Issued by: Ministry for Public Service
29 January 1996
Johannesburg
Dr Zola Skweyiya, the Minister for Public Service and Administration, today addressed the opening session of a Workshop for Provincial Service Commissions, which is being held at the Aloe Ridge conference venue near Johannesburg. In his address, Dr Skweyiya noted the pivotal role played by the National and Provincial Service Commissions in the transformation of the South African Civil Service. He noted the changing constitutional context within which the commissions are presently functioning, and at the same time emphasised the consistency of the underlying Constitutional principles of competency, loyalty and representativeness which will continue to guide the development of the South African public Commissions, Minister Skweyiya said that the coming years will pose great challenges for the Commissions. He emphasised the need to carry forward the changes to the structure and composition of the Public Service which began following the 1994 elections.
The three-day workshop, which is being attended by members of the Public Service Commission and all nine Provincial Service Commissions, has been organised at Minister Skweyiya's invitation by the South African-Canada Programme on Governance, though the International Development Agency. It is providing an opportunity for South African and Canadian officials to discuss current issues in effecting organizational change, and in particular, to exchange experiences on the critical questions of "right sizing" and rationalisation.
Workshop participants will be addressed tomorrow by the Premier of the Canadian Province of Manitoba, the Honourable Gary Filmon.
Contact person: Thandeka Gqubule (012) 323 0331