IMPROVING SERVICE DELIVERY: FOCUSSING ON SOUTH AFRICAN PROVINCES

Address to the National Council of Provinces By Geraldine Fraser- Moleketi, Minister for Public Service and Administration

19 September 2000

Chairperson,
Honourable delegates

The 9 provinces employ 70% of public servants and constitute the major capacity of government to deliver of social services. Provinces are therefore an important feature of our system of governance and our ability to deliver on the promise of a better life for all. The improvement in delivery of services, as highlighted through the Batho Pele campaign, is a major focus of our work and includes a number of dimensions that will be addressed here today. Included will be a reflection of our efforts to improve management capacity in the public service, opportunities for improving service delivery through information technology and our continuous support for provincial departments to improve their performance.

1. Management

Enabling Legislation

The thrust in reforming public service management has been legislative reform designed to devolve powers to executing authorities on national and provincial levels, enhance the accountability of heads of departments, introduce employment contracts and performance agreements for heads of departments, modernise inefficiency and misconduct procedures and enhance representivity. The legislative reform to the Public Service Act is supported by the Public Service Regulations, which is a comprehensive new management framework that promotes service delivery, flexibility, performance and accountability through comprehensive capacity building programmes.

Achievements of the Public Service Act and the new regulations include:

• Management autonomy within departments. Executing authorities have the power to decide personnel practices and work organisation. They can also delegate further and take responsibility for performance management of managerial staff.
• The role of the provincial directors-general and heads of provincial departments was redefined making them accountable for the management of their respective departments, for good labour relations, conduct and for proper care of state property and resces.
• The powers of provinces to arrange their departments and their functions were enhanced to enable them to structure themselves according to their service delivery needs as effectively and efficiently possible.
• The inefficiency and misconduct procedures of the Act were given the status of a collective agreement. As such, these procedures were streamlined, in collaboration with employee organisations to ensure swift and corrective, but just action against nonrforming employees and those found guilty of misconduct.
• Heads of departments are now appointed on fixed term contracts, linked to performance agreements.
• The policy-making capacity of executing authorities was strengthened by providing for the appointment of policy advisors, as envisaged in the Constitution.

The Senior Management Service

A study conducted into the senior management and professional echelons of the public service has found that the effectiveness of this group impacts on the overall ability of the public service to deliver on its mandate. Significantly, the study revealed that although 70% of public servants are located in the provinces, 60% of senior managers are located in national departments. In essence this implies that provinces are "under-managed" and require additional high-level capacity.

To professionalise this critical echelon of the public service, Cabinet has endorsed the establishment of a Senior Management Service (SMS). This would include Heads of Department and other senior managerial and technical executives of the public service. The SMS process will distinguish between managers and professionals, rigorous recruitment and selection systems, competency profiling of all new and current senior executives in relation to their jobs, performance assessments systems, training and development regimes, and flexible remuneration systems.

Senior managers and high-level professionals must concretise government's vision of a better life for all through effective implementation strategies and the efficient utilisation of resources. In this demanding environment there can be no place for mediocrity or lack of commitment. Only the finest candidates, imbued with a spirit of selfless service to the community should be appointed. Their talents should be carefully nurtured, and once well developed, be utilised to the best advantage of the State.

Given the pivotal role of senior managers and high-level professionals in the delivery of public services, the SMS Programme will:

• Improve the recruitment, selection and retention of candidates
• Establish a more appropriate employment framework with terms and conditions of service designed to attract and retain high calibre individuals with equal recognition being given to senior managers and high-level professionals
• Introduce greater mobility to enable Government to deploy individuals across departments at national and provincial level
• Assist departments and provinces in reviewing their management structures with a key focus being the appropriate grading and competency assessment of senior executives
• Improve training and development
• Promote a high standard of ethical conduct
• Establish a more appropriate labour relations framework for senior managers

Performance Management

To date all senior managers from directors upward are required to sign a performance contract. The monitoring of the implementation of performance management systems would allow for a more rigorous appraisal of outputs, and thus improve the productivity of the public service. The cumulative impact of this would be that outputs become clearly defined, are measured, and management interventions can take place more expeditiously when performance is at variance from plans.

The Public Service Commission monitors performance management systems within the public service and have also developed a framework to evaluation Heads of Departments (HOD's). This Framework was approved by Cabinet in August 2000 and will be implemented immediately.

The areas of performance will reflect the goals of government as well as organizational goals, such as efficiency, employment equity and good management practice.

The aim is to align all aspects of government performance, from the macro to the micro, and thus focus the efforts of government in a very direct and deliberate manner.

Anti-Corruption Campaign

The Public Service Commission, as the flag-carrier of the anti-corruption campaign, has conducted a series of Anti-Corruption Workshops in seven Provinces. The workshops were intended to implement Anti-Corruption Summit Resolutions. The comprehensive programmes include promoting public awareness campaigns, Whistle-blowing mechanisms and Hotlines. This will be complemented by strong anti-corruption units within departments and revising anti-corruption legislation as it applies to the public service.

Management Development Programmes

The success of plans to improve the public service is tied to us building capacity amongst our managers. This challenge is being acted on by the South African Management Development Institute (SAMDI) which is focussing on programmes that are more supportive of the policy initiatives emanating from departments. Training programmes are looking to:

• Identify, validate and prioritise customer and stakeholder training needs and expectations.
• Develop and deliver South African Qualification's Authority and National Qualification Framework aligned competency based Training Programmes in the priority policy areas
• Develop and phase in improved support systems and processes (Marketing, IT and Course Administration)

SAMDI has developed a Service Delivery Programme that deals with a departmental-focussed approach to training and development that targets all levels of staff within the respective department. In addition, it provides support and implementations of learning through the operationalisation of practical service delivery improvement initiatives after each course. In this way, the programme not only builds capacity for staff it also applies quick service delivery improvements wins.

It competes effectively alongside programmes that are mandatory to attend (Provisioning Administration, LRA etc). While in its case, attendance is still purely voluntary at this stage.

SAMDI has also introduced courses in the areas of Human Resource Management, Labour Relations and Provisioning Administration and Management which are recognised and in some instances used by leading tertiary institutions (University of Pretoria and Technikon Southern Africa etc).

As you may very well be aware, earlier this year we launched the Presidential Strategic Leadership Development Programme (PSLDP), focusing on the development of senior managers and Directors General.

The primary focus of this programme provides opportunity and resources for senior managers for continuos individual and departmental work-based learning. This should greatly enhance leadership performance at personal, functional and organisational macro levels. Building capacity at these critical strategic leadership levels is crucial in enabling the public service and therefore government to deliver on its mandate and priorities.

SAMDI has further developed a Learning and development programme for MEC's in partnership with the University of Western Cape and Cape Town. The Northern Cape has just completed their first session. Other provinces viz North West, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal have registered their desire to participate. Indeed this augurs well for leadership by examples and strengthening of our democracy.

2. Information & Information Technology in Government

The quality of public service information

Human Resource Information

Last month the DPSA released the first "Vulindlela Report" aimed at addressing better quality information on and within the public service.

Each department received this report, which was customised for the use of the executing authority, head of department and human resource managers within that department. The comparative data in the report enables managers to benchmark their human resources against other levels of government and is designed to give these managers new insights into the human resource situation within the department.

Further DPSA initiatives in this regard include the development of National Minimum Information Requirements, and the development of a "diagnostic toolbox" to assist departments in improving their information systems and the quality of the information on them. The report will help minimise ghosts, detect fraudulent qualifications, irregular appointments and improve human resource planning in the public service.

Information technology in Government

A key factor in our global world is Information Communication Technology (ICT), which is in fact the platform of globalisation. Human and technical capacity to maximise ICT's is critical to the development of South Africa because the availability of technology and its dissemination amongst many sectors of society is, in the words of our President, a "critically necessary condition for economic and social development (Launch of the Presidential Strategic Leadership Development Programme, 23 July 2000).

IT Policy

The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) has embarked on a process to develop IT policy for Government to ensure that modern technology is utilised to improve systems and infrastructure to enable better service delivery.

A draft information technology policy for government has been developed by the DPSA, and will be finalised at a strategic E-government seminar in October. The IT policy is designed to address IT security i.e. ensuring the confidentiality of personal data. It is also designed to influence measures geared towards incorporating IT in formal and informal education. The seminar will prioritise major E-government projects, which include: electronic document management systems, a government wide call centre, paperless government, government on line and electronic procurement.

Procurement of Information technology products and services

The "Whole?of?government" IT procurement policy by SITA recognises that the government is the biggest consumer of IT goods and services in the South African market. For this reason the policy seeks to ensure that Government gets value for money out of it's IT procurement

To realise this, the policy seeks to obtain the government?wide consent for the transfer of IT procurement function of the State according to the mandate of the SITA Act in order to enable SITA to consolidate and co?ordinate the procurement of IT goods and services. The policy objectives include reduced cost of doing business, better industry performance, with emphasis on substantial regional development, socially responsible business practices and promotion of black economic empowerment.

The framework of this procurement policy encourages the IT industry to become strategically focused and to pursue better workplace practices. It will cost industry less to do business with Government as SITA simplifies tendering and contracting procedures, adopts electronic commerce more widely and works in partnership with service providers.

By placing greater emphasis on equality of employment opportunity, service providers are required to identify measures to improve workforce diversity. The new procurement policy encourages small and medium enterprises (SMME's) to compete for Government business on the basis of value for money. SITA's plans are to leverage the government's IT economic muscle to improve IT procurement, and to strengthen IT SMMEs and previously disadvantaged enterprises.

The countrywide consultative process with the industry on IT procurement, spearheaded by SITA chairperson Sello Rasethaba since June this year, has already covered the provinces of Gauteng, Western Cape, Kwa Zulu?Natal, Northern Province, North West, Free State. The remaining two provinces, Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape are scheduled for the month of September 2000.

3. Monitoring the Public Service

Monitoring and evaluation of government services

The PSC, whose mandate is to monitor and evaluate the policies of government departments cannot achieve this on its own, and therefore co-operates with other government agencies in this regard. The PSC needs the collaboration of provinces in providing key indicators and information to enable it to monitor effectively. To improve accountability of the public service, various measures are being pursued, including:

• Operationalising enabling legislation designed to promote good governance and also to prevent fraud - legislations such as the Protected Disclosures Bill - contribute to a reduction in corruption as actions of public servants become subject to externacrutiny.
• Supporting transformation policies. The PSC is directly involved in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) the implementation of the Affirmative Action policies. It is working with the Department of Labour to ensure that provisions of the Employment Equity B are adhered to, and through its monitoring actions, would be able to ensure that appropriate interventions happen.
• Addressing complaints and grievances. Most of these relate to mal-administration in human resources within Departments. Through several high profile projects the Commission has been able to make findings and recommendations, and in most of these casesmedial action has followed e.g. The Correctional Services investigation. This aspect of the work of the Commission is particularly important in that it helps to restore confidence of serving officials in the administration, and also reduces arbitrary and unaccountable behaviour.

Monitoring Government Policies and Programmes

The Commission has put in place certain mechanisms that allow for the immediate monitoring of government policies and programmes which include:

• Ensuring that the reporting requirements of all departments are consistent, allowing for cross-sectoral comparisons. Within the area of reporting, the PSC requires that reporting go beyond the simple numbers, and begin to focus on key government prior areas (i.e. Reduction of poverty, broadening of access etc). In stipulating the outputs or goals, departments would naturally have to re-engineer their systems downstream, and begin to focus their resources in addressing these criteria.

The PSC is putting in place a transversal M&E system, which will allow the collection of key information around government performance on a proactive basis. This information will produce a "one-stop-shop" from which government can draw information to use strategically. The implication of the PSC developing and managing such as system is that all government departments would have to develop their own M&E systems in order to meet this external requirement. The process of government departments beginning to focus on M&E is a benefit in itself, in that it would reduce information blockages within the organization, improve the quality of this information, and promote performance management. Once this system works South Africa will be in line with other democracies, which have M&E as a mandatory practice.

4. Supporting Provinces

IPSP

DPSA has become an important source of professional advice and practical assistance for departments. The three main beneficiaries of the Integrated Implementation Project (IIP), a support programme of the DPSA, have been the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Province. These Province will now be supported by the IIP's successor, a donor-assisted support programme called the Inter-Provincial Support Programme (IPSP). Mpumalanga and the Free State are expected to join the programme before the end of the year. DPSA plays a co-ordinating role in the IPSP, which is designed to provide provinces with technical support in key areas such as performance management and service delivery improvement.

The purpose of the programme is: firstly, to strengthen the capacity of the provincial administrations to develop realistic service standards in collaboration with civil society, business and labour and to achieve the service standards within the constraints of the financial plans set out in the medium term expenditure framework. Secondly it aims to establish a national learning network for sharing best practices and experiences gained from the implementation of the transformation programme.

To date support to the provinces has been focussed on three levels:

• Improving the capacity of Provincial government to co-ordinate transformation and achieve the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy (PGDS).
• Developing and implementing operational frameworks for performance management (in accordance with national regulations) and service delivery (in accordance with Batho Pele principles) in all departments.
• Improving service delivery and financial management in targeted departments, including the re-prioritisation of budgets.

Provincial Initiatives to improve efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery include:

• Restructuring Public Works (the road construction and maintenance services) in Northern Province and Welfare Services (Social grant) in the Eastern Cape. The development of a business case (an outline of number of people and the necessary equipment/manery required for the project) to restructure services is in advanced stages of development. In the Northern Province, consultants are improving administrative systems in line private sector construction and maintenance programmes. In the Eastern Cape, Department of Welfare will complete the development of an appropriate, efficient and effective organisation structures and systems by February 2001.
• Information management project. The amalgamation of various "homeland administrations" and lack of proper personnel records led to this project. Consultants will be appointed by end of September to work with the DPSA and Provincial teams in the North Province.
• Re-alignment of service boundaries. The project will identify non-core functions and also separate Provincial and local administration (local government functions will be devolve to them).
• Batho Pele. In the Eastern Cape Projects to enhance the quality of services through the implementation of Batho Pele principles are currently at tendering stages. Northern Province is refining a provincial monitoring system. Monitoring will take place addition to a toll free number, a computerised lodging of complaints, the Batho Pele award and the production of the citizens report in march 2001.
• One stop service delivery. Implementation of a One-stop Information Service Centre (A project aimed at housing government services under one roof in communities) is at tendering stage. In the Northern Province, completion of the One stop Service Centis expected in May 2001. One stop service centres will include provincial and local government service delivery products.

Provincial Focus

Northern Province

Additional project planned for the Northern Province include:

• Re-assessment of and improvement of the existing management plans.
• Develop indicators for the Provincial Development Growth Strategy.

Eastern Cape

The Integrated Provincial Support Programme in the Eastern Cape has been focussing specifically on the Social Cluster to support better service delivery, co-ordinate Poverty Alleviation Project and Promote Job Creation. Additional programmes include:

• Improving the capacity of the social needs cluster to design and implement integrated social development plan in line with the budget (To be completed February 2001)
• Social needs audit for social cluster will be completed by January 2001.
• District development and restructuring will be completed by March 2001.
• Organisational and individual performance management systems to be implemented in all provincial departments.

KwaZulu-Natal

The Integrated implementation programme (IIP) completed its activities at end of 1999 and we presented the report to the Provincial Cabinet. The province is at advanced stages of developing a logical framework on its involvement in the Integrated Provincial Support Programme. DPSA has secured funding for the implementation of the (IIP) recommendations in KwaZulu-Natal. We will continue to work closely with the province to speed up the provincial involvement in the Integrated Provincial Support Programme.

Partnerships with National Departments

Partnership with national departments are designed to promote government impact to service delivery. As such service delivery projects are aimed at supporting the Integrated Criminal Justice Sector, Social services cluster and the department of Home Affairs.

Current projects in these clusters will focus on managing downwards the amounts spent on personnel, rooting out corruption and theft, improving management skills and ensuring an integrated, inter-departmental approach to the delivery of services

The PSC has also contributed to improving the capacity of departments by providing advice on management issues. This include advising the Department of Foreign Affairs on the transformation of its corporate services and designing organisation structures for the Departments of Agriculture and Education in the Northern Province and the Department of Local Government in Gauteng.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, allow me to briefly reflect on the commitments I made in August last year at the National Assembly in line with development of a wage policy for the public service.

In December 1999 DPSA presented to our labour counterparts the wage policy. This is in line with restructuring the conditions of service for public servants.

Presented at the Public Service Collective Bargaining Council is a package that seeks to:

• Manage abuse of leave and address currently accumulated leave;
• Development of an exit management framework in order to facilitate the rightsizing of the public service
• Develop strategies to use purchasing power to extract concessions from the private sector on medical aid, with potential savings to the state;
• Replace the current Rank and Leg promotion system that is inequitable with a more inclusive pay progression system and
• A percentage increase of 6% across the board.

All these elements have been an integral part of the presentation that is currently negotiated at the Public Service Collective Bargaining Council. We believe this will present an opportunity for both government and unions to restructure conditions of service in a manner more consistent with the demands of transformation as well as the workers need for more sustainable and equitable pay and benefits.