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The Progressive Professionals Forum (PPF) welcomes the steps by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) towards delinking the Local Government: Competency Framework with the remuneration of senior managers, effective from the gazetting of the next set of regulations determining the Upper Limits of  Senior Managers for 2023.

This means that the problematic Local Government: Regulations on Appointment and Conditions of Employment of Senior Managers of 2014 which set out the criteria for an appointment of senior managers and remuneration based on minimum competency tests will be strengthened to address previous shortcomings.

PPF President Kashif Wicomb: “The move followed wide consultation with all role players by CoGTA where PPF made inputs to as the resource base and a think tank of South Africa, to assist the State in realizing our country’s developmental goals through contributing towards public policy, research, and advocacy.”

The current regulations explicitly require a person(s) recommended for appointment to a senior manager position(s) in local government to undergo competency-based assessment.

“While the intention was good, they were glaring challenges and shortcomings in the regulations in that the Competency Framework did not provide for functions specific to technical competencies,” says Wicomb.

The Competency Framework was underscored by four (4) achievement levels namely; basic, competent, advanced, and superior that acted as benchmark and minimum requirements for human capital interventions but lacked the fifth achievement level range to describe “not competent”. 

Furthermore, the competency assessment did not adequately cover other strategic positions directly accountable to municipal managers. The individuals falling within the Basic range were deemed unsuitable for a role of a senior manager, and this posited that caution should be applied in promoting and appointing such person/s.

The National Development Plan (NDP) in Building a Capable and Developmental State calls for a state capable of playing a developmental and transformative role. In so doing so, the public service and local government must become a career of choice using assessment mechanisms such as exams, group exercises, and competency tests to build confidence in recruitment systems.

"The PPF will continue to work with strategic partners to champion the interest of professionals who want to be part of the broader public sector and contributing to the well-being of the country," concludes Wicomb.

Issued by Ngokwethu Communication on behalf of Progressive Professionals Forum