The Minister for the Public Service and Administration, Mr Senzo Mchunu, officially unveiled the consultation process on the National Implementation Framework Towards aimed at professionalizing the public service space.
The objective of the framework is to entrench a dynamic system of professionalism in the public service, to ensure meritocracy in the recruitment and career management of public servants, which are in line with the National Development Plan (NDP), as well as initiating consequence management for irregularities through the transgression mechanisms available to professional bodies.
In December last year, Minister Mchunu released the Framework for comments and according to the National School of Government (NSG), the public consultation program will run for two weeks in order to enrich the policy document.
In his opening remarks, Minister Mchunu said the negative stigma towards the public service is highly politicized with people who lack professionalism and do not put the effort into serving the public as part of their public duty.
The Minister’s emphasis was on the need to change the perception of the public towards the public service and its lack of professionalism.
“The consultation process with the stakeholders is the first step towards changing this negative perception and sentiment the public has towards the public service and the professionalization process”, said the minister in his address. These consultation processes will be hosted by the NSG over a period of two weeks (15 – 26 February 2021).
One of the intentions to professionalize the public service as outlined in the framework is to strengthen ethical leadership in the public service, as it is required by the Constitution of the Republic.
Additionally, the NDP speaks to the need to strengthen state capacity, and this process that now the NSG is undertaking directly speaks to that need as articulated in the NDP.
The Minister also touched on the concept of Service as a commodity, and that services rendered to the public should be viewed as an important commodity, which should be delivered in a professional manner by public servants.
“This service, be it education, health and any other rendered by the government to the public should be delivered in a professional and ethical manner. We need to instill this value in public servants in all spheres of government. Public servants need to understand that they have a Constitutional duty to serve the public professionally and diligently. It is my belief that this consultation process will grapple with this contentious issue and bring forward ideas on how to achieve this goal”, said Minister Mchunu.
The Minister further said on top of appointing qualified individuals, promotion of innovation and productivity are also critical to the professionalization of the public service.
Members of the public are encouraged to participate in the sessions. For more information on how to join please send your details to professionalisation@thensg.gov.za
| Functional Group 1 (15 February 2021) | Civil society organizations, institutions of higher
learning, think tanks |
| Functional Group 2 (16 February 2021) | Regulators, policy government departments,
oversight institutions and quality councils |
| Functional Group 3 (17 February 2021) | Professional bodies and organizations in the built
environment – planning, implementation and project management |
| Functional Group 4 (18 February 2021) | Professional bodies and organizations in the
Finance and Audit fields, including supply chain management and contracts management |
| Functional Group 5 (19 February 2021) | Professional bodies and organizations in the human
resource management and development and organizational development |
| Functional Group 6 (22 February 2021) | Professional bodies and organizations responsible
for legal, governance, and compliance functions |
| Functional Group 8 (24 February 2021) | Professional bodies and organizations in local
government |
| Functional Group 9 (25 February 2021) | Professional bodies, organizations and government
institutions responsible for state-owned entities |
| Functional Group 10 (26 February 2021) | All recognized professional bodies (statutory and
non-statutory) |
