Date: 06/09/2005
Source: Ministry for Public Service and Administration
Title: Fraser-Moleketi: Monitoring and Evaluation media briefing, September 2005
Media Briefing by Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi on Monitoring and Evaluation of Programme of Action: Governance and Administration Cluster
INTRODUCTION
The Government Programme of Action (POA) was posted on the government website on 7 March 2005 and the Governance and Administration (G&A) Cluster reports every two months to the G&A Cabinet Committee.
This briefing reflects the report presented to the G&A Cluster Cabinet Committee on 23 August 2005. Cabinet approved the report on 31 August 2005.
The G&A Cluster has three broad priorities:
(1) Capability needs for the developmental state, which focuses on the capacity of the public service and local government to implement the social and economic objectives of Government, as well as related human resource management issues and anti-corruption;
(2) Macro-organisation of the state; which includes the work on an integrated public sector, intergovernmental relations and integrated service delivery; and
(3) Planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation, which encompasses the alignment of planning, the hands-on engagement with local government “Project Consolidate”, the establishment of a Government-wide monitoring and evaluation framework, statistical capacity and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). This report on progress made with regard to the implementation of the Government Programme of Action can be found on the Government website (http://www.gov.za).
1. CAPABILITY NEEDS FOR THE DEVELOPMENTAL STATE
1.1. Public Service Capacity
The G&A Cluster continues to work on the response to the President’s task in relation to the capacity and organisation of the state. At the July 2005 Cabinet Lekgotla, the G&A Cluster presented the results of a study into the capacity constraints and needs of the housing sector, with a specific focus on the implementation of Sustainable Human Settlements Plan. The Cabinet Lekgotla decided that the G&A Cluster must conduct further sectoral reviews relating to the capacity of the Health, Education and Justice sectors to implement the Government’s social and economic developmental objectives.
A Review of Gender and Disabled Persons Equity in the public service has been prepared and a report will be submitted to Cabinet soon. The report emanates from the President’s undertaking in his State of the Nation Address on 11 February 2005 that a “review of gender balances as well as representation of people with disabilities within the public service” would be conducted.
1.2. Anti-Corruption
The National Anti-Corruption Forum (NACF) is a national structure that brings the public, business and civil society sectors together to further national consensus against corruption. The Programme of Action of the NACF was adopted by all sectors on 24 June 2005. An Implementation Committee has been established and has commenced with its first project on the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act. The project is to develop guidelines on the Act for citizens, public service managers and business managers. It will contain a section explaining the Act in plain language which will be translated into all 11 languages.
1.3. Flow of Skills into the Public Sector
Generic induction programmes for the Senior Management Service (SMS) and levels 1 – 12 have been developed and other short courses based on the learning framework have been finalised. These new programmes will roll out in October and November.
In relation to management development, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) has been contracted to verify unit standards that have been developed, to link these to qualifications and to align them with the SMS competency framework. Public Sector Education and Training Authority (PSETA) has applied for three new qualifications: Public Administration on National Qualifications Framework (NQF) levels 06, 07 and 08. Unit standards will be aligned to these qualifications.
The Middle Management Competency Framework has been circulated to departments for comment. Revised proposals on Sustainable Pools Scheme (a programme aimed at accelerating the development of middle managers with high potential to prepare them for senior management positions) have been submitted to the Ministry of Public Service and Administration.
A first draft report on the comprehensive Mentorship and Coaching Programme has been evaluated. A guide has been developed. A third generation mentorship programme will commence in November 2005.
1.4 Retention of Scarce Skills
A framework has been negotiated in the Public Sector Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) to facilitate the payment of a scarce skills allowance for purposes of retention and recruitment. The Department of Minerals and Energy and Western Cape Departments of Agriculture, Housing and Public Works and Transport have submitted requests to the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) for the payment of scarce skills allowances.
Policy options are being developed in relation to the public service remuneration framework with specific reference to the remuneration of professionals. Departments are reviewing the grading structure of certain occupations, including professionals.
A framework has been developed to introduce non-pensionable incentives to support the deployment of managers in terms of Section 32 of the Public Service Act.
2. MACRO-ORGANISATION OF THE STATE
2.1. Intergovernmental Relations and Integrated Public Sector
The Intergovernmental Relations Framework Bill was promulgated on 15 August 2005 as Act No. 13 of 2005. Legislation for the regulation of local public administration, human resource development and management has been drafted. The Policy Framework for the Administration and Governance of Public Sector Institutions was presented to the G&A Cabinet Committee on 10 August 2005.
An inter-ministerial meeting will be convened and the Policy Framework resubmitted to Cabinet in due course. The work of both the local government and public entities form part of the unified public administration initiative, for which an implementation strategy has been developed.
2.2. Integrated Service Delivery
A further consultation on the e-Government Programme Framework (comprising policy, strategy, architecture and implementation plan) has taken place on 25 – 26 August 2005. The migration of the Batho Pele Gateway Portal to a more robust infrastructure is underway.
Usage of the Portal remains low and communication to promote usage is being intensified. Content management, a study of existing Government websites and an awareness campaign are some of the elements of the programme to enhance Phase One of the Batho Pele Gateway Portal.
The use of the Portal through intermediaries such as Multi-Purpose Community Centres (MPCCs), General Services Counters (GSCs) is being promoted. The Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI) is responsible for the Gateway access strategy rollout, and the Universal Services Agency (USA) is providing the information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure for MPCCs.
Sixty-six MPCCs were operational as at March 2005 in four of the six districts without MPCCs. Planning is underway and MPCCs will be established on identified sites. The adopted Second Generation strategy, which seeks to establish one MPCC per local municipality by 2014, is being implemented. 2.3. Community Development Workers (CDWs) Programme
The Community Development Workers (CDWs) Programme is one of the key strategic Government programmes aimed at promoting public participation and practical democracy at a local level. The CDW Programme began in earnest in 2003, following the President’s announcement in his State of the Nation Address on 14 February 2003.
The broad objective of the CDW Programme is to ensure that service delivery reaches the poor and marginalised communities. These CDWs will serve as a bridge between government and citizens. They shall also serve as conduits between Government and communities, bringing, among other things, information on services, benefits and economic opportunities to communities.
A web page, linked to the DPSA website, has been developed, and is now running, to encourage a wider access to information on the CDW Programme. Together with a video on “A Day in the Life of a CDW”, the web page will be launched on the day of the national launch of the CDW Programme.
Since the CDW Programme commenced, a total of 2 238 fulltime CDWs and CDW learners have been recruited and are active in the programme. Of this number, 1 329 have completed their yearlong learnership programme.
Provinces are currently involved in the process of recruiting a further 920 CDW learners, and this will bring the total of CDWs to 3 158, which will ensure that all municipalities have a substantial number of CDW deployees. Progress made thus far indicates that the initial target of 2 840 CDWs countrywide will be exceeded by March 2006.
Four provinces have thus far launched the CDW Programme: Gauteng, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape. Limpopo and the Northern Cape will be launching the Programme during September 2005. The Programme plays a critical role in enhancing the accessibility of government services.
In March 2005, 29 CDW learners went on a successful study trip to India. A follow-up programme is being considered to ensure the benefits of both South Africa and India’s experiences are shared among a wider audience. 2.4. Batho Pele
The training of fifty-six trainers on the Batho Pele Change Engagement is underway in the Limpopo Province and this will be completed by the end of September 2005. Progress reports on the implementation of nametags, extensions of flexible working hours and signage in departments have been received and a report is being compiled. The Department of Home Affairs has implemented flexible working hours in the spirit of Batho Pele.
Project Khaedu, which exposes senior and middle managers to the challenges of the coalface of service delivery, is also well underway. Three cohorts have been identified for September 2005 in the KwaZulu-Natal Province.
3. PLANNING, IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING AND EVALUATION
3.1. Project Consolidate
The July 2005, Cabinet Lekgotla adopted a number of resolutions aimed at accelerating Project Consolidate under the five Key Performance Areas of local government transformation. The resolutions of the Cabinet Lekgotla and the lessons of the recent Presidential Izimbizo will inform the rollout of additional Presidential Izimbizo and other local launches / Izimbizo on Project Consolidate Programme of Action. A detailed schedule, which will involve Ministers and Deputy Ministers for the remainder of the year 2005, has been developed.
The findings of the Free Basic Services (FBS) Study have been communicated to all the stakeholders at a conference held on 25 – 26 July 2005. The FBS Portal system was also launched at the above-mentioned conference. An indigent policy and implementation guidelines are being finalised. A national pilot on the indigent initiative is scheduled to commence in October 2005.
The review of the equitable share and formula is complete and further work is being done on specifying the development component of the formula.
Municipalities are adapting and implementing economic development strategies which were part of the discussions of the recent Integrated Development Plan (IDP) Hearings, held with all the 47 Districts and 06 Metropolitan Municipalities. Technical and financial resources to support municipal Local Economic Development (LED) have been mobilised. A team of specialists through the national LED Forum will be assigned to support priority municipalities.
At the end of June 2005, 97.2% of the 2004/05 Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) allocation and 7.4% of the 2005/06 allocation had been spent. Households have benefited from the MIG in respect of water (212 828), sanitation (74 245), roads (122 582), storm water (83 593) and solid waste (55 880). A total of 287 655 person days of employment have been created specifically through the use of labour-intensive methods, in relation to the 2004/05 MIG allocation. R135 million was spent on urban nodes and R992 million was spent on rural nodes in the implementation of MIG 2004/05.
The financing protocol in the Urban Renewal and Rural Development nodes has been developed and nodal interventions for clusters have been approved. Nodal-specific projects, aimed at addressing the direct challenges and priorities in the nodes, have been identified to facilitate the operationalisation of the financing protocol. The nodal-specific projects are also being mainstreamed and aligned to Project Consolidate interventions.
A pool of 38 Service Delivery Facilitators (SDFs) has been mobilised from the local government and private sectors. Some of these SDFs have been deployed to various municipalities and have undertaken diagnostic assessments. Processes are in place to address the challenges and gabs identified by the SDFs. A number of national departments have also identified personnel to support Project Consolidate. In addition, representation of national and provincial departments on the steering committees of Project Consolidate has improved.
Work that will culminate in a national Human Resource Audit of Local Government is ongoing. A preliminary skills audit study was undertaken by the Local Government SETA. This is now being augmented by the Department of Provincial and Local Government (DPLG) and Presidential Municipal Imbizo, which is focused on selected Project Consolidate municipalities. This audit will also be verified by a process currently underway of consolidating various local government databases.
3.2. Participatory Governance
The implementation of the Municipal Imbizo Programme is proceeding to reinforce Project Consolidate and will also form part of the National Imbizo Focus Week, which will take place from 1 - 7 October 2005. As part of government's imbizo programme national and provincial officials have undergone training regarding the Imbizo Information Management System.
3.3. Government-wide Monitoring and Evaluation System
Cabinet has approved a proposal for a Government-wide Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) System that will collect, collate, analyse, disseminate and apply information on the progress and impact of programmes in order to ensure transparency and accountability, and promote service delivery improvement, compliance with statutory and other requirements and a learning culture in the public sector.
The Government-wide M&E System will make use of a web-based internet portal onto which institutions will post information and reports. The System will provide the leaders of public institutions with regularly updated information on progress in implementing programmes (in terms of inputs, outputs and outcomes) and periodic information on impact and results. The system will also provide oversight bodies with detailed and current information on governance and administration matters for every public organisation.
The Government-wide M&E System will explicitly promote public participation in governance by providing access to clear, accurate and well-presented updates on progress in government programmes and their impact.
The system will not undertake primary research, but will draw on existing information. A number of existing transverse systems will be utilised, including the Presidency’s system for monitoring and implementation of Government’s Programme of Action, DPSA’s system for assessing human resource utilisation and it’s Public Management Watch. The Treasury will assess value for money, the DPLG will assess service delivery quality and the Public Service Commission (PSC) conducts an annual assessment of public administration.
The Presidency and Statistics South Africa are finalising a compendium of national indicators. The indicators are being developed in five cluster areas: governance and institutional quality; social development and poverty alleviation; economic development and growth; justice, peace and security; and international relations. Each department will provide its strategic plan broken down into programmes and quarterly reports on the achievement of targets. Reports on impact studies for each cluster area will be undertaken at least every five years.
3.4. Strong information base
The capacity of departments to produce statistics that can be declared official will improve departmental data quality and increase the coverage of official statistics. The Departments of Home Affairs, Health and Education have been selected for an official statistics pilot following an audit of eight departments. Terms of reference to develop an implementation plan for each pilot department have been developed.
3.5. African Peer Review Mechanism
The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is a self-monitoring instrument that was acceded to by Member States of the African Union (AU) at the 6th Summit of the Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee of the NEPAD. The purpose of the APRM is to promote the adoption of laws, policies and practices that lead to political stability, high rates of economic growth, sustainable development and continental economic integration. This would be done by sharing experiences and by identifying and promoting good and best practices as well as undertaking interventions to build capacity.
The APR Process entails periodic reviews of the policies and practices being undertaken by participating states to ascertain their progress towards achieving mutually agreed upon goals and compliance to accepted values and standards. The APRM is unique and pioneering in that it encourages African countries to analyse and assess their own progress and performance in the four thematic areas such as Democracy and Political Governance, Economic Governance and Management, Corporate Governance and Socio-Economic Development.
The APRM Secretariat has developed a questionnaire that should be used as a self-assessment tool for the process. This questionnaire serves merely as guide and therefore countries are allowed to adapt the questionnaire to be more relevant to their country specific context. As the questionnaire is the main tool for obtaining inputs from all sectors will be expected to consider the questionnaire and provide a comprehensive input or submission. Sectors are also invited to include areas that are not adequately addressed in the questionnaire. This questionnaire will be made available in the DPLG website.
The practical benefits of the African Peer Review Mechanism will be determined by the level of commitment in participating countries and the effectiveness with which they manage the process.
This makes it very important that a participatory and open approach to implementing the Mechanism be adopted. The approach should build transparency and trust in the pursuit of national development goals.
South Africa recognises the opportunity provided by the APRM to meet its African leadership responsibilities and our approach to its implementation seeks to contribute to setting precedents of good practice. It further provides an opportunity to build national cohesion and encourage national dialogue. South Africa also intends to support the building of African based knowledge and experience in utilising the Peer Review Mechanism. The approach that will be followed will ensure that, while government leads the review process, non-State actors should also champion it so that it is participatory and a broad base of South Africans can own the result.
In view of this, the Focal Point will convene a two-day national conference of all stakeholders on the APRM on 28 - 29 September 2005 in Gauteng. The purpose of the conference is to review the implementation process and consider issues such as representation in the National Peer Review Governing Council and research methodology.
This national conference will be followed by provincial conferences that will be coordinated by the different provinces. The purpose of these provincial conferences is to ensure that local communities and organisations are given space and encouraged to participate in the APR process. The reports emanating from these provincial conferences and the submissions from stakeholders will be used to develop a country assessment report that will be considered in the second national conference that will take place in November 2005.
Issued by: Ministry for Public Service and Administration
6 September 2005
Source: Ministry for Public Service and Administration
Title: Fraser-Moleketi: Monitoring and Evaluation media briefing, September 2005
Media Briefing by Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi on Monitoring and Evaluation of Programme of Action: Governance and Administration Cluster
INTRODUCTION
The Government Programme of Action (POA) was posted on the government website on 7 March 2005 and the Governance and Administration (G&A) Cluster reports every two months to the G&A Cabinet Committee.
This briefing reflects the report presented to the G&A Cluster Cabinet Committee on 23 August 2005. Cabinet approved the report on 31 August 2005.
The G&A Cluster has three broad priorities:
(1) Capability needs for the developmental state, which focuses on the capacity of the public service and local government to implement the social and economic objectives of Government, as well as related human resource management issues and anti-corruption;
(2) Macro-organisation of the state; which includes the work on an integrated public sector, intergovernmental relations and integrated service delivery; and
(3) Planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation, which encompasses the alignment of planning, the hands-on engagement with local government “Project Consolidate”, the establishment of a Government-wide monitoring and evaluation framework, statistical capacity and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). This report on progress made with regard to the implementation of the Government Programme of Action can be found on the Government website (http://www.gov.za).
1. CAPABILITY NEEDS FOR THE DEVELOPMENTAL STATE
1.1. Public Service Capacity
The G&A Cluster continues to work on the response to the President’s task in relation to the capacity and organisation of the state. At the July 2005 Cabinet Lekgotla, the G&A Cluster presented the results of a study into the capacity constraints and needs of the housing sector, with a specific focus on the implementation of Sustainable Human Settlements Plan. The Cabinet Lekgotla decided that the G&A Cluster must conduct further sectoral reviews relating to the capacity of the Health, Education and Justice sectors to implement the Government’s social and economic developmental objectives.
A Review of Gender and Disabled Persons Equity in the public service has been prepared and a report will be submitted to Cabinet soon. The report emanates from the President’s undertaking in his State of the Nation Address on 11 February 2005 that a “review of gender balances as well as representation of people with disabilities within the public service” would be conducted.
1.2. Anti-Corruption
The National Anti-Corruption Forum (NACF) is a national structure that brings the public, business and civil society sectors together to further national consensus against corruption. The Programme of Action of the NACF was adopted by all sectors on 24 June 2005. An Implementation Committee has been established and has commenced with its first project on the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act. The project is to develop guidelines on the Act for citizens, public service managers and business managers. It will contain a section explaining the Act in plain language which will be translated into all 11 languages.
1.3. Flow of Skills into the Public Sector
Generic induction programmes for the Senior Management Service (SMS) and levels 1 – 12 have been developed and other short courses based on the learning framework have been finalised. These new programmes will roll out in October and November.
In relation to management development, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) has been contracted to verify unit standards that have been developed, to link these to qualifications and to align them with the SMS competency framework. Public Sector Education and Training Authority (PSETA) has applied for three new qualifications: Public Administration on National Qualifications Framework (NQF) levels 06, 07 and 08. Unit standards will be aligned to these qualifications.
The Middle Management Competency Framework has been circulated to departments for comment. Revised proposals on Sustainable Pools Scheme (a programme aimed at accelerating the development of middle managers with high potential to prepare them for senior management positions) have been submitted to the Ministry of Public Service and Administration.
A first draft report on the comprehensive Mentorship and Coaching Programme has been evaluated. A guide has been developed. A third generation mentorship programme will commence in November 2005.
1.4 Retention of Scarce Skills
A framework has been negotiated in the Public Sector Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) to facilitate the payment of a scarce skills allowance for purposes of retention and recruitment. The Department of Minerals and Energy and Western Cape Departments of Agriculture, Housing and Public Works and Transport have submitted requests to the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) for the payment of scarce skills allowances.
Policy options are being developed in relation to the public service remuneration framework with specific reference to the remuneration of professionals. Departments are reviewing the grading structure of certain occupations, including professionals.
A framework has been developed to introduce non-pensionable incentives to support the deployment of managers in terms of Section 32 of the Public Service Act.
2. MACRO-ORGANISATION OF THE STATE
2.1. Intergovernmental Relations and Integrated Public Sector
The Intergovernmental Relations Framework Bill was promulgated on 15 August 2005 as Act No. 13 of 2005. Legislation for the regulation of local public administration, human resource development and management has been drafted. The Policy Framework for the Administration and Governance of Public Sector Institutions was presented to the G&A Cabinet Committee on 10 August 2005.
An inter-ministerial meeting will be convened and the Policy Framework resubmitted to Cabinet in due course. The work of both the local government and public entities form part of the unified public administration initiative, for which an implementation strategy has been developed.
2.2. Integrated Service Delivery
A further consultation on the e-Government Programme Framework (comprising policy, strategy, architecture and implementation plan) has taken place on 25 – 26 August 2005. The migration of the Batho Pele Gateway Portal to a more robust infrastructure is underway.
Usage of the Portal remains low and communication to promote usage is being intensified. Content management, a study of existing Government websites and an awareness campaign are some of the elements of the programme to enhance Phase One of the Batho Pele Gateway Portal.
The use of the Portal through intermediaries such as Multi-Purpose Community Centres (MPCCs), General Services Counters (GSCs) is being promoted. The Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI) is responsible for the Gateway access strategy rollout, and the Universal Services Agency (USA) is providing the information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure for MPCCs.
Sixty-six MPCCs were operational as at March 2005 in four of the six districts without MPCCs. Planning is underway and MPCCs will be established on identified sites. The adopted Second Generation strategy, which seeks to establish one MPCC per local municipality by 2014, is being implemented. 2.3. Community Development Workers (CDWs) Programme
The Community Development Workers (CDWs) Programme is one of the key strategic Government programmes aimed at promoting public participation and practical democracy at a local level. The CDW Programme began in earnest in 2003, following the President’s announcement in his State of the Nation Address on 14 February 2003.
The broad objective of the CDW Programme is to ensure that service delivery reaches the poor and marginalised communities. These CDWs will serve as a bridge between government and citizens. They shall also serve as conduits between Government and communities, bringing, among other things, information on services, benefits and economic opportunities to communities.
A web page, linked to the DPSA website, has been developed, and is now running, to encourage a wider access to information on the CDW Programme. Together with a video on “A Day in the Life of a CDW”, the web page will be launched on the day of the national launch of the CDW Programme.
Since the CDW Programme commenced, a total of 2 238 fulltime CDWs and CDW learners have been recruited and are active in the programme. Of this number, 1 329 have completed their yearlong learnership programme.
Provinces are currently involved in the process of recruiting a further 920 CDW learners, and this will bring the total of CDWs to 3 158, which will ensure that all municipalities have a substantial number of CDW deployees. Progress made thus far indicates that the initial target of 2 840 CDWs countrywide will be exceeded by March 2006.
Four provinces have thus far launched the CDW Programme: Gauteng, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape. Limpopo and the Northern Cape will be launching the Programme during September 2005. The Programme plays a critical role in enhancing the accessibility of government services.
In March 2005, 29 CDW learners went on a successful study trip to India. A follow-up programme is being considered to ensure the benefits of both South Africa and India’s experiences are shared among a wider audience. 2.4. Batho Pele
The training of fifty-six trainers on the Batho Pele Change Engagement is underway in the Limpopo Province and this will be completed by the end of September 2005. Progress reports on the implementation of nametags, extensions of flexible working hours and signage in departments have been received and a report is being compiled. The Department of Home Affairs has implemented flexible working hours in the spirit of Batho Pele.
Project Khaedu, which exposes senior and middle managers to the challenges of the coalface of service delivery, is also well underway. Three cohorts have been identified for September 2005 in the KwaZulu-Natal Province.
3. PLANNING, IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING AND EVALUATION
3.1. Project Consolidate
The July 2005, Cabinet Lekgotla adopted a number of resolutions aimed at accelerating Project Consolidate under the five Key Performance Areas of local government transformation. The resolutions of the Cabinet Lekgotla and the lessons of the recent Presidential Izimbizo will inform the rollout of additional Presidential Izimbizo and other local launches / Izimbizo on Project Consolidate Programme of Action. A detailed schedule, which will involve Ministers and Deputy Ministers for the remainder of the year 2005, has been developed.
The findings of the Free Basic Services (FBS) Study have been communicated to all the stakeholders at a conference held on 25 – 26 July 2005. The FBS Portal system was also launched at the above-mentioned conference. An indigent policy and implementation guidelines are being finalised. A national pilot on the indigent initiative is scheduled to commence in October 2005.
The review of the equitable share and formula is complete and further work is being done on specifying the development component of the formula.
Municipalities are adapting and implementing economic development strategies which were part of the discussions of the recent Integrated Development Plan (IDP) Hearings, held with all the 47 Districts and 06 Metropolitan Municipalities. Technical and financial resources to support municipal Local Economic Development (LED) have been mobilised. A team of specialists through the national LED Forum will be assigned to support priority municipalities.
At the end of June 2005, 97.2% of the 2004/05 Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) allocation and 7.4% of the 2005/06 allocation had been spent. Households have benefited from the MIG in respect of water (212 828), sanitation (74 245), roads (122 582), storm water (83 593) and solid waste (55 880). A total of 287 655 person days of employment have been created specifically through the use of labour-intensive methods, in relation to the 2004/05 MIG allocation. R135 million was spent on urban nodes and R992 million was spent on rural nodes in the implementation of MIG 2004/05.
The financing protocol in the Urban Renewal and Rural Development nodes has been developed and nodal interventions for clusters have been approved. Nodal-specific projects, aimed at addressing the direct challenges and priorities in the nodes, have been identified to facilitate the operationalisation of the financing protocol. The nodal-specific projects are also being mainstreamed and aligned to Project Consolidate interventions.
A pool of 38 Service Delivery Facilitators (SDFs) has been mobilised from the local government and private sectors. Some of these SDFs have been deployed to various municipalities and have undertaken diagnostic assessments. Processes are in place to address the challenges and gabs identified by the SDFs. A number of national departments have also identified personnel to support Project Consolidate. In addition, representation of national and provincial departments on the steering committees of Project Consolidate has improved.
Work that will culminate in a national Human Resource Audit of Local Government is ongoing. A preliminary skills audit study was undertaken by the Local Government SETA. This is now being augmented by the Department of Provincial and Local Government (DPLG) and Presidential Municipal Imbizo, which is focused on selected Project Consolidate municipalities. This audit will also be verified by a process currently underway of consolidating various local government databases.
3.2. Participatory Governance
The implementation of the Municipal Imbizo Programme is proceeding to reinforce Project Consolidate and will also form part of the National Imbizo Focus Week, which will take place from 1 - 7 October 2005. As part of government's imbizo programme national and provincial officials have undergone training regarding the Imbizo Information Management System.
3.3. Government-wide Monitoring and Evaluation System
Cabinet has approved a proposal for a Government-wide Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) System that will collect, collate, analyse, disseminate and apply information on the progress and impact of programmes in order to ensure transparency and accountability, and promote service delivery improvement, compliance with statutory and other requirements and a learning culture in the public sector.
The Government-wide M&E System will make use of a web-based internet portal onto which institutions will post information and reports. The System will provide the leaders of public institutions with regularly updated information on progress in implementing programmes (in terms of inputs, outputs and outcomes) and periodic information on impact and results. The system will also provide oversight bodies with detailed and current information on governance and administration matters for every public organisation.
The Government-wide M&E System will explicitly promote public participation in governance by providing access to clear, accurate and well-presented updates on progress in government programmes and their impact.
The system will not undertake primary research, but will draw on existing information. A number of existing transverse systems will be utilised, including the Presidency’s system for monitoring and implementation of Government’s Programme of Action, DPSA’s system for assessing human resource utilisation and it’s Public Management Watch. The Treasury will assess value for money, the DPLG will assess service delivery quality and the Public Service Commission (PSC) conducts an annual assessment of public administration.
The Presidency and Statistics South Africa are finalising a compendium of national indicators. The indicators are being developed in five cluster areas: governance and institutional quality; social development and poverty alleviation; economic development and growth; justice, peace and security; and international relations. Each department will provide its strategic plan broken down into programmes and quarterly reports on the achievement of targets. Reports on impact studies for each cluster area will be undertaken at least every five years.
3.4. Strong information base
The capacity of departments to produce statistics that can be declared official will improve departmental data quality and increase the coverage of official statistics. The Departments of Home Affairs, Health and Education have been selected for an official statistics pilot following an audit of eight departments. Terms of reference to develop an implementation plan for each pilot department have been developed.
3.5. African Peer Review Mechanism
The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is a self-monitoring instrument that was acceded to by Member States of the African Union (AU) at the 6th Summit of the Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee of the NEPAD. The purpose of the APRM is to promote the adoption of laws, policies and practices that lead to political stability, high rates of economic growth, sustainable development and continental economic integration. This would be done by sharing experiences and by identifying and promoting good and best practices as well as undertaking interventions to build capacity.
The APR Process entails periodic reviews of the policies and practices being undertaken by participating states to ascertain their progress towards achieving mutually agreed upon goals and compliance to accepted values and standards. The APRM is unique and pioneering in that it encourages African countries to analyse and assess their own progress and performance in the four thematic areas such as Democracy and Political Governance, Economic Governance and Management, Corporate Governance and Socio-Economic Development.
The APRM Secretariat has developed a questionnaire that should be used as a self-assessment tool for the process. This questionnaire serves merely as guide and therefore countries are allowed to adapt the questionnaire to be more relevant to their country specific context. As the questionnaire is the main tool for obtaining inputs from all sectors will be expected to consider the questionnaire and provide a comprehensive input or submission. Sectors are also invited to include areas that are not adequately addressed in the questionnaire. This questionnaire will be made available in the DPLG website.
The practical benefits of the African Peer Review Mechanism will be determined by the level of commitment in participating countries and the effectiveness with which they manage the process.
This makes it very important that a participatory and open approach to implementing the Mechanism be adopted. The approach should build transparency and trust in the pursuit of national development goals.
South Africa recognises the opportunity provided by the APRM to meet its African leadership responsibilities and our approach to its implementation seeks to contribute to setting precedents of good practice. It further provides an opportunity to build national cohesion and encourage national dialogue. South Africa also intends to support the building of African based knowledge and experience in utilising the Peer Review Mechanism. The approach that will be followed will ensure that, while government leads the review process, non-State actors should also champion it so that it is participatory and a broad base of South Africans can own the result.
In view of this, the Focal Point will convene a two-day national conference of all stakeholders on the APRM on 28 - 29 September 2005 in Gauteng. The purpose of the conference is to review the implementation process and consider issues such as representation in the National Peer Review Governing Council and research methodology.
This national conference will be followed by provincial conferences that will be coordinated by the different provinces. The purpose of these provincial conferences is to ensure that local communities and organisations are given space and encouraged to participate in the APR process. The reports emanating from these provincial conferences and the submissions from stakeholders will be used to develop a country assessment report that will be considered in the second national conference that will take place in November 2005.
Issued by: Ministry for Public Service and Administration
6 September 2005
Advertisement
EMAIL THIS ARTICLE SAVE THIS ARTICLE FEEDBACK
To subscribe email subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za or click here
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
