Towards seamless public service delivery – Building a Single System of Public Administration & Management

1. Towards seamless public service delivery – Building a Single System of Public Administration & Management A Presentation to the Local Government Capacity Building Summer School 2005 Programme 11 October 2005 Sandton

2. Context: developmental state • RSA as developmental state characterised by the following: • People-centred state machinery • Intervening in the economy to promote growth • Promoting sustainable development-bridging the gap between 1st & 2nd economy • Co-operative governance & popular participation

3. Principles: Seamless Public Service Delivery • Chapter 3, RSA Constitution, 1996 • National, provincial and local spheres are distinctive, interdependent and interrelated • Spheres of government must cooperate with one another to provide coherent government • Chapter 10, RSA Constitution, 1996 – basic values and principles governing public administration • Efficient, economic and effective use of resources (service delivery improvement) • Development orientation • Responsiveness, accountability, fairness and transparency • Good human resource management (utilisation of capacity)

4. Service delivery challenges • Apartheid inheritance • Historical service delivery backlogs, esp. 2nd economy • Community dissatisfaction due poor service delivery, e.g. recent protests in the Free State • Lack of institutional capacity,especially at service delivery institutions and local government • Corporate governance • Public entities not aligned to government objectives • Accountability needs to be strengthened

5. Service delivery challenges • Fragmentation of service delivery • Lack of integration and poor coordination between departments and between spheres • Inconvenience for citizens having to travel far and to many service delivery points • Mobility of staff • Difficult to move functions and staff to the appropriate levels • Difficult to move skilled managers to where they are needed

6. Goal of seamless public service • Efficient, effective, responsive, representative, accountable and accessible institutions • Improved coordination between spheres of government and public entities • Improved service delivery through integration • To provide service users with a single window for their service needs • To locate the service delivery site close to the people where they live • Special emphasis on poor urban and rural communities (formerly marginalised)

7. Current initiatives – Integrated service delivery • Multi-Purpose Community Centres • Provide a range of services from a single point • Services from national, provincial and local government • Located close to the people • Batho Pele Gateway portal • Information on government services online • Made available at “General Services Counters” at MPCCs • Also available at Post Office • Community development workers • Facilitating access to government services, benefits and economic opportunities

8. Current initiatives – Conditions of service • Comparative study of conditions of service in local government and public service • Many disparities between public service and local government, and within local government • Rationalisation of conditions of service by local government • Job evaluation, 10 pay scales, working towards single pension fund and medical aid scheme

9. Current initiatives – Intergovernmental relations • Harmonisation of planning of the three spheres • Intergovernmental Relations Framework Bill • Formalises intergovernmental structures eg PCC, Minmecs • Provides procedures for settling of disputes • Assignment Framework • Procedures for the assignment of powers and functions to local government • Transfer framework • Procedures to facilitate the transfer of personnel between spheres

10. Current initiatives – Public entities • Review of public entities • Coherent policy framework governing public entities • Classification framework (corporate forms) • Corporate governance (procurement procedures, human resource practices, financial management etc) • Proposals to facilitate mobility between public entities and spheres of government

11. Current initiatives – Batho Pele and popular participation • Batho Pele • Front-office improvements: signage, nametags • Extending office hours • Unannounced visits • Project Khaedu – exposing SMS to coalface • Participation • Izimbizo: national, provincial and local • DPLG developed model for community participation • Ward committees • Preparation of IDPs

12. Implementation proposals Develop overarching legislation • Scope of Coverage:- • three spheres of Government • public entities – national, provincial and local • Administrative support to Constitutional institutions • Identified State owned Enterprises • Location of the responsibility for public administration • HR matters located in a single central department • Enforcement authority • Identify authority within government • Define sanctions for non-compliance

13. Implementation proposals • Develop overarching legislation • Setting norms and minimum standards • Providing for sector differentiation • Transfer of functions and staff addressed • Delegation of responsibility and devolution of authority to appropriate levels • Specific chapter for senior management

14. Implementation proposals • Human resource management • Common HR systems • Recruitment and selection procedures • Human resource strategies • Skills database • Remuneration and conditions of service • Apply principles of job evaluation • Common remuneration principles in a wage policy • Common set of conditions of service • Mandatory pension and medical aid arrangement

15. Implementation proposals • Collective bargaining and labour relations • National framework – transversal and sector-specific issues • Ethics • Code of Conduct extended to all employees • Funding arrangements • Investigation into support for struggling municipalities

16. CHALLENGE FOR HRD • Alignment of HRD strategies • - Provincial Growth and Dev Plans • - Integrated Developmental Plans • - National Skills Development Strategy • - Education and Training across the Spheres • scarce and critical skills, redeployment • - Induction and orientation programmes • - Working in cross cutting projects • - Community inter-action

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