A deeply ingrained lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic is how the Public Service needed to demand the highest levels of accountability but still be responsive and agile in an era that is characterised by fast and deep social changes, according to Mr Nyiko Mabunda, the Acting Deputy Director-General (Acting DDG) for Human Resources Management and Development (HRMD) at the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA).
Acting DDG Mabunda made these remarks at the 12th Annual Edition of the National Public Sector Clean Audit Turnaround Indaba underway eThekwini, in KwaZulu-Natal.
Starting today, 5 December 2024, the two-day Indaba brings together a range of stakeholders with a shared interest in the relationship between clean audits in the Public Service, sustainable governance and service delivery.
A most affirming lesson from COVID-19 is that the “state is capable because we were able to do things faster and effectively,” said Acting DDG Mabunda.
The Acting DDG added that the pandemic taught us that “ethics must be the bar and not the exception” and that it is possible to reduce redtape without opening avenues for graft.
“We need to constantly assess and measure state capacity against productivity in terms of outputs and outcomes and functionality in line with set targets and the capacity to achieve them,” he explained.
Speaking from the strategic human resources prism, Acting DDG Mabunda’s input suggested that COVID-19 not only foreshadowed the importance of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the provision of services in times of crisis. The pandemic also gave an inkling of the kind of skill sets that are required in the Public Service of the future, which is expected to be dominated by youth.
“Database governance is critical for digital transformation, along with the reduction of redtape and professionalisation,” noted Acting DDG Mabunda.
According to the Acting DDG, rethinking a Public Service that is fit for emerging modern societies would require capital and technical investments in the following:
- Tech-savvy approach
- Collaborative mindset
- Flexibility
- Mobility
- Data Centricity
- Emotional Intelligence
- Motivation
- Autonomy
- Social Responsibility
Under the theme, “Auditing Controls as a Measure of Accountability, the delegates of Government, Private and Civil Society sector professionals will engage on a range of related issues until tomorrow, 6 December 2024. The discussions will build on the dinner keynote address by Hon. Francois Adrianus Rodgers, MEC: Finance, KwaZulu-Natal Province this evening, focusing on “Strengthening Public Trust through Transparent Auditing and Ethical Governance”.