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2 November 2007

Introduction

The Governance and Administration (G&A) Cluster strives to improve the quality of life of the people by improving governance, the capacity and organisation of the state and its underlying systems. The Cluster's priorities are derived from Government's commitment to improve its service to the people as embodied in the 2004 electoral mandate.

Following the January 2007 Cabinet Lekgotla and the President's State of the Nation Address (SONA) on 9 February 2007, the Cluster developed a Programme of Action (POA) for implementation of the mandate. The Cluster has four priorities:

* promoting good governance;
* strengthening the capacity of the state;
* achieving and maintaining the optimal organisation of the state; and
* developing and enhancing the state's transversal systems.

Government's POA for 2007 was approved by Cabinet on 5 March. The briefing on the first report of the Cluster took place on 10 May. The briefing on the second and third report took place on 3 July and 28 August respectively. This is the briefing on the fourth report for 2007, finalised by Cabinet on 16 October 2007.

Strengthening Governance and Administration is an open-ended process in a transforming society and the more so in a developmental state. This makes it all the more exciting when one can say that we have reached certain milestones or can record significant progress, as I believe is currently the case. Before I go into detail on the POA I would like to point to some of these milestones that we have recently reached or are approaching.

I believe that in years to come we will see the implementation of the Occupation Specific Dispensation (OSDs). The Occupation Specific Dispensation for professionals in the public service as a significant milestone. While this is not specific to the POA, rewarding skill, performance and service is a major building block in our human resource development strategy, in our commitment to retaining and attracting skills and building the skills base of our economy.

While talking of the development of human capital, the massification of the induction programme and the transformation of the South African Management Development Institute (SAMDI) into an academy is one of those milestones that we can see ahead of us, approaching with impressive speed.

In this briefing we will go into what is surely one of the most significant projects of public sector transformation, the Single Public Service, an initiative which will change the way that we as citizens interact with government and the ease with which we are able to access government services.

We have recently seen how in Home Affairs, in the midst of a major turnaround strategy, a department which is too often perceived as dysfunctional, with (audacious) leadership and strong management, the Minister has been able to introduce the Track and Trace system, which is enhancing access to service in that department.

In local government, where the spread and multiplicity of decentralised systems presents its own particular challenges to transformation and acceleration of service, we have seen significant processes start to gather momentum with implementation of the competency framework of senior managers under way in the metros, the implementation of the Municipal Leadership Development Programme (MLDP) and the mainstreaming of hands-on support to municipalities. There are other equally far-reaching initiatives underway which we will go into further.

Single Public Service update

The Single Public Service (SPS) is a flagship project which aims to strengthen the capacity and organisation of the state to enable improved service delivery and development. The tabling of legislation on the Single Public Service next year, together with the development of new policy on provincial government and the review of policy on local government are crucial and interlinked processes, which will provide the way forward for public administration in the fourth term of democratic governance.

In both of these processes Government is keen to consult within public administration and with civil society and the public at large. Government aims to ensure that as many views and inputs as possible are solicited. The Department of Public Service and Administration (the dpsa) is currently engaged in an intensive stakeholder engagement on the draft Single Public Service Bill. The dpsa has engaged with national government structures, Premier's Forums, municipalities and public service and local government unions. An engagement with Nedlac is planned.

To date the following structures have been engaged on the draft Bill:

* Organised Local Government (nine provincial workshops that included: five metros; 36 district councils; 198 municipalities.)
* Provincial Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) Structures: Eastern Cape; Free State; KwaZulu-Natal; Limpopo; Mpumalanga (cluster); Northern Cape and Western Cape (SPS Overview)
* Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature: Office of the Premier's Committee
* Public Service Commission (PSC)
* Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC)
* Joint Federations and Unions (Imatu, SAMWU, Fedusa)
* Imatu
* Western Cape Local Government Municipal Managers Institute
* Local Government Minmec

Future engagements include:

* PSC Workshop (follow up engagement)
* National and provincial departments' workshops
* Round Table with experts
* Remaining provincial IGR Structures
* Nedlac
* Metros and other Local Government Structures on invitation
* National House of Traditional Leaders
* Other stakeholders on invitation

Following this consultation process, a revised draft Bill will be gazetted which will provide a further opportunity for inputs to be provided before tabling in Parliament during the course of next year.

Special report on the Massified Induction Programme

The process for Massified Induction Programme (MIP) curriculum review and development of manuals for levels 1-5 and 6-12 is complete. A total of 207 trainers have been trained as induction facilitators in Provinces. The South African Management Development Institute (SAMDI) has compiled a list consisting of private providers and higher education institutions (HEIs). These providers will constitute additional capacity for national departments but will also assist in provincial rollout where necessary.

The intention of the MIP is to ensure that all 100 000 entrant public servants per year receive a short induction course on the core values of service delivery, Batho Pele, the structure of Government and the South African Developmental state. Rollout is envisaged to take place in early 2008. The following key aspects of planning have been completed:

* Development of a detailed planning model and implementation plan;
* Development of new interactive workbooks, reference manuals and presentation slides;
* Establishment of the project structure for the implementation and support to national departments and provinces; and
* Directors-General have been advised of developments, and asked for their assistance.

The scale of training in provinces and national departments is outlined below:

* 70% of public servants are in provinces: in provincial departments or provincial sites of national departments
* This requires, on average, eight induction training sessions in each province per week, forever.
* They will be delivered equally by departments, by outsourced trainers in departments, or by externally provided sessions co-ordinated by the Academy.

* In national departments, where 30% of public servants are found, there will be an average of seven sessions per year.

The KwaZulu–Natal province has been selected as the pilot site for the MIP. The pilot will start in November 2007 and has three key elements:

* Training trainers in the use of the newly developed interactive manuals;
* Testing the rollout in selected departments with training by SAMDI accredited trainers; and
* Monitoring both levels of training before the final mass-printing of materials.

Special report on Gender and Disability

During the fourth reporting cycle on the POA of government, the G&A Cluster presented a special report on Gender and Disabilities issues in the Public Service. The special report was responding to the Cabinet request to deliberate on the general non-compliance with Gender and Disability Employment Equity Targets in the Public Service.

Gender Issues

The special report indicated that the total number of female employees at all levels in the Public Service is 54.38%. Of the total number of women employees in the Public Service, Black women (African, Asian and Coloured) comprise 87,81% of the women employees while white women comprise 12.19%.

The report also showed that women make up 31,56% of senior management positions, while men constitute 68,44%. This means that for every one woman at the Senior Management System (SMS) level, there are two men in management.

Although challenges remain, government has continuously put measures in place aimed at ensuring that a target of 50 percent of women in Senior Management positions in the Public Service is met by 2009. In the current calendar year for example, the dpsa collaborated with SAMDI in the development of the unit standard for the gender mainstreaming training for the public service. This unit standard has now been accredited by SAQA. This process is part of the fast-tracking of gender mainstreaming within government in general. The institutionalisation of an annual Public Service Women Management Week during national women's month is being undertaken.

During the Senior Management Services Conference in September 2007, women senior managers fully endorsed the notion of the formation of a Women Managers' Forum in individual departments and in the Public Service as a whole. The strategic aim is to highlight commitment at the topmost level towards promoting gender equality in the Public Service and to create the space for women managers to monitor progress in implementation of the 8-Principle Action Plan by their department.

Disability Issues

The report indicated that the number of people with disabilities employed within the Public Service grew at a steady pace of 0,11 percent in March 2002, 0,16 percent in December 2005 and 0,2 percent in June 2007.

Between 2002 and 2007, the number of people with disabilities employed by the Public Service grew at an average rate of 0.09%. This slow pace of growth indicates that, if current trends are to continue, the 2% disability target will not be met by the deadline of 31 March 2010.

Of the total number of 1 172 416 Public Service employees, there are only 736 women with disabilities employed at all levels, compared with 1 207 men with disabilities employed.

In the recent research study conducted by Public Service Commission on Gender Mainstreaming in 2007, the report highlighted that employment of people with disabilities in senior positions in the Public Service is not being addressed appropriately by departments. The figure for males with disabilities in management is 0,1% whereas for females it is 0,06%.

In attempting to address this challenge, Cabinet adopted the JobACCESS Strategy as a Public Service initiative to fast track achievement of employment equity targets in respect of disability by 31 March 2010.

The JobACCESS Strategic Framework is premised on the need to urgently develop and skill people with disabilities in order to enhance their employability in the Public Service. It further encourages departments to have at least 2% learners with disabilities in their learnership programmes. In addition, mentoring and coaching are some of the other measures designed to enhance employment of people with disabilities.

The JobACCESS Strategy also advocates the forging of partnerships with disabled people's organisation, institutions of higher learning, and schools for learners with disabilities, to provide a wider pool from which to recruit people with disabilities.

Furthermore, the strategy strongly encourages departments to appoint dedicated Disability Focal Persons to advance mainstreaming of disability issues in the workplace. It includes a draft Handbook on Reasonable Accommodation and Accessibility for people with disabilities in the workplace. This Handbook provides guidelines to government agencies to enhance accessibility into built-environments, accommodation in terms of workspace, assistive devices and adequate ergonomics for people with disabilities.

Progress Report for September – October 2007

Good Governance

Anti-corruption

The Local Government Anti-Corruption Strategy (LGAC) was developed for implementation in all 283 municipalities. The Strategy was launched nationally in October 2006, and the roll out to provinces has commenced in Western Cape, Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape and North West. The strategy was also implemented in 11 of the 27 identified district municipalities, focusing on the following areas:

i. Procurement processes
ii. Employment practices
iii. Housing
iv. Financial Management.

A process is underway to roll out this support to the remaining district municipalities. Furthermore, a Local Government Anti Corruption Communication Strategy is also being finalised with the view to manage negative perceptions of corruption in these identified district municipalities.

Gender and disability

The Head of Department's (HOD) Eight Principle Action Plan for promoting women's empowerment and gender equality in the Public Service workplace was launched in August 2007. Indicators for the social audit and barriers analysis have been developed. A Draft Handbook on Accessibility and Reasonable Accommodation has been finalised in order to offer guidance to departments.

Batho Pele

A target to train three officials from each of the 100 municipalities has been set for 2007/08 financial year. As of 22 September 2007 a total of 650 officials from 225 municipalities had been trained.

Public participation

The Imbizo database has been provided to co-ordinators in Mpumalanga, North West and Limpopo. The Deputy President's Imbizo programme in Limpopo took place from 26 to 28 October 2007.

98% of ward committees have been established. A training programme aimed at enhancing the functionality of ward committees has been designed was launched on the 29 October 2007.

Capacity of the State

The Local Government Strategic Agenda was adopted by Cabinet in 2006 with the purpose of facilitating government-wide support to municipalities. The following section highlights some of the key interventions undertaken during this reporting cycle.

Integrated Development Planning

There was a 100% credible Integrated Development Plan (IDP) adoption rate for the 2006/07 financial year, for the first time since 2001. However, sector involvement in municipal planning and the alignment of national, provincial and local plans remains a challenge.

In response to this challenge, the Department of Provincial and Local Government (dplg) developed a Master Sector Plan Guide and an IDP Format Guide. The Master Sector Plan will assist municipalities to develop spatially focused infrastructure and municipal support plan. The Departments of Water Affairs & Forestry, Environmental Affairs & Tourism, Minerals & Energy and Transport are utilising the Guide to facilitate the finalisation of their Plans.

The IDP Format Guide will assist district, local and metro municipalities in the structuring of their IDPs. The Guide will be distributed through the provincial development planning forums for implementation by municipalities. The Department of Provincial and Local Government will prioritise targeted support in the Eastern Cape, Free State, Mpumalanga and North West provinces. The areas of focus will include support in the spatial development frameworks and land use management, monitoring the planning to expenditure, as well as providing hands-on support together with national sector departments.

With respect to the intergovernmental alignment of development planning the National Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP) pilot project has been extended to a further 10 District Municipalities and further extensions will commence in November.

Local Government Transformation:

Capacity building

All six Metropolitan municipalities have adopted and started implementing the competency framework for senior managers in municipalities. Information sessions have been conducted in 30 district municipalities in seven provinces in preparation for implementation.

The draft Local Government Skills Audit Tool has been piloted in two municipalities. A discussion document towards a National Training and Development Strategy for Local Government has been shared with seven provinces.

The development of leadership skills at local government level is ongoing, with 2 municipalities currently completing the remaining Municipal Leadership Development (MLDP) skills programmes. These programmes are focusing on problem solving and analytical thinking as well as Communal Knowledge Management.

Provinces are in the process of verifying the results of the Performance Management Systems (PMS) Audit that was conducted. Municipal PMS support plans and budgets have been developed by Gauteng, Limpopo, North West and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.

Mainstreaming Hands-on Support to municipalities

A draft deployment framework is in place and being consulted on with relevant partners and deploying organisations. Ongoing mobilisation of stakeholders to provide hands-on-support is taking place. Valuable capacity building is taking place at local level.

Monitoring and Evaluation

We are also improving our institutional capacity on monitoring, reporting and evaluation to ensure effective implementation of the 5 Year Local Government Strategic Agenda. To date, 8 out of 9 Offices of the Premier (OTPs) have established Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) units, with the Northern Cape province still outstanding. 5 out of 9 Provincial Departments of Local Government (DLGs) have established M&E units, with Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape and North West provinces still outstanding.

Intergovernmental Relations and the policy review process

The revised Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) Indicators measure the conduct of IGR across the three spheres. They focus on institutional and structural arrangements, compliance with the legal and policy environment, and a range of management and leadership programme areas. These indicators have been completed and will be gazetted by December 2007.

The high level IGR report consists of a central review of the policy and legislative framework for IGR, which places in context the six accompanying case studies that focus on the practice and conduct of IGR. This is nearing completion and will be distributed to intergovernmental structures (PCC and MinMEC) for consultative purposes prior to submission to Parliament in March 2008.

The Local Government Laws Amendment Bill has been passed in the National Assembly (25 October 2007) and has been introduced in the Select Committee in the National Council of Provinces. This Bill deals with amendments to local government legislation in addressing the repeal of old order legislation, improving planning and budgeting for purposes of service delivery, enhancing the performance management system, dealing decisively with potential incidents of corruption in procurement processes, and relief to ratepayers and consumers. In regard to property rating, formal consultations on the policy proposals will inform the Regulations on Municipal Differential Rating of various property categories. These differential ratings apply to different property categories such as agriculture, commerce and industry.

The first phase of the policy process on the system of provincial and local government has been completed, which involves the submission of public comment on the 65 policy questions. The next phase will entail the release of a Green Paper on Provincial Government and a discussion document on Local Government. The public engagement on these documents will culminate in the release on the White Paper on Provincial Government and an assessment report on Local Government, which will provide concrete recommendations and options on strengthening our governance arrangement.

Skills development

The job profiles for 20 departments related to the Organising Framework of Occupations (OFO) have been developed and all aspects of job profiling for phase 1 are completed. The experience and qualifications of employees in government departments is profiled.

Skills audits have been conducted in two municipalities as part of the development and appropriate utilisation of the local government skills database.

The draft Leadership Development Management Strategic Framework was launched during the Senior Management Service (SMS) conference for consultation.

A draft Human Resource Development (HRD) Strategic Framework has been finalised and submitted for approval. A pilot project is underway in the Gauteng Dept of Sport and Recreation on the development of an HRD Implementation Plan. The launch of HRD Strategy is planned for November 2007.

Capacity Building

A desktop report on the current SMS-level capacity building programmes for the public service has been completed. This report will be supplemented with information gathered through a questionnaire and interviews with higher education institutions (HEIs).

Following consultations with union representatives, a match and place process of staff into the new Academy organogram is underway. Mid-term financing was received for the new infrastructure and the move of the Academy to new premises.

A total of 110 employees were nominated to enrol for the Accelerated Development Programme (ADP) in August 2006 and 77 of them have graduated to the Executive Phase which has commenced and will be completed in the next financial year.

A total of 1414 officials from national and provincial departments and 1517 from municipalities have been trained on Supply Chain Management (SCM). The Senior Managers at SAMDI are piloting the e-Learning Programme for Bid Committees which was finalised by 31 August 2007.

16 training sessions on Anti-corruption were delivered to government departments including additional training for Investigators in Limpopo. The material design framework for the Gender Mainstreaming training programme has been completed. A total of 18 municipalities (versus the target of ten) from all nine provinces have been trained on Disability Management.

Macro Organisation of the State

Single Public Service

The Cabinet Lekgotla approved that consultations on the Single Public Service draft Bill should proceed. A detailed stakeholder engagement strategy and activity plan was developed. Consultations with unions, municipalities and other stakeholders are underway.

The proposal on common norms and standards for Human Resource Management and Development (HRM&D) for the Single Public Service project was completed by August 2007. A report was presented to the project steering committee on 10 September and further comments have been requested from South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and department of Provincial and Local Government (dplg).

The service providers to investigate costing scenarios for the Single Public Service have been appointed and work has commenced. The different work streams such as Remuneration, Pension and Medical have also commenced with their work.

Integrated Service Delivery

The service standards developed as part of the implementation of the Access Strategy have been completed and will be presented at the Gauteng Intersectoral Steering Committee for alignment with department-specific service standards.

Empowerment workshops were completed in three provinces as part of deepening and broadening the conceptualisation and implementation of the Community Development Workers (CDWs) programme. A roundtable discussion on the role of CDWs in stimulating local economic development was held.

E-Government projects

A process to appoint a business solution architect to assist in developing detailed User Requirement Specifications for the Citizen Relations Portal (CRP) is underway. DPSA is in the process of establishing internal capacity to manage and administer the CRP system.

The priority applications for the "Who Am I Online" project have been identified and will be approved by the management of the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). The hardware upgrade for the Passport Systems Hardware project is still ongoing for all 110 DHA offices.

Home Affairs e-Government projects

Track & Trace Rollout

All offices have been installed with the Track & Trace equipment. The implementation started on the 19 February 2007. Scanners and receipt slip printers were successfully rolled out to 254 of 259 offices. Rollout of this equipment will be finalised by the end of November 2007. To date, 1249 front line staff have been trained in customer service procedures and further training will be provided to 427 additional staff in the frontline office. To enhance the effectiveness of the existing Client Service Centre, the Department will implement a Contact Centre, which will deal with all enquiries and service delivery complaints which can be resolved on the first call. The Client Service Centre will deal with cases which cannot be resolved through a single call.

Identity document distribution

The Department has investigated the various modes of postage in relation to the following dimensions:

* Postage of application forms from front offices to head office
* Postage of enabling documents from the head office to front offices
* Postage of uncollected enabling documents from front offices to serviceable postal addresses

The Department previously signed a service level agreement (SLA) with the South African Post Office (SAPO) for the distribution of uncollected enabling documents from front offices to serviceable addresses. The SLA was to be revised during 2007 in order to include secure mail delivery options. This review process was however expanded to include all three dimensions of postage engaged by the Department. Direct postage of identity documents to postal addresses was discontinued with effect from June 2007.

As a result of these challenges, the Department has decided to appoint a single service provider to provide secure and fast postal services in order to improve turnaround times and ensure secure delivery of applications and enabling documents. The single service provider will commence its operations by the end of November 2007.

ID Smart card

A review of all IT projects is underway, including the possible implementation of ID cards. A Request for Information (RFI) was developed to obtain information in relation to the status of technology, costs of producing the ID card, capability of producing the ID card internally versus externally and developing a logistical strategy. It is anticipated that the RFI will be published by mid November 2007. A report will be made to political principals by January 2008.

New passport system

The Department will receive a new passport printing system during June 2008. The new printing system will be commissioned during December 2008. The implementation plan for the replacement of the old Coat of Arms in SA passports with the new Coat of Arms was implemented as from 1 November 2007.

Online fingerprint verification

Online verification has been piloted at four front offices in Tshwane, Polokwane, and Durban and Mthatha. This pilot was a proof of concept and was successful. However, the technology currently in use is closed to a single technology vendor. The Department wants to have an open system to procure technology via the open market. The Department has decided to discontinue with NAMITEC technology. As a result, there will be a rollout of a refugee online verification system during January 2008. The two pilots will run parallel to ensure that the Department does not duplicate efforts and introduce a single system that interfaces with the automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS). The Department has since awarded a tender for the implementation of the “who am I online” system, and online verification technology will be implemented through this tender as a quick win. Full scale rollout is planned to commence during January 2008 along with revised ID processes.

Transversal handing over of records to Namibia

The Minister of Home Affairs, Ms Mapisa-Nqakula, signed an agreement with her counterpart relating to the transfer of records to Namibia. Although records were previously handed over in 2000 and 2004, during 2005 the Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration of Namibia indicated that there were further records remaining in South Africa. It was established that these were:

* Marriage records from early 1930s to the 1970s
* Birth, marriage and death records from 1972 to 1978
* Records of marriages in Walvis Bay from after independence in 1990 but before integration into Namibia in 1994

In terms of the agreement entered into between the two countries South Africa agreed to search for, and transfer the remaining records. Records remain confidential and South Africa has made copies of all documents. Although the originals are now in Namibia, South Africa will be able to have access to the records when necessary.

An agreement was signed by the Ministers of Home Affairs (RSA) and Home Affairs & Immigration Namibia on the 30th of October 2007. The handover of records to the Namibian Government took place on the 30th of October 2007, during the State visit by President Mbeki. More than twenty thousand records were drawn from South African archives. 3 452 records were for births, 2 799 were for marriages and 14 873 were for deaths. Although the handing over of the records marks the closing of a chapter in the history of both countries, the excellent cooperation between officials in concluding and implementing the agreement, as well as the recent opening of two new border posts in tourist areas bodes well for future projects relating to immigration and civic services.

Transversal Systems

Integrated Planning

The extension of the National Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP) to a further 10 District Municipalities has commenced. Six districts are procuring service providers and will commence with fieldwork research in October 2007, while the remaining municipalities will commence in November 2007. The copies of the NSDP were distributed.

There has been a 100% credible Integrated Development Plan (IDP) adoption rate for 2006/07 financial year.

Monitoring and Evaluation

The Government Wide Monitoring and Evaluation (GWME) Framework is being finalised. The last GWME task team meeting agreed that the Task Team would become a Co-ordinating Forum and a proposal will be tabled to principals at Presidency and DPSA.

The 3rd cycle of POA reporting went smoothly and the 4th cycle was initiated on 14 September 2007. The testing for the automation of the 5th cycle was conducted on 15 October 2007 and the POA team is embarking on an exercise of a qualitative assessment of POA activities from 2006.

The project on the publication of mid-term review based on high-level development indicators has been completed. Copies have been distributed at both national and provincial departments as well as libraries and academic institutions. The revised publication is currently on the gov.za website

In terms of building the capacity for GWME, 22 workshops were conducted on M&E for programmes and projects for 504 officials in all provinces. A questionnaire has been prepared for the baseline study on training needs and a report on the provision of M&E programmes by HEIs and other providers has been completed.

Reports on the review of registers of Department of Education (DoE) are underway, and the refinement of Compendium indicators is complete. The final version of SA Statistical Quality Assessment Framework document is due for signing off by the Statistician General.

Issued by: Department of Public Service and Administration
2 November 2007