Hon Speaker, Cabinet Ministers present, Deputy Minister in absentia, Deputy Ministers present, hon members and guests, on our accession to power in 1994, the ANC inherited a society marked by deep social and economic inequalities, as well as serious racial, political and social divisions.
The former apartheid public service in South Africa failed to live up to what should have been its essential mission and purpose - that of serving the people. The system of service provision that developed historically was both discriminatory and exclusionary, and was based largely on the assumption that communities were passive recipients rather than active participants in the limited services that were provided.
The notion that the public service could or should play an important developmental role did not enter into the apartheid dictionary at all. The purpose of state officials then was to administer, control and, at best, to hand down services, not to work closely with communities in ways that may have enabled them to take control of their own development and empowerment. What I am trying to say is that we come from far; we have really come a long way.
We recall vividly when the public service was a controlled instrument against the mainstream population. It became highly totalitarian, centralised and rule-bound in its operation. The public service then was characterised, in particular, by the development of a vertical top-down management structure in which the lower levels were hardly consulted, and the public service did not account to the masses it was supposed to serve. In any case, it largely served the minorities.
It is in view of this fact that transformation of the South African public service became a pressing priority for government following the transition to democratic rule in 1994. This shouldn't come as a surprise, given the fact that the Public Service is the key institution through which government interfaces with the public to deliver services. Therefore it was found necessary to transform the public service in such a manner that it could be oriented towards the vision, values and principles of a new democratic dispensation.
Guided by the principles of national reconciliation, the then new government, as the hon Speaker and members would recall, adopted the Reconstruction and Development Programme as the main policy instrument to reorient and reunite the Public Service in a common purpose in order to overcome many of the political, social and economic problems of the past and to ensure the transition to the new democratic, nonracial, nonsexist, united and prosperous South Africa. Fifteen years down the line, the South African state and society have not been democratised to the extent that we have laid down our goal. Yes, quite a lot has changed, but we haven't reached the extent to which we have laid down our goal. In forging to the front with the process of democratisation and societal renewal, the South African Public Service was assigned a most important role to play.
To fulfil this role effectively, the Public Service needed to liberate itself from its colonial apartheid past and to be transformed into a much more coherent, representative, competent and democratic instrument for executing government policies and meeting the basic needs of all the people.
The government's commitment to this process is unequivocally demonstrated in the fact that an administrative transformation is identified as one of its top strategic priorities to enable it to translate the manifesto along with education, health, housing and rural development.
The President, in his state of the nation address, committed the government to speeding up the establishment of a single Public Service. This task will ensure that all spheres of local, provincial and national government do better when it comes to delivering service to the public. A seamless Public Service that is faithful to the Constitution and loyal to the government of the day is key to the success of our democratic order. The makeover of the Public Service is a multifaceted and potentially contentious process. We understand that it is also being undertaken in a context in which other administration policies are likely to have a momentous impact on the single Public Service initiative.
To this end, we must open up our system of government, through the Constitution's imperatives, in order to allow our people, both inside and outside government, to participate in this policy-making process. That's democratic inclusivity: working together we can do more.
We have crafted a Bill of Rights that guarantees protection for our people against exclusive government, but, more so, to grant some positive rights that each and everyone is entitled to, based on the fact that they are people and they must come first. The Minister spoke about Batho Pele. That's where this concept of putting people first comes from.
Re le batho, re le setjhaba, re le mmuso ona wa batho re tseba hantle haholo hore se leng bohlokwa ke hore batho ba be ka pele. Ke kahoo re buang ka Batho Pele. (Translation of Sesotho paragraph follows.)
[As the people, as the nation, as the government of the people we know very well that what is important is that people should be put first. That is why we talk about Batho Pele.] That's where that concept comes from.
In the final instance, we have created courts that can deliver judgment on whether or not we keep to the consultative nature of decision-making and they can demand that administrative action be rectified if it's not.
To avoid such an eventuality in the bigger scheme of state and society, as created by the Constitution, the public administration must form the integral part of the agenda of transformation of South African society within a unitary state.
By now we are fully aware of the fact that the call for a more interactive government is long overdue and that we have to introduce this new administrative framework to avoid a deepening fragmentation of state and to give explicit expression to the notion of a solitary Public Service. I' m sure now we are in agreement.
The key developmental underpinnings of the single Public Service framework should aim at change-management strategies to unify our country under a common culture of Africanness; that is ubuntu. We believe that Africanness should be central. The strategic thrust of this initiative of intergovernmental relations and co-operative government is aimed at achieving more coherent and integrated planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
There is irrefutable evidence in the country that our Public Service should assume an African ideological outlook based on the value system that distinguishes it from that of a more Western or eurocentric approach. We must be proud of an African organisational behaviour, based on ubuntu, that others will hanker to imitate and embrace in their own management style and bureaucracies.
In terms of research carried out in 1995 entitled: "Towards a Theory of Afrocentric Organisations", it was found that the afrocentric organisation is based on the philosophical orientation of harmony, spiritual and humanistic people-orientated principles, with basic administration elements that include support for all members, a communal management style and prioritising people over profit.
I should emphasise that it was along these lines that when the President gave his state of the nation address he also declared Nelson Mandela Day. The nature of Mandela harnesses this kind of spirit so that on Mandela Day we are definitely going to act as selfless cadres, as people who are oriented towards delivering services to our people with distinction. This distinctiveness contrasts sharply with the eurocentric organisation model that tends to embrace materialism, hierarchical control, bottom-line profits and antagonism, aspects which are not part of our agenda.
The Public Service has undergone various transformation processes since the advent of democratic rule in 1994. As an institution entrusted with the mandate, among other things, to promote the values and principles of public administration enshrined in chapter 10 of the Constitution, the Public Service Commission has, throughout the period, provided insightful reports on the progress of transformation. Other than promoting sound values and principles of public administration, the PSC had to propose measures to ensure effective and efficient performance in the Public Service.
The mandate requires the Public Service Commission to be bold and courageous in confronting the challenge of community dissatisfaction owing to poor service delivery, something which has quite often led to protests. We can all attest to this as there have been many protests. So this factor plays a role. The PSC has to continually expose a lot of maladministration and practices that are corrupt in order to restore public confidence in the government's ability to deliver. However, perpetual reports and recommendations alone will not translate into a professional work ethic and commitment amongst public servants.
These perceptions may not always be supported by the actual experiences of the public, but their potential impact on social cohesion and nation- building should not be underestimated. The Public Service Commission, in its latest report on the state of the Public Service released in 2008, makes a vital observation by recognising that there are areas of progress, such as the establishment of various legal frameworks, policies and programmes that guide good governance.
However, the report points out that the Public Service needs to deepen the implementation of its programmes in such a manner that they can impact effectively on the wellbeing of citizens. An important consideration in this regard is to focus on aspects of public administration that are important areas for deepening growth and democracy.
At the beginning of the fourth term of democracy, there is general agreement that the key policy frameworks for transformation have been put in place. An essential follow-up step is to secure the democratic gains made to accelerate change.
The strong partnership dimension characteristic of South Africa's fight against the spread of corruption must continue with vigour during this period. [Time expired.] [Applause.]