he is employed by the state and not by the department. An official can be moved wherever the need is.
In conclusion, I want to say that when the single Public Service is being discussed we'll require the department to involve the committee a bit earlier. I also want to thank my colleagues for their contribution, which has been valued, but also thank the Ministry and the department for their insightful engagement with us and say that we are looking forward to the engagement, which will be robust, on the single Public Service. Thank you. [Applause.]