The Public Service and Administration Minister (MPSA), Ms Noxolo Kiviet, has issued a Directive aimed at providing control measures to assist Executive Authorities in managing fiscal sustainability during the process of creating and filling vacant posts in the public service.
It has been issued to Heads of national and provincial departments and provincial administrations.
The Directive follows National Treasury Guidelines on costing and budgeting for compensation of employees in response to the challenging fiscal environment.
Effective from October 18 of the previous year until March 31, 2024, the original Directive indicated the need for an extension until March 31, 2025, based on an assessment of its impact.
The Amended Directive clarifies regulations 25 (2)(a), (b), and 40 of the Public Service Regulations, 2016.
It requires that a motivation for creating or filling certain vacant posts on PERSAL or PERSOL be submitted for concurrence to the Minister for the Public Service and Administration in the case of a national department or national government component, and to the relevant Premier in the case of a provincial department or provincial government component.
Prior to seeking concurrence, Chief Financial Officers are required to consult with the relevant National or Provincial Treasury Budget Analyst to confirm the availability of funding in the current financial year and over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period.
The response from the Treasury Budget Analyst is to be included in the motivation to the MPSA or Offices of the Premier.
Chief Financial Officers must advise their departments on the financial implications of creating or filling critical posts and confirm the availability of funding for the current financial year and MTEF period.
The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) and Offices of the Premier will be responsible for guiding and monitoring the implementation of the Directive in the Public Service.
Their responsibilities include providing advice, guidance, and support services to departments, assessing motivations for creating or filling critical posts, verifying funding availability with Treasury Budget analysts, issuing authorisation numbers for unfreezing vacant posts, maintaining a register of requests and authorizations, and monitoring compliance with the Directive.
The Amended Directive remains in effect until March 31, 2025. Requests for concurrence and/or authorization to unfreeze posts from national departments and national government components should be sent to Circular49of2023@dpsa.gov.za.
