Organised labour has welcomed the recent release of guidelines to give effect to a government plan to professionalise the public service, calling it a significant step to building efficiency and accountability.
The directive, approved by public service & administration minister Noxolo Kiviet, governs the national framework for the professionalisation of the public sector, which government approved in October 2022.
The framework considers five areas: recruitment and selection; induction and onboarding; planning and performance management; continuous learning and professional development; and career progression, succession planning and managing the career incidents of heads of departments.
In a circular department of public service & administration director-general Yoliswa Makhasi said the directive, effective April 1, was designed to translate the goals of the framework into “practical, measurable actions”.
Makhasi called on government departments to ensure provisions contained in the directive — aimed at improving service delivery in the public sector and jacking up state capacity — were complied with.
The national framework hopes to address consequence management, particularly with regard to mediocrity, unethical behaviour, and corrupt and criminal acts.
Prospective public servants are urged to undertake integrity testing before joining the public service and suitable candidates identified by the selection panel must undergo a “competency assessment prior to being recommended for appointment by the executive authority”. The directive waives experience requirements for entry-level jobs at salary levels 3, 4, 5 and 6.
The directive also aims to advance “meritocratic selection procedures and criteria”.
This is as the DA has blamed the ANC’s cadre deployment policy for decay in the public service. The DA maintains the ANC illegally interferes in appointment processes to ensure its cadres are appointed on the basis of their loyalty rather than merit, skill or experience.
Public Servants Association (PSA) assistant GM Reuben Maleka said the directive would elevate service delivery standards and “instil a culture of excellence and integrity amongst public servants”.
“Investing in the professional development of public servants will lead to improved governance, increased public trust and, ultimately, better outcomes for all citizens,” Maleka said.
National Council of Trade Unions (Nactu) general secretary Narius Moloto said: “Nactu believes this should have been implemented and enforced a long time ago. There is a fear that the government is only taking this seriously at the end of the [sixth] administration. Further concern is to expect quality when the budget is cut. How do you expect quality when budgets are cut?”
Labour federations Cosatu, Fedusa and Saftu did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
In 2021 the department launched the public administration ethics, integrity and disciplinary technical assistance unit to curb corruption and fraud among public servants by implementing norms and standards.
While the unit has no criminal jurisdiction or investigative mandate, it has authority to refer reported corruption and unethical cases to law enforcement entities for investigation.
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