NEW PROJECT TO COMBAT FRAUD AND CORRUPTION AT LICENSING DEPARTMENTS IN GAUTENG

Issued by: Department of Transport Gauteng Provincial Government

28 June 2001

In my budget speech to the Gauteng Legislature on 22 May 2001, I noted that this department in partnership with Business Against Crime (BAC), the Department of Safety and Liaison and the Department of Justice have embarked on a number of initiatives in the campaign against fraud and corruption in pursuit of clean governance. I mentioned a specific initiative, which is aimed at providing managerial and supervisory support to the Licensing Departments in the city of Johannesburg in particular and to other licensing departments throughout the province. The total budgeted amount is approximately R11 million.

PROBLEMS AND ISSUES:

The situation encountered at most of the Licensing Departments in Gauteng include:

• Customer service characterised by long queues and a customer-staff interaction full of friction;
• Staff shortages and lack of supporting systems;
• Inadequate supervisory capacity and lack of managerial innovation;
• Fraud and corruption involving some officials and some customers, as well as that facilitated by officials in other related government departments;
• Lack of strategic financial management, including providing management information for collection of licence fees purposes;
• Record-keeping methods that hamper quick service delivery to customers (i.e., files centralised in one of the 5 offices);
• No mentorship of new generation managers;
• Unnecessary referral of customers/public to the provincial department (Gautrans) on matters that fall squarely on the jurisdiction of the chief licensing officer.

PROJECT PLAN

BEST PRACTICE MODEL is the outcome of countless strategic sessions between Business Against Crime (BAC) and my department. The model will bring about the following changes:

• Change of the physical/structural arrangements at each licence department;
• Categorisation of staff for different transactions;
• Continuous management of password changes;
• Using the supervisors as the backbone of the license office;
• Document verification in the backroom, and installation of a document tracking system.

In partnership with BAC, Gautrans and the City of Johannesburg appointed a total of 10 supervisors and seven (7) managers on a contract basis of 6 months. This was done in terms of the Treasury Regulations and the Tender Board rules on the utilisation of service provides on panels.

The supervisors are highly trained in NaTIS, and provide NaTIS training themselves. Five (5) of these supervisors started on 02 May 2001, at the offices of Loveday Street, Roodepoort and Langlaagte where parts of the Best Practice Model have been implemented. The other five (5) supervisors will start on Monday, 02 July 2001.

The managers will start on Monday, 2 July 2001. The managers are drawn from various fields of expertise to achieve synergy. Their qualifications and experience ensure a pool of the following skills: human resources management; customer service; industrial engineering and operations; accounting and business analysis; law; executive management; police detective work; change management; diversity management and mentorship; and marketing.

The City of Johannesburg will, appoint permanent staff, supervisors and managers during the project period. Revised job descriptions are in place to assist in the process. As with already existing staff, supervisors and managers, an effective skill transfer process is in place.

PROJECT BENEFITS

We are confident the this project WILL achieve the following in the 6-month period:

• Good customer service ensured by flowing back office operations and staff trained in service excellence;
• Reduced/eliminated fraudulent or corrupt activities or dealing with them effectively;
• Optimised financial and human resource management;
• Correct staffing levels and mentorship of new generation managers;
• Positive innovative capability in supervisors and managers; and
• Licensing departments to be run as viable businesses and centres of service excellence centres of the City of Johannesburg.

It is important to note that consultation with staff and unions has and continuous to take place. All have accepted the project.

A QUEUE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM will also be installed for the following reasons:

• To indicate to customers how long they will wait for service;
• To aid managers on service delaying points or centres;
• To identify slow and fast workers, and set reasonable benchmarking;
• To identify training gaps and train staff who are below the benchmark; and
• To provide other management information at provincial government level.

We are confident that with the support of the public and other stakeholders this project cannot but succeed.

For Enquiries Contact:
Priscilla Pietersen
(011) 355 7382 / 083 676 1178