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"The African Christian Democratic Party is concerned that this department which serves as the country's main artery has a major blockage. Service delivery is dependent on a well trained and competent public service, but regrettably a skills deficit has been in the making for years. While the previous government experimented with risky policies in the name of accelerated transformation, they also ignored the fact that market related salaries are imperative in order to retain and attract necessary skills.

The ACDP calls on Health professionals who have the sympathy of the vast majority of South Africans, to act responsibly and not make the public and their children pay for government's short sightedness. The ACDP expects the Hon Minister, to make urgent and adequate interventions to address the crisis in the health sector.

Having said this, the ACDP recognizes that PALAMA is presently endeavoring to upgrade the skills of a quarter of a million public-service managers and enhance the 'Batho Pele' ethos of service delivery.

We appreciate the enormity of the task which hits home in governments use of words like ‘massifying' signifying a sort of ‘sausage-machine churn-out'. We also note the Academy's goal of five days of training per year as meeting an international benchmark. Is there an international benchmark for monitoring the effectiveness of attitude training?
The ACDP would place an emphasis on the training of trainers; key personnel who could in turn impart the crucial attitudes of stewardship, set service standards and ensure higher levels of courtesy.

Last year, former Minister Fraser-Moleketi said the quality of service delivery plans was not in all instances satisfactory and there was a need to implement plans at the level of service-delivery points like police stations, schools, and hospitals. She said the solution would be ‘sustained hands-on support for departments, coupled with systematic enforcement of the regulations '. Has any allocation been made for on-site problem solving and correction of poor performance?

We notice that the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) funded the Gender Mainstreaming Programme of PALAMA. Considering the enormity of the training task and insufficient funds has government sought help from countries with acclaimed organisation and service delivery?

Former President Mbeki pointed out that while PALAMA is an acronym, it is also a Sesotho word meaning "ascend" or "get on board".