Minister Kiviet and Deputy Minister Pilane-Majake bid farewell to DPSA staff

At a ceremony on the eve of the inauguration of President Cyril Ramaphosa as the head of South Africa’s seventh administration, Minister Noxolo Kiviet and her Deputy, Dr Chana Pilane-Majake, bid farewell to the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) staff at a farewell event organised with the DPSA Executive Committee (EXCO) on 18 June 2023.

Minister Kiviet became the Executive Authority (EA) for the Ministry for the Public Service and Administration (MPSA) in March 2023, taking over from Mr Thembelani “Thulas” Nxesi, who then served as the acting MPSA.

During her one-year-and-a-half tenure, Minister Kiviet chaperoned some of the critical elements of the Public Service reform, including overseeing the amendments to the Public Service Act (PSA) and the Public Administration Management Act (PAMA). She also actively championed the implementation of the National Framework Towards the Implementation of Professionalisation of the Public Sector.

In her farewell remarks, Minister Kiviet said one of the key aspects of authentic leadership is the imperative for one to ‘lose the self and put oneself in the shoes of others all the time”.

“We may not be in Parliament this time around. However, contributing to the good of the public service is still my commitment, and I will personally contribute to whatever I am required to help in any way possible,” said the Minister.

In the sixth administration, Deputy Minister Dr Chana Pilane-Majake retained the position she assumed during the fifth administration. She was responsible for the Employees Housing Scheme (GEHS), the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS), and the Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI).

Similarly, reflecting on her tenure, Deputy Minister Dr Chana Pilane-Majake thanked the Minister for allowing her space to fulfil the requirements of her MPSA delegations while also providing much-needed administrative feedback and advice on how the offices of the Minister and Deputy Minister could be better supported in the future.

The DPSA EXCO and MPSA staff attending the farewell ceremony also shared their light moments and experiences of working with the Minister and the Deputy Minister.

“I don’t think the work we have done in the past year to consolidate the various public service reform initiatives would have been successful without the complementary approach of the two offices in supporting the department’s work,” said the Director General of the DPSA, Ms Yoliswa Makhasi, acknowledging the oversight and leadership of the two principals.