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Institutions supporting public administration
Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI)
The CPSI works through partnerships with other departments and state-owned enterprises, for example, the Department of Education, to enhance the productive capacity of visually impaired educators through providing data-card devices to access teaching materials without the use of Braille.
The CPSI aims to run targeted innovation programmes to support the outcomes of rural development, accelerated service delivery at local government level as well as human settlement.
The eighth annual Public Sector Innovation Awards ceremony was held in November 2010.
The CPSI has received a special award from the United Nations Secretary General for its contribution to global knowledge management by uploading content on a global online network portal on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
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State Information Technology Agency (Sita)
Sita consolidates and coordinates the State's information technology (IT) resources to save costs through scale, to increase delivery capabilities and to improve interoperability.
Sita is committed to government's IT Strategy, which seeks to leverage economies of scale, enhance the interoperability of government systems, ensure system security, eliminate duplication and advance Black Economic Empowerment. The strategic
priorities for 2009 to 2012 are:
- improving financial sustainability
- optimising infrastructure
- extending the service footprint
- modernising public-service operations
- reducing operational costs
- achieving operational excellence
- developing and retaining personnel.
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Government Information Technology Officers' (Gito) Council
The Gito Council advises government on the application of IT to improve service delivery. Its membership consists of the chief information officers from national departments and offices of the premiers. The council has been involved in developing an IT security policy framework, IT procurement guidelines and e-government policy and strategy. It also monitors government IT projects to avoid duplication.
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Public Service Commission (PSC)
The PSC derives its mandate from sections 195 and 196 of the Constitution. The PSC is tasked and empowered to, among other things, investigate, monitor and evaluate the organisation and administration of the Public Service. This mandate entails the evaluation of achievements, or lack thereof of government programmes.
The PSC has an obligation to promote measures that will ensure effective and efficient performance within the Public Service and to promote values and principles of public administration as set out in the Constitution, throughout the Public Service.
The Constitution mandates the commission to:
- promote the values and principles governing public administration
- investigate, monitor and evaluate the organisation and administration, and the personnel practices of the Public Service
- propose measures to ensure effective and efficient performance within the Public Service
- give directions aimed at ensuring that personnel procedures relating to recruitment, transfers promotions and dismissals comply with the constitutionally prescribed values and principles
- report its activities and the performance of its functions, including any findings it may make and to provide an evaluation of the extent to which constitutionally it complied with the prescribed values and principles
- either of its own accord or on receipt of any complaint:
- investigate and evaluate the application of personnel and public-administration practices, and report to the relevant executive authority and legislature
- investigate grievances of employees in the Public Service concerning official acts or omissions, and recommend appropriate remedies
- monitor and investigate adherence to applicable procedures in the Public Service
- advise national and provincial organs of state regarding personnel practices in the Public Service.
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Public Administration Leadership
and Management Academy
Palama (Sesotho for "ascend"), as the public-sector training academy, has a central role to play in building the capacity of the
public sector to perform more effectively. Palama's offerings address the practical management competencies required for improved service delivery in all spheres of government.
Special courses are developed and customised to meet departmental-specific training needs.
In response to government's outcomes-based planning and performance monitoring approach, the academy has identified the following key priorities as part of its contribution towards these outcomes:
- a public-sector cadre development programme
- management and leadership development
- human, financial, project and programme management
- frontline and support-staff training
- M&E training
- ethics, anti-corruption and administrative justice training
- building the capacity of public servants to implement programmes through skills development and deployment to the coal-face of service delivery
- supporting the Local Government Turnaround Strategy through training.
In pursuit of continuous improvement of the quality of training in the Public Service, the academy has developed the Trainer Professional Development Programme aimed at the professionalisation of public-sector trainers. In 2009/10, nine workshops were successfully conducted.
Through Palama's Induction Training Programme, 22 632 employees were trained in 2009/10.
The academy is also partnering with National Treasury for the implementation of the Standard Chart of Accounts to ensure that the principles and methodologies embedded in public-service financial management are internalised and adopted by financial practitioners across government.
The training programme continued into Phase Four of its implementation in 2010/11, having trained up to 4 869 officials across government in 2009/10.
Internationally, the academy has played a meaningful role in capacity-building within some of the African countries. This included training of 25 trainers from francophone African countries.
Source: South Africa Yearbook 2010/11
Editor: D Burger. Government Communication and Information System
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Last modified: 06 June 2011 14:55:17. |
