President Cyril Ramaphosa: Picture: The Presidency
President Cyril Ramaphosa said leaders in national and provincial governments will undergo training and development programmes throughout the seventh administration to stabilise and ensure greater continuity in the public service.
Ramaphosa made the remarks in his weekly newsletter, From the desk of the president.
The president said in order to build an inclusive economy that creates jobs and reduces poverty, South Africa needs a capable, ethical and developmental state.
He said a fundamental feature of a capable state is a public service that is “professional and competent”.
“The diversity and political pluralism reflected in the composition of the new National Executive will put these qualities to the test. For their part, public servants should be commended for demonstrating their ability to manage the transition to the new administration.
“The government of national unity (GNU) has identified as one of its priorities the rebuilding of the capability of the state and creating a professional public service,” Ramaphosa said.
Ten political parties signed the Statement of Intent to join the GNU after the national and provincial elections in May.
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Ramaphosa said a capable state also requires capable leaders.
He said state capture provided a “bitter lesson” on the vulnerabilities of the public sector to interference by private business interests.
“As the government of national unity, as a country, we must ensure that this never happens again. We must actively guard against the forms of executive overreach witnessed in the past.
“We must strive to stabilise and ensure greater continuity in the public service. In this regard, the professionalisation framework brings greater stability to the senior ranks of the public service by extending the tenure of directors-general and provincial heads of departments, subject them to meeting the requirements of the position and regular performance reviews,” said Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa said leaders in national and provincial governments will undergo training and development programmes throughout the seventh administration starting with the National School of Government’s ethical leadership and oversight programme.
“Other areas of training include economic governance, scenario planning and digital transformation. It is encouraging that traditional leaders are also prioritising their development through short learning programmes and formal qualifications.
“While there may be a temptation for members of the executive to favour the policies of their own political parties, we are working to develop the Medium-Term Development Plan and implement the programme of government as a united government, not as individual parties,” he said.
Ramaphosa said if the GNU continues along the path of collaboration and cooperation, the GNU has the “means and political will to transform the public service into a powerful driver of service delivery, economic growth and development.”
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