Increasing the term of office for government heads of departments (HODs) and directors-general (DGs) to 10 years could potentially improve leadership stability and service delivery within departments.

This is according to acting Public Service and Administration Minister Thulas Nxesi, who argues that the current five-year term of DGs and HODs is often not aligned.

According to Nxesi, the intent of the five-year contract was to ensure that there was synergy in terms of the medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) and the medium-term strategic framework (MTSF), so as to improve planning and execution of budgets and strategy.

Nxesi was responding to a written parliamentary question from Democratic Alliance MP Mimmy Gondwe, who wanted to know what informed the policy proposal.

"Whilst there is a need to understand the importance of the political mandate and translation in a specific department, it goes hand in hand with the administrative responsibilities of the Head of Department. The person appointed into an HOD post should exist beyond the tenure of the political head for purposes of business continuity and delivery of the mandate," he said.

Nxesi said building administrative capacity at the DG level should never be about a preference or not for a DG, but their capability, performance and capacity to deliver.

"Hence any consideration for longer-term contracts go hand in hand with the original powers to be given to a HOD and the involvement of the head of public service to support the president in the management of career incidents of heads of departments and at provincial level the DG of the province supporting the relevant Premier.

"For the public service to deliver on its mandate there needs to be clear lines in terms of the functional roles and responsibilities between the executive and the administration for purposes of accountability. Research and extensive consultations have given rise to various recommendations regarding the retention of HODs," he said.

In May, News24 reported that the framework was part of a plan for more decisive action on consequence management, especially in dealing with mediocrity, unethical behaviour, corruption and criminal acts committed.

Nxesi said it was unlikely that the proposals to the tenure of HODs would affect policy changes to the Performance Management and Development System (PMDS).

"The intended impact will potentially improve the stability at the leadership level, which will, in turn, improve the operational and service delivery output of a department. This is a policy position which is being considered as part of the professionalisation of the Public Service, there is no date, at this stage for implementation, and a decision regarding the tenure of HODs needs to still be formalised. The work related to this is in progress and still being consulted," he said.