This morning, 10 April 2024, the Minister for the Public Service and Administration, Ms Noxolo Kiviet, led the Gauteng Provincial Government Public Servants Imbizo, focussing on the Professionalization of the Public Service.

Speaking at the Imbizo, the Gauteng Province Director-General (DG), Mr Edward Mosuwe, explained that the recently issued directive on the implementation of the National Framework Towards the Professionalisation of the Public Service is an opportunity to ensure the uniformity of professional standards and incorporates the lessons learnt in the transformation of the Public Service over the past 30 years of freedom”.

DG Mosuwe also used the opportunity that the Public Servants Imbizo provided to brief Minister Kiviet on the province’s progress in aligning the provincial Master Skills Plan (and its associated initiatives) with the professionalisation framework. The DG described the Gauteng Government’s strides in implementing a recruitment and selection policy framework, including an innovative e-recruitment system. He further reported on the progress that Gauteng has made in line with the five pillars of the professionalisation framework:

Pillar 1: Recruitment and Selection

  • The Gauteng Government is implementing all DPSA directives for recruitment and selection, including the Provincial Recruitment and Selection Policy Framework, which aligns with each provincial department’s policy.
  • After completing the Nyukela Certificate programme the National School of Government offers, all SMS-level appointments are finalised.

Pillar 2: Induction and Onboarding

  • Departments implement compulsory induction programmes for newly appointed officials, with Gauteng City Regional Academy coordinating provincial induction for senior managers and Human Resource Development units coordinating for other levels.

Pillar 3: Planning and Performance Management

  • The Heads of Department (HoD) Performance Management System (PMDS) is centralised within the Office of the Premier. It monitors performance agreements and assessments online. A panel of moderators, including MECs and the Director General, assesses HoD performance. The Office of the Premier coordinates the submission of final reports. Provincial Departments implement PMDS for all SMS members, and each department appoints a moderation committee for salary levels 1-12.

Pillar 4: Continuing Learning and Professional Development 

  • The Gauteng City Regional Academy manages learning and professional development for the provincial government and reports to the National Human Resource Development Council.
  • The province implements the Khaedu programme for Senior Management Service (SMS) members, and all departments coordinate bursary schemes for career progression.
  • The province is implementing the Master Skills Plan to align identified skills gaps with required skills. It has issued 4105 bursaries to officials, recruited 3175 young people through internships and traineeships, and launched a Labour activation program targeting over 400,000 beneficiaries. Through the “Nas’ispani” initiative, the province is targeting to offer various employment opportunities to 60 630 young people across the province.

Pillar 5: Career Progression, Succession Planning & Management of Career Incidence of Heads of Departments

  • The Executive Protocol appoints Heads of Department, while the Career Progression is managed through the Directive on PMDS. The Director General chairs regular forums with all departments.

In her keynote address after the various presentations and the subsequent discussions, Minister Kiviet commended the Gauteng province on the progress made towards the professionalisation of the Public Service.

“We are here to ensure that professionalising the Public Service moves faster. It is work that we should not, at this time, be still talking about as we should be cruising by now,” said Minister Kiviet.

The Minister added that the time has long come for the professionalisation framework to be taken away from the theoretical realm to the practical, arguing that “professionalisation is a day-to-day behaviour and responses to people’s challenges”, adding that efforts toward professionalising the Public Service should be grounded on the provisions of the Constitution.

“The preamble and the ethos of the Constitution talk to improving the quality of life of all citizens and to free the potential of each person … So, we are duty bound as public servants to be as professional as we can be,” said Minister Kiviet.