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The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration/Monitoring and Evaluation is disappointed that the Public Service Commission (PSC) in the Free State did little to assist the Committee to perform effective and efficient oversight in the province.

The PSC did not share with the Committee all information and reports generated through performance of their mandate and this impacted directly on the programme of the Committee 

“The Committee generated a programme for the oversight based on what now appears to be a thin report from the PSC that does not sufficiently capture problem areas regarding service delivery in the province. This directly undermined the ability of the Committee to do proper oversight and by extension derails efforts to improve service standards and delivery in the province,” said Dr Makhosi Khoza, the Chairperson of the Committee.   

The Committee is of the firm view that the PSC has in this case undermined its constitutional obligation to foster an environment that would ensure effective and efficient performance within the public service and to promote values and principles of public administration as set out in the Constitution, throughout the Public Service Act.

The PSC was also presented with an opportunity to present to the Committee on the first day of the oversight in order to give further information about achievements and challenges with service delivery within the provincial administration. “It is unfortunate that the Commissioner based in the Free State decided against sharing adequate information with the Committee.

When the Committee visited the Universitas Academic Hospital it was alerted by a patient there that real challenges lay at regional hospitals and not at the academic hospital. This is information we would have expected the PSC to make available to the Committee, but was unfortunately not shared,” Dr Khoza emphasised.

The standard of reports from the Free State PSC, as compared to other provinces that the Committee has visited recently, was unquestionably below par.

The Committee reiterates its belief that the PSC has an important mandate and must always strive to be independent of the state in order to effectively deliver on its mandate. “The PSC must at all times strive to perform its work without fear, favour or prejudice,” Dr Khoza said. 

Furthermore, the reports it generates are tools necessary to ensure the quality of service delivery to the people of this country. The reports that the Commission generates also assist Parliament and legislatures to effectively perform oversight over the executive. “This critical role must be jealously guarded to ensure a development-oriented public service that is accountable and responsive to the plight of our people,” Dr Khoza said.   
  
The Committee will, for its part, engage the Chairperson of the PSC in efforts to ensure the preservation of set standards across provinces. These efforts will go a long way to ensure transparency and promoting accountability in the public service.

Issued by Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration/Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr Makhosi Khoza