Voorsitter, die Staatsdiens, skoon administrasie en goeie dienslewering behoort sinoniem te wees. Die Staatsdiens is die spielbeeld van hoe die land regeer word.
As ons kyk na dienslewering, kan ons nou maar net kyk na die protes-aksies wat voor die plaaslike verkiesing plaasgevind het. Dieselfde swak dienslewering kom in die Staatsdiens voor. Wat korrupsie en skoon administrasie betref, hoef ek niks verder te s nie, want spreker na spreker voor my het vanaand na die korrupsie in die Staatsdiens verwys. Selfs my ANC-kollegas het dit erken. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Dr H C VAN SCHALKWYK: Chairperson, the Public Service, clean government and good service delivery ought to be synonymous. The Public Service is the mirror image of how the country is governed. If we look at service delivery, we only have to look at the protests that took place before the local elections. The same poor service delivery also occurs in the Public Service. With regard to corruption and clean government, it is not necessary for me to say anything further, as numerous speakers before me this evening referred to the corruption in the Public Service. Even my ANC colleagues admitted to that.]
My colleague hon Dreyer touched on the Department of Public Service and Administration, DPSA, and the Public Service Commission, PSC, so I will reflect on the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama and the State Information Technology Agency, Sita.
Palama's identity should be cleared once and for all. Is Palama a service provider, or is it merely a facilitator? Minister, I recall that you informed the portfolio committee that you were going to make an important announcement concerning Palama on Africa Public Service Day on 3 June. I presume that you will give more information on a turnaround strategy for the entity on that occasion. I heard tonight, sir, that you were talking about Palama and a preparatory school, but we await further information.
In his 2011 state of the nation address President Zuma highlighted the recruitment of qualified heads of departments, chief financial officers, etc. Skills development was given priority in his state of the nation address. Has Palama presented a strategy designed to deal with the issue of in-service training for those who presently occupy senior positions in all the departments?
The DA believes in appointing people at Senior Management Service level, who are fit for purpose. In order to improve service delivery, it is essential to appoint qualified and dedicated people at SMS level. An effective recruitment process in the Public Service is obviously a prerequisite for good service delivery. Cadre deployment should not be tolerated, because cadres are not all necessarily qualified and dedicated public servants. Senior managers should be appointed and promoted only on the basis of merit and the expertise to do the work of the department concerned. That is exactly what the DA's open opportunity society for all advocates.
Let me congratulate Mr Blake Mosley-Lefatola on his recent appointment as the chief executive officer, CEO, of the Sita - the twelfth CEO in 12 years! I am sure he will have knowledge of the enormous challenges as the CEO. Since its inception 12 years ago, Sita has been plagued by scandal, with allegations of corruption, ineffectiveness and mismanagement regularly associated with the state-owned entity.
Let me highlight only the following. In the 2009-10 financial year, Sita incurred R215 million's worth of irregular expenditure, on top of the R19 million uncovered in the 2008-09 financial year. The Sita has acknowledged challenges that have affected its ability to turn tenders around quickly - tenders are taking up to two years to be awarded because of constant top- level shuffling at the entity. The delay has thrown the Information and Communications Technology, ICT, industry into turmoil and has impacted negatively on service delivery.
According to a consolidated list of bids on the Sita's website, the agency issued 68 requests for quotations last year, of which 47 are still being evaluated, 13 have been binned, another 7 are still open to invitations, and only 1 tender was awarded. The consolidated list does not have any information available about tenders issued this year. Now, if this backlog in tenders reflects efficient management, I don't know!
The ideal should be that the Sita would provide for the whole of the Public Service. We know, however, that where the Sita is viewed as not being helpful or as unresponsive, the accounting officers of departments can go directly to industry to procure products and services that the Sita is unable to, or incapable of offering at the required time, quality and price.
In response to a DA parliamentary question the Minister indicated that only two government departments are regular customers of the Sita: the SA Police Service, SAPS, and the Department of Defence and Military Veterans. However, at a recent meeting of the parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Police, it was revealed that the relationship between the Sita and the SAPS is on thin ice due to poor service delivery from the Sita. Apparently there are problems relating to service level agreements between the two parties. There is also a lack of joint planning and agreement between the two parties. The lack of a backup system for the criminal record centre is a reflection of this lack of joint planning.
Ek wil afsluit met 'n radikale gedagte wat in die nabye toekoms gedebatteer behoort te word: die staat gaan beter af wees sonder die Staatsdiens se Leierskaps- en Bestuursakademie vir Openbare Administrasie, Palama, en die Staatsinligtingstegnologie-agentskap, Sita. Bestaande universiteite en ander opleidingsinstellings bied voldoende tersaaklike kursusse aan wat staatsdiensamptenare op alle vlakke kan oplei en toerus vir hul loopbane. Deur van hierdie bestaande opleidingsinrigtings gebruik te maak, sal staatsdiensamptenare goeie gehalte opleiding ontvang en sal die staat baie geld bespaar wat eerder vir beurse vir staatsdiensamptenare aangewend kan word.
Palama is nie 'n opleidingsinrigting nie. Dit is bloot 'n fasiliteerder, 'n middelman, waarsonder die Staatsdiens maklik kan oorleef.
Dieselfde geld vir die Sita. Raak ontslae van die jarelange korrupte, ondoeltreffende agentskap en maak gebruik van die IT-bedryf wat daar in die privaatsektor beskikbaar is. Baie dankie. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[I want to conclude with a radical concept that ought to be debated within the near future: The state will be better off without the Public Service's Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama, and the State Information Technology Agency, Sita. Currently universities and other training institutions offer adequate, relevant courses to train and equip public servants on all levels for their careers. By making use of these existing training institutions public servants wil receive good quality training and the state will save a lot of money that can rather be used for bursaries for public servants.
Palama is not a training institution. It is merely a facilitator, a middleman, and the Public Service will be able to survive without it.
The same applies to the Sita. Get rid of the corrupt, inefficient agency of many years and make use of the IT industry that is available in the private sector. Thank you very much. [Applause.]]