Date: 12/05/2006
Source: Department of Public Service and Administration
Title: Fraser-Moleketi: Update of Programme of Action - May 2006
Minister of Public Service and Administration GJ Fraser-Moleketi on Governance and Administration Cluster
This briefing provides information regarding the progress made in the implementation of Government’s Programme of Action (POA) for 2006. This briefing is the first report for 2006. This report was presented to the Governance and Administration (G&A) Cabinet Committee on 25 April and was approved by Cabinet on 3 May. Major areas of reporting include the capacity assessments, Batho Pele, Local Government Transformation and the African Peer Review Mechanism.
The G&A has retained the three broad priorities of 2005:
1. capability needs for the developmental state
2. macro-organisation of the state
3. planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation.
Capability needs for the developmental state
Capacity assessments
The January Cabinet Lekgotla considered capacity assessments of five sectors/departments (Health, Education, Justice, Trade and Industry, and Housing). The G&A Cluster formed a task team on capacity assessments, which met on the 28 February. Representatives from the sector departments and the Department of Public Service and Administration (dpsa) were identified for each programme and project. Subsequently project teams and sector programme teams have met, and project plans have been developed.
In the health and education sectors, a plan of action has been prepared for the development of a targeted training programme for hospital Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and the re-opening of nurses’ training colleges. Joint meetings between the co-ordinators from the Department of Education and the dpsa were held on 28 March and 13 April. Frameworks for districts, principals and staffing norms have been developed and will be work-shopped with provincial education departments in mid-May. The work has built on work done by the Public Service Commission and the Department of Education.
With regard to the justice sector, a joint task team of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ & CD), the National Prosecuting Authority, National Treasury and the dpsa has been established to investigate and make recommendations on the remuneration of legally qualified personnel.
A web-based questionnaire has been developed on critical skills in the Department of Trade and Industry. The project on assessing capacity to implement Accelerated Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa (AsgiSA) has been scoped and focus areas identified. A literature study has commenced.
With regard to housing, service providers are currently conducting the mapping of the housing delivery process. Concurrently, a similar exercise is being conducted in KwaZulu-Natal to map provincial processes. The proposed structure of the Housing Department is being job-evaluated. Alignment of the structure to the service delivery model will take place when the service delivery model is finalised.
The amendment to the Public Service Regulations, which will require consultation with the Minister for the Public Service and Administration before a new organisational structure may be implemented, has been published in the Government Gazette. This will come into effect in July this year.
Work is ongoing to implement the projects that were initiated following the ministerial visit to India in December last year. A skills database (management information system (MIS)) has been developed as part of a pilot which has been initiated in three departments (the dti, DoJ & CD and dpsa). Input information has been collected from departments and the MIS has been populated with Persal information. Templates have been designed to compile the departments’ profile and critical skills have been analysed. The pilot project is now in its final stage of implementation.
Human resource management interventions
During February the Minister issued a directive to establish the sustainable pools scheme, an initiative designed to offer accelerated development opportunities to middle managers with the aim of creating a pool of middle managers suitable for appointment in the Senior Management Service. Three provinces (KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape) and two national departments (the dti and Home Affairs) have been approached to participate in the project.
Two programmes aimed at promoting the employment of disabled people and empowerment of women in the public service – the Job ACCESS strategy (2006-2010) and the Public Service Gender and Governance Plan of Action for Gender Empowerment (2005-2015) – have been initiated.
The review of the Senior Management Service has been completed and will be submitted to Cabinet soon. A Public Sector Personnel Expenditure Review (PER) is underway. As part of the research, a programme of interviews with a sample of departments, municipalities and public entities has commenced to do a qualitative analysis of the remuneration and related practices in these institutions. Flowing from the work on the PER, a public sector remuneration policy will be developed.
Anti-corruption
A portion of the budget allocated to the National Anti-Corruption Programme (NAP) has been transferred to the budget of the National Anti-corruption Forum (NACF) secretariat for the implementation of NAP projects. One of the projects, the development of guidelines on the application of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, has been completed.
South Africa will be hosting Global Forum V (GFV) on Fighting Corruption and Safeguarding Integrity in April 2007. In preparation inter-departmental organising committees dealing with content, logistics and security have been convened. The international organising committee has also been convened. During November this year the second Pan African Meeting of National Anti-Corruption bodies will take place. The meeting will be an opportunity for Africa to discuss issues the continent wants to raise at the global forum V. Efforts are being made to achieve a distinctly African orientation for GFV.
Macro-organisation of the state
The process of creating a Single Public Service covering all spheres of government is underway. A policy framework on the governance of public entities has been developed. The policy framework will form the basis for the development of legislation regulating public entities. Units are being established in the dpsa and the National Treasury to implement the policy framework.
Integrated service delivery
The e-Government Programme is in the final stages of consultation. The Gateway portal has been translated into seven languages.
All nine provinces are employing successful Community Development Worker (CDW) learner graduates into the public service. A total of 1 039 have been deployed fulltime in provincial departments of local government. Management structures within provinces are also being strengthened.
Batho Pele
The Batho Pele revitalisation campaign is a wide-ranging programme covering change management training, learning networks, the annual African Public Service Day and Public Service week events, unannounced visits by Ministers to service delivery points and the Khaedu project aimed to give SMS members exposure to the coalface. The programme is managed by the dpsa with the participation of all departments.
The rollout of the Batho Pele Change Management Engagement Programme is yielding results; in Limpopo alone over 400 people have been trained. The rollout to Local Government is starting this month.
Guidelines on the establishment of Batho Pele Forums were discussed in February.
November will be dedicated as service delivery month during which provinces will celebrate Public Service Week (PSW).
The 2006 Africa Public Service Day (APSD) is to be held on 23 June with a greater participation form Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. The proposed theme for Africa Public Service Day (APSD) 2006 is “Building an ethical public service for improved service delivery in Africa - Towards a proficient, accountable and responsive public service.” The United Nations has expressed an interest to link up with us.
To date close to 300 SMS Members have participated in the Khaedu Action Learning Programme, aimed at exposing Senior Management Service (SMS) members to the service delivery coalface. Khaedu was used as an integral part of DPSA's Service Delivery Turnaround Programme in KwaZulu-Natal to address issues of leadership and management development. Deployment of those SMS Members who were enrolled between January and March this year commenced last month and will be completed soon.
Participatory governance
A National Imbizo Focus Week was held between 6 and 13 April. Over 200 events took place throughout the country. Thirteen Ministers and 11 Deputy Ministers participated in the Imbizo events. Most events involved broad community participation. The Presidential Municipal Imbizo Programme, in alignment with Project Consolidate, resumes from the end of April and will covering 10 to 15 districts during the year. It should also be noted that guidelines are been developed to align and institutionalise the izimbizo programme with the Integrated Development Planning engagement process and the planned provincial Growth and Development Summits in 2006.
In implementing the system of ward committees, all provinces have advertised section 12 notices. Five provinces have been trained on community-based planning. The first phase of community-based planning has been implemented. Accredited service providers have been trained by the Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) on the assessment of the Ward Training Programme. Verification of training material has commenced.
Planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation
Integrated planning
Work is continuing on the harmonisation of the National Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP), Provincial Growth and Development Strategies (PGDSs) and Integrated Development Plans (IDPs). The Forum of South African Directors-General (FOSAD) will consider the updated NSDP prior to the July Lekgotla. Discussions have been held with the provincial governments of Gauteng, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal as well as the Tshwane Metro and the Nkangala District as possible pilot sites for applying the NSDP.
Mainstream hands-on support to local government to improve municipal governance, performance and accountability
An important milestone for the country in the first quarter was the successful local government elections held on 1 March 2006, which saw 48,4% of registered voters going to vote. We now have over 9 000 elected municipal councillors that will require systematic and targeted support form national and provincial government. We have made an assessment of the key public and community issues that characterised the media prior to the elections and how these will need to be addressed post the election.
At the Extended Cabinet Lekgotla in January 2006, three strategic priorities were adopted for local government for the current term, i.e. 2006 – 2011:
* mainstreaming hands-on support to local government to improve municipal governance, performance and accountability
* addressing the structure and governance arrangements of the state to better strengthen, support and monitor local government performance
* refining and strengthening the policy, regulatory and fiscal environment for local government and giving greater attention to the enforcement measures. Over the first quarter work has advanced across each of these three areas. National and provincial government departments are in the process of preparing specific plans to support local government in each of the five key performance areas for local government. These plans will result in a consolidated national implementation plan to support local government, which will be presented to the July Cabinet Lekgotla this year. This work is co-ordinated nationally by the Department of Provincial and Local Government.
A key area of strategic support to local government in 2006 is that of the integrated development planning process. In April 2006 a national analysis was undertaken of all draft Integrated Development Plans (IDPs), with all provinces and key national sector departments participating. Almost 80% of the drafts IDPs were assessed and measures to strengthen them before adoption by councils were identified. Currently intergovernmental engagements with all municipalities in each of the nine provinces are underway. The purpose is providing specific feedback from national and national government to each municipality regarding their draft IDP. The process is on track to produce more credible IDPs by the deadline in June.
The Project Consolidate municipalities will continue to receive focussed attention and support from national and provincial government. Some of the actions undertaken in the last quarter include the convening of a successful national workshop with approximately 1 000 engineers in March 2006. A key purpose of this workshop was to make them aware of government’s municipal infrastructure programme and how they can provide support. Work is underway to deploy the next tranche of Service Delivery Facilitators (SDFs) to Project Consolidate municipalities. The deployments will target the former cross-boundary municipalities, those where Presidential izimbizo were convened and the urban and rural nodal municipalities. These SDFs will be drawn from, amongst others, the DBSA support initiative (Siyenza Manje) and dpsa’s Project Khaedu.
As part of government’s intention to roll-out an unprecedented capacity building and support to municipalities the Department of Provincial and Local Government (dplg) and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) held national training and induction programmes for local government councillors over the month of April. Linked to this a Municipal Leadership Development (MLD) Programme at certificate level has been developed and registered for councillors and senior local government officials. This pilot programme will be rolled-out later in the year. It should also be noted that the first national conference with mayors is planned for 25 May 2006.
An important area of support to local government is to strengthen their performance management systems. In this regard, work on the Local Government Competency Framework is advanced. The intention is to finalise this work by July and issue human resource management regulations for all municipalities. It has also been decided that the all performance contracts of Municipal Managers should be re-negotiated by 1 July 2006. These must be informed by the new IDPs. A generic performance contract will be made available by 30 May 2006.
As part of the initiative to mainstream hands-on support to municipalities, government has proceeded to give targeted attention and support to former cross-boundary municipalities. Implementation protocols have been concluded between all the affected provinces. The intention is to ensure that service delivery is not affected and all transitional matters are attended to. The Offices of the Premier will co-ordinate the finalisation of the audits for the transfer assets, staff and other related matters in these affected municipalities. The Local Government Equitable Share has been amended to take into account the disestablished cross-boundary municipalities. Government is undertaking all the necessary planning to ensure that we remain on course to meet our targets regarding the eradication of the bucket system, the provision of decent sanitation, potable water, electricity and the Free Basic Services. A plan has been developed to address government’s capacity to plan, spend and implement infrastructure projects. The dplg, together with the Municipal Infrastructure Task Team, is working to ensure that 2007/08 budget motivations are informed by the backlogs as confirmed at provincial and municipal level.
Short-term professionals have been deployed to unblock and support project implementation in targeted municipalities since January 2006. As part of our effort to support municipalities to strengthen their good governance and community participation processes, a Handbook for Ward Committees and the Ward Committee Resource Book was launched on 10 February 2006. Also a Local Government Anti-Corruption Strategy and an implementation plan have been developed. The Strategy is informed by lessons learned over the past two years working with selected municipalities. The strategy focuses on three broad areas; prevention; detection; and investigation.
Address the structure and governance arrangements of the state to better strengthen, support and monitor local government performance.
The second local government strategic priority focuses on addressing the structure and governance arrangements of the state to better strengthen, support and monitor local government performance. In this regard an assessment of the capacity of provincial Departments of Local Government to perform their statutory functions is underway. The intended outcome is a framework for provincial regulation, monitoring and support for local government. A Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework for Project Consolidate has been developed. 54 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been developed for the Project Consolidate programme to track progress. A tracking tool has been installed to also track issues raised during the 2005 Presidential Imbizo programme.
Refining and strengthening the policy, regulatory and fiscal environment for local government and giving greater attention to the enforcement measures.
The third local government strategic priority focuses on refining and strengthening the policy, regulatory and fiscal environment for local government and giving greater attention to the enforcement measures.
A framework on the division of powers and functions across government and devolution of functions to local government is being developed. As part of this work a study on the two-tier system of local government has been completed. Work on a district shared service model for district municipalities has been undertaken and consultations will be undertaken between April and June.
Implement the government-wide monitoring and evaluation (M&E) proposal and implementation plan
A document establishing principles and practices for the government-wide monitoring and evaluation system, including norms and standards, has been drafted and circulated to all stakeholders. A stakeholder conference to deliberate on the draft is planned for June 2006. Road-shows to popularise the proposal and implementation plan for a Government-wide M&E System were held between January and March. 1 200 copies of the proposal and implementation plan have been distributed nationally and provincially.
A Training Strategy for the Government-wide M&E System has been drafted. An M&E Learning Framework has been developed. A programme for a three-day introductory workshop on M&E for programme and project managers has been developed. Plans for the development of four courses targeting various levels of M&E users are underway.
As part of the Government-wide Monitoring and Evaluation System, the oversight role of co-ordinating departments is being implemented through a number of projects including Public Management Watch and the Human Resource Utilisation project. Public Management Watch uses a set of human resource and financial indicators to identify departments facing governance challenges. The first consolidated Report on Human Resource Utilisation is planned for May 2006.
A major programme within M&E is the implementation of the National Statistics System (NSS). The Presidency (Policy Co-ordination and Advisory Services) and Statistics South Africa are collaborating on the development of the Compendium of Development Indicators for the July Lekgotla. The potential of the registers of the Departments of Home Affairs, Education and Health to contribute data for official statistics is being evaluated.
Department of Home Affairs
Mobile units
The deployment of mobile units by the Department of Home Affairs in order to reach the rural areas of our country has led to the uptake of application for birth certificates and IDs and has contributed a largely towards ensuring that those eligible to apply for grants do so without a hindrance.
Capacity
The Department of Home Affairs has appointed nine provincial managers at Chief Director Level to boast capacity at all its service delivery points in the country. We believe appointment of managers in provinces will go a long way in improving the quality of service delivery.
Anti-corruption
The Department will continue to systematically flush out corrupt elements within its ranks in order to make sure that service delivery is not compromised. We will in the near future name and shame people who have been suspended or arrested as a result of corruption related matters.
The Department of Home Affairs is aware that there are people who fake their deaths in order to avoid certain duties and responsibilities. The Department is also aware that false registration of deaths is also instigated by greedy people who collude with hospitals and medical practitioners to claim benefits for insurance and other financial benefits. This is pure corruption and it must be reported to the police. If you know of anybody who indulges in such a corrupt practice, feel free to report it to the nearest Police or the National Anti-Corruption Hotline Number at 0800 701 701.
The Department of Home Affairs has finalised its Corruption and Fraud Prevention Plan whose objectives include encouraging a culture within the Department where all employees, the public and other stakeholders continuously behave ethically in their dealings with, or on behalf of, the Department, improving accountability, efficiency and effective administration within the Department participation especially in the local sphere.
African Peer Review Mechanism
The National Governing Council (NGC) and the Provincial Governing Councils have rolled out the mobilisation and consultation processes through various means including district and sectoral workshops, provincial and national sectoral conferences and community consulations led by CDWs and ward committees.
The draft Country Self-assessment Report (CSAR) and Programme of Action were presented to the second National Consultative Conference on 4 to 5 May 2006.
The conference gave delegates an opportunity to consider the draft Country Self Assessment Report and to check for gaps, suggest additions, and to make inputs on the Programme of Action.
The main result achieved was an overall, high-level commitment to the Report and its contents. There was however an acknowledged that certain additional issues needed to be included and some amendments made.
There was also a very strong acknowledgement of the efforts made by the Governing Council to ensure that the process is inclusive and participatory.
The country review team led by Prof Adebayo Adedeji will visit South Africa in July. The team will be in the country for 2 weeks. The main objective will be to consult with stakeholders and review the accuracy and completeness of the country self-assessment report.
Issued by: Department of Public Service and Administration
12 May 2006
Source: Department of Public Service and Administration
Title: Fraser-Moleketi: Update of Programme of Action - May 2006
Minister of Public Service and Administration GJ Fraser-Moleketi on Governance and Administration Cluster
This briefing provides information regarding the progress made in the implementation of Government’s Programme of Action (POA) for 2006. This briefing is the first report for 2006. This report was presented to the Governance and Administration (G&A) Cabinet Committee on 25 April and was approved by Cabinet on 3 May. Major areas of reporting include the capacity assessments, Batho Pele, Local Government Transformation and the African Peer Review Mechanism.
The G&A has retained the three broad priorities of 2005:
1. capability needs for the developmental state
2. macro-organisation of the state
3. planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation.
Capability needs for the developmental state
Capacity assessments
The January Cabinet Lekgotla considered capacity assessments of five sectors/departments (Health, Education, Justice, Trade and Industry, and Housing). The G&A Cluster formed a task team on capacity assessments, which met on the 28 February. Representatives from the sector departments and the Department of Public Service and Administration (dpsa) were identified for each programme and project. Subsequently project teams and sector programme teams have met, and project plans have been developed.
In the health and education sectors, a plan of action has been prepared for the development of a targeted training programme for hospital Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and the re-opening of nurses’ training colleges. Joint meetings between the co-ordinators from the Department of Education and the dpsa were held on 28 March and 13 April. Frameworks for districts, principals and staffing norms have been developed and will be work-shopped with provincial education departments in mid-May. The work has built on work done by the Public Service Commission and the Department of Education.
With regard to the justice sector, a joint task team of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ & CD), the National Prosecuting Authority, National Treasury and the dpsa has been established to investigate and make recommendations on the remuneration of legally qualified personnel.
A web-based questionnaire has been developed on critical skills in the Department of Trade and Industry. The project on assessing capacity to implement Accelerated Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa (AsgiSA) has been scoped and focus areas identified. A literature study has commenced.
With regard to housing, service providers are currently conducting the mapping of the housing delivery process. Concurrently, a similar exercise is being conducted in KwaZulu-Natal to map provincial processes. The proposed structure of the Housing Department is being job-evaluated. Alignment of the structure to the service delivery model will take place when the service delivery model is finalised.
The amendment to the Public Service Regulations, which will require consultation with the Minister for the Public Service and Administration before a new organisational structure may be implemented, has been published in the Government Gazette. This will come into effect in July this year.
Work is ongoing to implement the projects that were initiated following the ministerial visit to India in December last year. A skills database (management information system (MIS)) has been developed as part of a pilot which has been initiated in three departments (the dti, DoJ & CD and dpsa). Input information has been collected from departments and the MIS has been populated with Persal information. Templates have been designed to compile the departments’ profile and critical skills have been analysed. The pilot project is now in its final stage of implementation.
Human resource management interventions
During February the Minister issued a directive to establish the sustainable pools scheme, an initiative designed to offer accelerated development opportunities to middle managers with the aim of creating a pool of middle managers suitable for appointment in the Senior Management Service. Three provinces (KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape) and two national departments (the dti and Home Affairs) have been approached to participate in the project.
Two programmes aimed at promoting the employment of disabled people and empowerment of women in the public service – the Job ACCESS strategy (2006-2010) and the Public Service Gender and Governance Plan of Action for Gender Empowerment (2005-2015) – have been initiated.
The review of the Senior Management Service has been completed and will be submitted to Cabinet soon. A Public Sector Personnel Expenditure Review (PER) is underway. As part of the research, a programme of interviews with a sample of departments, municipalities and public entities has commenced to do a qualitative analysis of the remuneration and related practices in these institutions. Flowing from the work on the PER, a public sector remuneration policy will be developed.
Anti-corruption
A portion of the budget allocated to the National Anti-Corruption Programme (NAP) has been transferred to the budget of the National Anti-corruption Forum (NACF) secretariat for the implementation of NAP projects. One of the projects, the development of guidelines on the application of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, has been completed.
South Africa will be hosting Global Forum V (GFV) on Fighting Corruption and Safeguarding Integrity in April 2007. In preparation inter-departmental organising committees dealing with content, logistics and security have been convened. The international organising committee has also been convened. During November this year the second Pan African Meeting of National Anti-Corruption bodies will take place. The meeting will be an opportunity for Africa to discuss issues the continent wants to raise at the global forum V. Efforts are being made to achieve a distinctly African orientation for GFV.
Macro-organisation of the state
The process of creating a Single Public Service covering all spheres of government is underway. A policy framework on the governance of public entities has been developed. The policy framework will form the basis for the development of legislation regulating public entities. Units are being established in the dpsa and the National Treasury to implement the policy framework.
Integrated service delivery
The e-Government Programme is in the final stages of consultation. The Gateway portal has been translated into seven languages.
All nine provinces are employing successful Community Development Worker (CDW) learner graduates into the public service. A total of 1 039 have been deployed fulltime in provincial departments of local government. Management structures within provinces are also being strengthened.
Batho Pele
The Batho Pele revitalisation campaign is a wide-ranging programme covering change management training, learning networks, the annual African Public Service Day and Public Service week events, unannounced visits by Ministers to service delivery points and the Khaedu project aimed to give SMS members exposure to the coalface. The programme is managed by the dpsa with the participation of all departments.
The rollout of the Batho Pele Change Management Engagement Programme is yielding results; in Limpopo alone over 400 people have been trained. The rollout to Local Government is starting this month.
Guidelines on the establishment of Batho Pele Forums were discussed in February.
November will be dedicated as service delivery month during which provinces will celebrate Public Service Week (PSW).
The 2006 Africa Public Service Day (APSD) is to be held on 23 June with a greater participation form Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. The proposed theme for Africa Public Service Day (APSD) 2006 is “Building an ethical public service for improved service delivery in Africa - Towards a proficient, accountable and responsive public service.” The United Nations has expressed an interest to link up with us.
To date close to 300 SMS Members have participated in the Khaedu Action Learning Programme, aimed at exposing Senior Management Service (SMS) members to the service delivery coalface. Khaedu was used as an integral part of DPSA's Service Delivery Turnaround Programme in KwaZulu-Natal to address issues of leadership and management development. Deployment of those SMS Members who were enrolled between January and March this year commenced last month and will be completed soon.
Participatory governance
A National Imbizo Focus Week was held between 6 and 13 April. Over 200 events took place throughout the country. Thirteen Ministers and 11 Deputy Ministers participated in the Imbizo events. Most events involved broad community participation. The Presidential Municipal Imbizo Programme, in alignment with Project Consolidate, resumes from the end of April and will covering 10 to 15 districts during the year. It should also be noted that guidelines are been developed to align and institutionalise the izimbizo programme with the Integrated Development Planning engagement process and the planned provincial Growth and Development Summits in 2006.
In implementing the system of ward committees, all provinces have advertised section 12 notices. Five provinces have been trained on community-based planning. The first phase of community-based planning has been implemented. Accredited service providers have been trained by the Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) on the assessment of the Ward Training Programme. Verification of training material has commenced.
Planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation
Integrated planning
Work is continuing on the harmonisation of the National Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP), Provincial Growth and Development Strategies (PGDSs) and Integrated Development Plans (IDPs). The Forum of South African Directors-General (FOSAD) will consider the updated NSDP prior to the July Lekgotla. Discussions have been held with the provincial governments of Gauteng, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal as well as the Tshwane Metro and the Nkangala District as possible pilot sites for applying the NSDP.
Mainstream hands-on support to local government to improve municipal governance, performance and accountability
An important milestone for the country in the first quarter was the successful local government elections held on 1 March 2006, which saw 48,4% of registered voters going to vote. We now have over 9 000 elected municipal councillors that will require systematic and targeted support form national and provincial government. We have made an assessment of the key public and community issues that characterised the media prior to the elections and how these will need to be addressed post the election.
At the Extended Cabinet Lekgotla in January 2006, three strategic priorities were adopted for local government for the current term, i.e. 2006 – 2011:
* mainstreaming hands-on support to local government to improve municipal governance, performance and accountability
* addressing the structure and governance arrangements of the state to better strengthen, support and monitor local government performance
* refining and strengthening the policy, regulatory and fiscal environment for local government and giving greater attention to the enforcement measures. Over the first quarter work has advanced across each of these three areas. National and provincial government departments are in the process of preparing specific plans to support local government in each of the five key performance areas for local government. These plans will result in a consolidated national implementation plan to support local government, which will be presented to the July Cabinet Lekgotla this year. This work is co-ordinated nationally by the Department of Provincial and Local Government.
A key area of strategic support to local government in 2006 is that of the integrated development planning process. In April 2006 a national analysis was undertaken of all draft Integrated Development Plans (IDPs), with all provinces and key national sector departments participating. Almost 80% of the drafts IDPs were assessed and measures to strengthen them before adoption by councils were identified. Currently intergovernmental engagements with all municipalities in each of the nine provinces are underway. The purpose is providing specific feedback from national and national government to each municipality regarding their draft IDP. The process is on track to produce more credible IDPs by the deadline in June.
The Project Consolidate municipalities will continue to receive focussed attention and support from national and provincial government. Some of the actions undertaken in the last quarter include the convening of a successful national workshop with approximately 1 000 engineers in March 2006. A key purpose of this workshop was to make them aware of government’s municipal infrastructure programme and how they can provide support. Work is underway to deploy the next tranche of Service Delivery Facilitators (SDFs) to Project Consolidate municipalities. The deployments will target the former cross-boundary municipalities, those where Presidential izimbizo were convened and the urban and rural nodal municipalities. These SDFs will be drawn from, amongst others, the DBSA support initiative (Siyenza Manje) and dpsa’s Project Khaedu.
As part of government’s intention to roll-out an unprecedented capacity building and support to municipalities the Department of Provincial and Local Government (dplg) and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) held national training and induction programmes for local government councillors over the month of April. Linked to this a Municipal Leadership Development (MLD) Programme at certificate level has been developed and registered for councillors and senior local government officials. This pilot programme will be rolled-out later in the year. It should also be noted that the first national conference with mayors is planned for 25 May 2006.
An important area of support to local government is to strengthen their performance management systems. In this regard, work on the Local Government Competency Framework is advanced. The intention is to finalise this work by July and issue human resource management regulations for all municipalities. It has also been decided that the all performance contracts of Municipal Managers should be re-negotiated by 1 July 2006. These must be informed by the new IDPs. A generic performance contract will be made available by 30 May 2006.
As part of the initiative to mainstream hands-on support to municipalities, government has proceeded to give targeted attention and support to former cross-boundary municipalities. Implementation protocols have been concluded between all the affected provinces. The intention is to ensure that service delivery is not affected and all transitional matters are attended to. The Offices of the Premier will co-ordinate the finalisation of the audits for the transfer assets, staff and other related matters in these affected municipalities. The Local Government Equitable Share has been amended to take into account the disestablished cross-boundary municipalities. Government is undertaking all the necessary planning to ensure that we remain on course to meet our targets regarding the eradication of the bucket system, the provision of decent sanitation, potable water, electricity and the Free Basic Services. A plan has been developed to address government’s capacity to plan, spend and implement infrastructure projects. The dplg, together with the Municipal Infrastructure Task Team, is working to ensure that 2007/08 budget motivations are informed by the backlogs as confirmed at provincial and municipal level.
Short-term professionals have been deployed to unblock and support project implementation in targeted municipalities since January 2006. As part of our effort to support municipalities to strengthen their good governance and community participation processes, a Handbook for Ward Committees and the Ward Committee Resource Book was launched on 10 February 2006. Also a Local Government Anti-Corruption Strategy and an implementation plan have been developed. The Strategy is informed by lessons learned over the past two years working with selected municipalities. The strategy focuses on three broad areas; prevention; detection; and investigation.
Address the structure and governance arrangements of the state to better strengthen, support and monitor local government performance.
The second local government strategic priority focuses on addressing the structure and governance arrangements of the state to better strengthen, support and monitor local government performance. In this regard an assessment of the capacity of provincial Departments of Local Government to perform their statutory functions is underway. The intended outcome is a framework for provincial regulation, monitoring and support for local government. A Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework for Project Consolidate has been developed. 54 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been developed for the Project Consolidate programme to track progress. A tracking tool has been installed to also track issues raised during the 2005 Presidential Imbizo programme.
Refining and strengthening the policy, regulatory and fiscal environment for local government and giving greater attention to the enforcement measures.
The third local government strategic priority focuses on refining and strengthening the policy, regulatory and fiscal environment for local government and giving greater attention to the enforcement measures.
A framework on the division of powers and functions across government and devolution of functions to local government is being developed. As part of this work a study on the two-tier system of local government has been completed. Work on a district shared service model for district municipalities has been undertaken and consultations will be undertaken between April and June.
Implement the government-wide monitoring and evaluation (M&E) proposal and implementation plan
A document establishing principles and practices for the government-wide monitoring and evaluation system, including norms and standards, has been drafted and circulated to all stakeholders. A stakeholder conference to deliberate on the draft is planned for June 2006. Road-shows to popularise the proposal and implementation plan for a Government-wide M&E System were held between January and March. 1 200 copies of the proposal and implementation plan have been distributed nationally and provincially.
A Training Strategy for the Government-wide M&E System has been drafted. An M&E Learning Framework has been developed. A programme for a three-day introductory workshop on M&E for programme and project managers has been developed. Plans for the development of four courses targeting various levels of M&E users are underway.
As part of the Government-wide Monitoring and Evaluation System, the oversight role of co-ordinating departments is being implemented through a number of projects including Public Management Watch and the Human Resource Utilisation project. Public Management Watch uses a set of human resource and financial indicators to identify departments facing governance challenges. The first consolidated Report on Human Resource Utilisation is planned for May 2006.
A major programme within M&E is the implementation of the National Statistics System (NSS). The Presidency (Policy Co-ordination and Advisory Services) and Statistics South Africa are collaborating on the development of the Compendium of Development Indicators for the July Lekgotla. The potential of the registers of the Departments of Home Affairs, Education and Health to contribute data for official statistics is being evaluated.
Department of Home Affairs
Mobile units
The deployment of mobile units by the Department of Home Affairs in order to reach the rural areas of our country has led to the uptake of application for birth certificates and IDs and has contributed a largely towards ensuring that those eligible to apply for grants do so without a hindrance.
Capacity
The Department of Home Affairs has appointed nine provincial managers at Chief Director Level to boast capacity at all its service delivery points in the country. We believe appointment of managers in provinces will go a long way in improving the quality of service delivery.
Anti-corruption
The Department will continue to systematically flush out corrupt elements within its ranks in order to make sure that service delivery is not compromised. We will in the near future name and shame people who have been suspended or arrested as a result of corruption related matters.
The Department of Home Affairs is aware that there are people who fake their deaths in order to avoid certain duties and responsibilities. The Department is also aware that false registration of deaths is also instigated by greedy people who collude with hospitals and medical practitioners to claim benefits for insurance and other financial benefits. This is pure corruption and it must be reported to the police. If you know of anybody who indulges in such a corrupt practice, feel free to report it to the nearest Police or the National Anti-Corruption Hotline Number at 0800 701 701.
The Department of Home Affairs has finalised its Corruption and Fraud Prevention Plan whose objectives include encouraging a culture within the Department where all employees, the public and other stakeholders continuously behave ethically in their dealings with, or on behalf of, the Department, improving accountability, efficiency and effective administration within the Department participation especially in the local sphere.
African Peer Review Mechanism
The National Governing Council (NGC) and the Provincial Governing Councils have rolled out the mobilisation and consultation processes through various means including district and sectoral workshops, provincial and national sectoral conferences and community consulations led by CDWs and ward committees.
The draft Country Self-assessment Report (CSAR) and Programme of Action were presented to the second National Consultative Conference on 4 to 5 May 2006.
The conference gave delegates an opportunity to consider the draft Country Self Assessment Report and to check for gaps, suggest additions, and to make inputs on the Programme of Action.
The main result achieved was an overall, high-level commitment to the Report and its contents. There was however an acknowledged that certain additional issues needed to be included and some amendments made.
There was also a very strong acknowledgement of the efforts made by the Governing Council to ensure that the process is inclusive and participatory.
The country review team led by Prof Adebayo Adedeji will visit South Africa in July. The team will be in the country for 2 weeks. The main objective will be to consult with stakeholders and review the accuracy and completeness of the country self-assessment report.
Issued by: Department of Public Service and Administration
12 May 2006
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