By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Public Service and Administration Minister, Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi, has outlined a series of activities his department will embark on as part of this year’s Integrated Public Service Month (IPSM).
Speaking at a media briefing at the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) in Pretoria on Monday, Buthelezi said during the course of the month, government will introduce the Ethics Committee Procedure and provide training on Lifestyle Audit Investigations and Discipline Management.
This is aimed at reinforcing the ethical foundations of the public service.
“In collaboration with The Ethics Institute, we will conduct an independent survey to assess the state of ethics in public administration,” the Minister said.
September marks public service month in South Africa. The IPSM serves as a reminder of what it means to serve communities and to also look at the impact the government has, especially around issues of service delivery.
As part of Public Service Month, public servants are expected to roll up their sleeves and spring-clean their service delivery points and unblock the bottlenecks and red-tape in the delivery of services, among others.
“I want to remind the over 1.3 million public servants, who serve over 60 million South Africans daily, that this year’s theme is not just a slogan but a sworn commitment to every citizen of this country. Public Service Month is not a public relations exercise. This is why we call on all our public servants to ensure that every citizen feels the tangible impact of good governance in their daily lives,” he said.
Buthelezi stressed the need to address weaknesses within the governance system and encouraged collaboration across departments.
The Service Delivery Monitoring Week will be held from 16-22 September.
The Minister explained that the initiative will emphasise the importance of intergovernmental collaboration to ensure effective service delivery and this will include visits to key facilities which include:
• Presidential Hotline visit in Centurion on 17 September at 9 am
• Site visit at Maponya Mall Thusong Centre on 18 September at 9 am
• Bronkhorstspruit Hospital on 19 September at 9 am
Also as part of the IPSM, Batho Pele Week (hybrid events) will be held.
These include:
• Dialogue on Public Service Charter (Gauteng) – hybrid event on 25 September.
• Batho Pele – Walkie Talkie – physical event in Rustenburg on 27 September.
The final week of the IPSM week will include:
• International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV) four-day conference in Gauteng – physical event from 1-5 October 2024
• Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI) Hackathon weekend in the Northern Cape – physical event from 4-6 October 2024
• GEMS Big Walk for all government employees – Sunday, 6 October 2024.
The minister also addressed the protection of whistleblowers in the public sector, acknowledging the fear many face in reporting corruption and maladministration.
“We can assure the whistleblowers that we will strive to protect them as they continue to make us aware of all the shenanigans that are taking place in the workplace,” Buthelezi said.
He condemned the threats faced by whistleblowers for doing the right thing and promised to redouble efforts to combat corruption, bribery and nepotism while strengthening government institutions and upholding the values of transparency and accountability.
The department’s Chief Director of Public Administration, Ethics, Integrity and Disciplinary Technical Assistance Unit, Dr Salomon Hoogenraad-Vermaak, said during the Public Service Month, held in September, various sessions will be conducted regarding departmental investigations.
“Discipline management is a decentralised function, meaning departments are responsible for the management of their own disciplinary cases and that the DPSA can not interfere in that.
“However, the Public Administration Ethics, Integrity and Disciplinary Technical Assistance Unit (PAEIDTAU) is supporting departments with discipline management, as the unit has a mandate to set norms and standards on discipline, to build capacity within institutions to initiate and institute disciplinary proceedings into misconduct, to strengthen government oversight of discipline and to provide technical assistance and support to institutions in all spheres of government regarding disciplinary matters relating to misconduct in the public administration,” he said.
The department reminded public servants that it was a criminal offense for public service employees to conduct business with the state.
It warned that any public servant found guilty of such offenses was liable to a fine or imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years or both.