Date: 20/04/2010
Source: The Department of Public Service and Administration
Title: SA: Baloyi: Budget vote speech by the Public Service and Administration Minister, National Assembly

Greetings and a warm welcome to all members of the media in attendance as I highlight the key issues to be addressed in the Ministry for Public Service and Administration's (MPSA's) 2010 Budget Vote Speech.

The MPSA portfolio is constituted of six institutions which are:
• The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) which is responsible for policy development and enforcement in the pubic service;
• The Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy (PALAMA) advances capacity building for public servants.
• The State Information Technology Agency (SITA), an agency that manages information technology in the public service;
• The Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) which provides membership medical scheme for public service employees;
• The Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI) which initiate projects for the improvement of innovation in the public service; and
• The Public Service Sector Education and Training Authority (PSETA) which is responsible for the coordination of skills development in the public service.

The Public Service Commission (PSC) is an independent oversight body established by the Constitution.

Present at this briefing today to ensure an in-depth engagement and to facilitate follow-up dialogue between the Public Service and Administration Ministry under the leadership of MPSA myself Richard Baloyi, the Deputy Minister for Public Service and Administration, Mr Roy Padayachie; Acting Director-General (DG) for the Department of Public Service and Administration, Mr Kenny Govender; DG of PALAMA, Prof Solly Mollo; Acting CEO of SITA, Ms Ramabele Magoma-Nthite; CEO of GEMS, Dr Eugene Watson; CEO of the CPSI, Ms Thuli Radebe; Acting CEO of PSETA, Ms Busi Nake and the DG of the Office of the Public Service Commission, Mr Mashwahle Diphofa.

Our work as the MPSA over the mid-term period of 2010 - 2014 will be informed by Outcome 12 as adopted at the January 2010 Cabinet Lekgotla which is to ensure "An efficient, effective and development orientated public service and empowered, fair and inclusive citizenship".

Delivering his 2010 State of the Nation address, President Jacob Zuma called 2010 "the year of action" with an emphasis on a government that knows where people live, understands their needs and a government that works faster and smarter. Further priorities as identified by the President of the country have been included in the MPSA's annual performance plan for 2010/11 and include:
· Placing skills development at the centre of government's priorities;
· Building a performance orientated state by improving planning performance monitoring and evaluation;
· Ensuring that government works faster and smarter;
· Setting norms and standards for public servants in all spheres of government; and
· Integrating gender equity measures into Government's Programme of Action.

In response to the Presidential call, the MPSA has committed itself to "doing things differently" to achieve better results and has adopted the following principles and intentions which will guide the implementation of its annual performance plan:
· To strengthen its capacity to offer more support to departments to improve compliance and implementation of policies developed by the MPSA.
· To ensure integration across the portfolio's to maximize the impact of projects and to leverage on the limited financial and human resources with the Ministry.
· To strengthen relationships and collaborations with sister departments with which the DPSA shares a common mandate.
· To conduct evaluations and impact assessments on the implementation of policies and projects and to use outcomes of these evaluations to identify gaps and challenges that will guide the development of future interventions.

Projects and key deliverables for the MPSA for the 2010/11 financial year as aligned to the chosen 10 strategic outputs as a response to realization of Outcome 12 include:

Service Delivery Quality and Access
: The DPSA has developed a Geographic Information System which currently includes maps depicting the geographic location of key service delivery points of the departments. In ensuring access to services and the quality thereof, the MPSA will over this financial year develop a Guideline on Improving Geographic Access to Service Delivery Points.
: The clean-up operation on PERSAL will improve on the integrity of the data that is used in government decision-making. A high powered intervention task team made up of officials from DPSA, SITA, PALAMA and National Treasury will be tasked with the cleaning of the PERSAL data and ensuring that information found in PERSAL is reliable and is of good quality.
: In review of the existing Community Development Workers programme the DPSA has identified the need to re-focus and strengthen the role of CDW's to include other support interventions to communities. The Programme embarked on a review of the CDWP and policy development process in 2009. The aim of this process was to eliminate inconsistencies in the interpretation of the initial guideline documents, and to have a single framework which is legally binding on national, provincial and local stakeholders.
: In order to intensify the implementation and impact of the Batho Pele policy, the MPSA has launched the "Batho Pele Impact assessment" which seeks to strengthen the integrated implementation of Batho Pele and the impact thereof across the three spheres of government. The annual Batho Pele Learning network made up of participation across the three spheres has been replaced by the Batho Pele Impact assessment Network.
: From April 2009 to November 2009, 60 000 Know Your Service Rights booklets were distributed for the justice cluster to the general public through Izimbizo, public participation events, schools, and community development workers. The campaign which raises awareness of citizens on their rights and of public servants on their service responsibilities will during the 2010/11 financial year revise the content of the Social Cluster booklet in line with the changes resulting from the macro-organisation of the state. Currently the DPSA is in partnership discussions with justice cluster departments on the rollout and distribution of copies of the Justice Cluster booklet.

Effective systems, structures and processes
: As part of continuing to ensure that the public service has effective systems, structures and processes in the 2010/11 financial year, the area of discipline in the public service will be tackled with renewed vigour. Mechanisms will be put in place to ensure the most effective application of discipline in the public service this will also include part of the overhauling of the disciplinary system in the public service. Proposals in this regard will be tabled for negotiations with our labour partners in the appropriate bargaining structure of the public service.
: The public management watch is a tool that the DPSA has designed to assist the performance of departments based on identified indicators. Currently, the public management watch has seventeen indicators which are mainly based on HR performance areas. To ensure a more holistic assessment of government the tool will also assess against indicators related to broader public service delivery and improvement projects and track whether government is on course in ensuring a public service that is efficient, effective and development oriented.

Leverage Information Technology as a strategic resource
: Following several national and provincial consultative meetings, agreement was reached on a proposal to develop a prototype of a transversal E-government platform. The platform would be transactional in nature and would automate / E-enable the following six (6) pro-poor services that straddle the Social and Justice Cluster: Application to register birth; Application for an identity document; Application for foster care grant; Application for an old age pension; Applications for a maintenance order; and Application to give notice of death. During 2010/11 financial year, the focus will be to consult with relevant stakeholders such GITOC and security agencies as well as security vulnerability assessments at three national and three provincial departments.
: As part of the ICT Expenditure Review, the DPSA will identify and implement cost saving initiatives in 3 IT categories as well as develop a Standard Chart of Accounts for IT in the public service.
: The DPSA will ensure that the RFQ for alternate connectivity solutions of the remaining sixty (60) Thusong Service Centres without terrestrial Telcom infrastructure has been published, evaluated and awarded, with the process of deploying satellite connectivity to these centres due for completion during 2010. A process to validate equipment deployment and facilitate site signoff is presently being undertaken by SITA.
: As part of modernising government operations, SITA will use ICTs to strengthen the core and support services of the Public Service, working with Departments to develop and implement a set of Next Generation e-Government services and continuing to connect Thusong centres to extend the range of service delivery to citizens. The work to develop and deploy the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) will continue. SITA will assist GITO's use the Government Wide Enterprise Architecture (GWEA) framework to develop Master Systems Plans (MSP's) and identify possible solutions and opportunities for the use of ICTs in Government.

Effective employment entry into Public Service and cadre development
: Minimum annual training days will be set aside for Public Service Cadre Programme. The targeted mandatory training programmes and development will be set as a yard-stick to establish whether or not the Programme is making in-roads. Government will introduce a national integrated public sector training system for government covering the three spheres of government as well as streamlining of the government-wide institutional landscape for public sector training.
: PSETA will during the 2010/11 financial year, provide support to at least 80% of Government departments so that they spend at least 1% of personnel budget on training. PSETA will play a key role in assisting 2 500 learners to achieve ABET Level 4. Two thousand (2 000) learners will also be assisted by PSETA to enter learning programmes and that will ensure that 1 000 learners pass learnerships and apprenticeships.
: Specific interventions to the current regulatory framework will be implemented to improve practices relating to recruitment, appointment and career management. Specific focus will be placed on improving both the quality of appointments and the time it takes to fill critical vacancies. The importance of improving the productivity and performance of the Public Service has also been recognised as critical to improving service delivery in this regard. DPSA will review the current performance management for the Senior Management Service by the end of this financial year.
: The MPSA has already called for entries for the 8th Annual Public Sector Innovation Awards ceremony to be held in November 2010. South Africa through the CPSI and supported by the two co-champions, Egypt and Ghana and the office of the Chairperson of the Ministers for Public/Civil Service Conference (Kenya), is currently implementing the All Africa Public Sector Innovation Awards (AAPSIA) programme on behalf of the 6th Conference of African Ministers for Public/Civil Services.
: The Executive Development Programme (EDP), a Postgraduate Certificate in Executive Leadership, will be customised for local government leadership, and for members of legislatures and parliament. Strategic partnerships with providers and stakeholders, including specifically, alumni of PALAMA, provincial and local government, and management development institutions in Africa, will enable PALAMA to lead in this area.
: PALAMA will work in partnership with relevant stakeholders to advocate the necessity of excellent customer service at the coalface. The accessibility and user-friendliness of the existing programme will be further enhanced by optimal integration of available educational technologies. The programme will also be implemented as part of the local government capacity building programme.
: The accredited Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) courses will be rolled out to all spheres of government. Targeted capacity building programmes will focus on M&E for oversight bodies and M&E managers. Roll out of programme in municipal areas will be done in collaboration with COGTA. Priority will be given to capacity building of trainers in all Provincial Offices including provincial academies and training entities to rollout training in provincial departments. The learning framework will include targeted mentorship, coaching and support on site supported through a virtual discussion forum to ensure workplace application and improved organizational performance.
: PALAMA will design and develop a capacity building programme targeting local government in response to the findings of the CoGTA performance assessment reports. The elements of the capacity building programme will include: Collaborative working relationship with CoGTA to assist the identified municipalities; Training programmes on the identified focus areas and scarce skills; and Mentoring and coaching for targeted groups.
: The 2009 wage negotiations happened against the backdrop of an environment resulting from the outstanding implementation of Resolution 1 of 2007 on the Occupational Specific Dispensation (OSD) agreements. A survey on the 2007 highlighted a number of key lessons which informed the strategy for the 2009 negotiations which was aimed at restoring confidence from labour and to collectively agree on how to implement the outstanding OSDs matters from 2007 onwards.
: During the 2010/11 financial year, focus will be on the consolidation and finalisation of all OSD's as well as dealing with all the challenges that arose out of the implementation of all OSDs. Negotiations on the cost of living adjustment for all public servants will also take place in 2010/11

Healthy, safe working environments for all public servants
: The DPSA will work with relevant departments to increase the percentage of schools and health care facilities that are declared healthy and safe through conducting an integrated health risk assessments to determine the health risks of individual employees, the hazards in their working environment and the necessary controls that need to be in place.
: The department will also develop guidelines on mainstreaming of HIV&AIDS, Gender, Disability and youth development into the Public Service to ensure re-dress a and development oriented public service.
: A key priority for GEMS in 2010/11 will be to expand the scheme's membership and reduce the number of uncovered employees in the public service by reaching a membership base of 550 000 principal members and covering 200 000 public service employees on levels 1 to 5.
: A programme designed to increase enrolment on the GEMS HIV Disease Management Programme will be implemented by Quarter 2 of 2010. GEMS will continue contributing to the activities of South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) relating to the National HIV Strategic Plan via its participation in the development of the DPSA's HIV/AIDS and TB Sector Response Operational Plan.

Ensuring Corruption is tackled effectively
: The MPSA is exploring the establishment of special service delivery unit within the public service which will tackle corruption head-on. The establishment of special service delivery units in government departments is provided for in the Public Service Act. The proposed anti-corruption special service delivery unit will amongst other functions conduct in depth investigative studies to unearth acts of corruption or acts of non-compliance.
: A training programme on Anti-corruption capacity building for general employees has been accredited by PSETA at NQF Level 4. The training programme was piloted in March 2010 and an actual training is scheduled to commence in April 2010. About 920 officials at national and provincial level will be trained in the next financial year.
: The DPSA is working in partnership with PALAMA and funding from the Canadian International Development Agency on an initiative to rollout Minimum Anti-Corruption Capacity NQF level 4 training to all government departments in 2010. PALAMA will develop a second anti-corruption programme on NQF level 5 for practitioners to be rolled out in September 2010. This will include the development of a virtual discussion forum that will facilitate discussions on anti-corruption issues.
: The PSC will publish a Report on Financial Misconduct for the financial year 2009/2010 to assist departments in strengthening risk management, and in formulating responsive fraud prevention plans. In order to establish trends in respect of complaints lodged with the PSC will in 2010/11 conduct an analysis of the number of complaints lodged, their origin, nature and status. The analysis will provide useful information to Parliament, the legislatures, the Executive and Public Service leadership on areas of risk in the Public Service.
: The PSC will continue to perform a secretariat function for the National Anti-Corruption Forum (NACF), a coalition that promotes dialogue and collective action against corruption amongst the different sectors of South African Society. In this regard the PSC will coordinate a project to develop a National Integrity System to further the debate on the promotion of integrity in the Public Service. The PSC has also taken a specific approach in assessing the state of professional ethics in the Public Service. During 2010/11 an assessment of the state of professional ethics in the North West Province will be conducted. The assessment will be repeated in other provinces over the MTEF period.

Contribution towards improved public service and administration in Africa and International arena
: The DPSA will strive to ensure that reactivation of the provincial governance structures is complete; undertake sectoral visits as well as host media re-launch. The DPSA will also launch APRM Institutionalization Framework, host continuous NGC meetings as well as host regional conferences on sharing of best practices and developing a partnership model to facilitate technical exchange and interventions.
: The Regional Capacity Building Trainer Development Programme will be implemented at each of the partner institutions, the Integrated Public Service Training Programme for Senior and Middle Managers will be finalised for training to commence and continued attention will be paid to the establishment of Trainer and Course Management Systems in Rwanda, Burundi and Southern Sudan.

In conclusion, the MPSA 2010 Budget Vote Speech continues to capture the work and projects of the institutions falling within the portfolio focusing on the performance of projects in the past financial year 2009/10 as well as plans and deliverables for the new financial year. The projects and deliverables for all institutions in the portfolio for Public Service and Administration have been designed to respond to the five strategic objectives of the election manifesto of the ruling party as well as outcome 12 on "efficient, effective and development oriented public service".