by SAVIOUS KWINIKA
JOHANNESBURG – SOUTH Africa will punish perpetrators of State Capture and rid the public service of unfit and unwilling employees.
This is among the aims of the newly-announced National Framework towards Professionalisation of the Public Sector, made public last week.
President Cyril Ramaphosa explained the objectives of the initiative in his weekly letter, made available on Mondays.
“As we recover from state capture, we must ensure there are consequences for the perpetrators of state capture,” he said.
“We also need to make sure that public institutions can never be weakened in this way again,” the president added.
State capture was the most severe form of corruption in South Africa, when the public purse was looted and state-owned enterprises plundered.
Under the National Framework towards Professionalisation of the Public Sector, competency assessments will be introduced.
Those seeking appointment or promotion will need to complete compulsory courses with the National School of Government (NSG).
Those who are newly appointed will not be allowed to assume duty until they have completed induction programmes.
Long-serving public servants will also have to undergo regular refresher training.
Under the new framework, staff appointed into political offices, including ministerial advisers, must complete a pre-entry course for middle and senior management with the NSG, as well as competency and integrity assessments within 90 days of their appointment.
The implementation of the framework will strengthen the management of state-owned entities.
Ramaphosa said the National Framework towards Professionalisation of the Public Sector is one of the most significant developments in public service reform since the advent of democracy.
“We know that just as the capacity of the public sector has deteriorated over many years, correcting the situation will also take time. This is the first critical step,” Ramaphosa said.
– CAJ News
