Public Service and Administration Deputy Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga says there is an urgency to effect tried and tested economic reforms that will yield economic growth and the much needed social development.
She said government is still expected by the citizens and social partners to deliver public services and hold true to the objectives of the National Development Plan, through the implementation of the Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF).
Taking part in the Public Service Commission State of the Public Service webinar, Chikunga said the webinar takes place ahead of the Government Lekgotla preceded by the FOSAD workshop that will be tackling issues relating to economic reconstruction and recovery plan, and implementation measures to address COVID-19.
“As the technocrats in the Public Service and Public Administration, we do need to thoroughly interrogate the causes of delay or bottlenecks in policy implementation on the already existing policies and legislative prescripts and address these with outmost proficiency, efficacy and urgency,” Chikunga said.
"...Thus we need able to address the socio-economic challenges we currently face. This put more emphasis on the fact that we need an ethical, capacitated and capable cadre of bureaucrats to turn around the current status quo in the Public Service and Public Administration."
She said the preamble of the Constitution outlines the fundamental values on which government should build a transformed public administration.
“The values and principles represent a constitutional directive in respect of good governance and public sector leadership. The synergy and nexus between the democratic values and the principles governing public administration are often overlooked but together they represent the building blocks of an ethical, capable, capacitated and developmental state,” the Deputy Minister said.
Chikunga said she is pleased that the PSC has developed a guide on these values and principles.
“The Guide begins to define what the values and principles mean on a practical level for public servants in their day to day work and how operations should change to create a public service and public administration that complies with these values and principles.
“Building a strong culture of ethical and values-driven leadership of the Public Service is critical in fighting corruption, greed, impunity and selfishness,” she said.
Chikunga concluded by commending all 1.2 million public servants in the employ of government who have for the past months extraordinarily performed their duties and kept the machinery of state working regardless of the difficult conditions posed by the spread of COVID-19 virus.
“At the peak of the pandemic, our public servants, kept the country moving. We pay tribute to the lives of all these public servants who succumbed to this virus while selflessly serving our nation.
“At this moment, we convey our heartfelt condolences to their families, their colleagues in the Public Service and communities which they come from,” she said. – SAnews.gov.za
