Hon Speaker, hon members, today, as we are tabling the report on the Joint Ghanaian and Indonesian study tour, undertaken by the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration, together with the Portfolio Committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, we want to indicate that the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration invited the Portfolio Committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs to undertake a study tour to Ghana and Indonesia as a joint initiative and collaboration, particularly on matters that are of importance to both committees.
This was done in order to learn from these countries' standardised public administration practices, given their governance structures. Ghana and Indonesia share the following similarities with South Africa: They have acquired democracy, they have three spheres of government and they are classified as developing countries. The difference is that South Africa does not have a standardised public administration across the three spheres of government, as is the case in both those countries.
The study tour was in anticipation of South African legislation that would create a seamless public service. This would require intensified co- operative governance and intergovernmental relations. These two committees had to analyse how the local government sphere fits into the mainstream public service, how salaries are structured and how personnel transfers and deployments are handled between the three spheres of government with ease. The laws governing employees would be virtually similar, with a similar structure of government.
It was pleasing to realise how Indonesia dealt with corruption in the public service, through the establishment of an independent ombudsperson - they call it "ombudsman" but, of course, it is an ombudsperson - who investigates and sanctions corruption practices in the public service. The ombudsperson is equivalent to what we refer to as the Public Service Commission in South Africa.
From the study we realised that we needed to discuss intensively the Public Service Commission and the Department of Public Service and Administration's rules on how South Africa could properly relocate a reasonable structure that would hire, fire, recruit and do placements. I am sure it is a discussion that has to be placed on the table.
We definitely have to learn lessons for our Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama, from the efficient Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, Gimpa. Palama was formally known as the South African Management Development Institute, Samdi.
Regarding all our findings and the challenges we observed, we have made recommendations accordingly and they appear in the report. Thank you. [Applause.] There was no debate.