bridging the gap between two economies · 2008-12-04 · guy peters in his monograph managing...

A l e a r n i n g j o u r n a l f o r P u b l i c S e r v i c e M a n a g e r s

S e r v i c e

V o l u m e 3 N o . 3

9 771681 782004

I S S N 1 6 8 1 - 7 8 2 6

D e l i v e r y

Bridging the GapBetween Two

Economies

Bridging the Gap Between Two Economies: A Public Service Response 6

Deputy President Urges Senior Public Service Managers to make Batho Pele work 8

Building a Developmental State: A Public Service Response 10

Budgeting Challenges in the Developmental State 14

Towards a South African Developmental State: Challenges Ahead 18

Skills Requirements for a Developmental State: A focus on Key Role-Players 22

A Critique of the Macro-Organisation of the State and Possible Solutions 26

Taking Stock of the Constitutional Evolution Process 30

Deepening Professionalism in the Public Service 33

How Spheres of Government can work towards fulfilling their Constitutional Mandate 36

Building a Developmental State and Bridging the Gap Between Two Economies 44

The Monitoring and Evaluation Learning Workshop: A Synopsis 51

Our World of Policy Studies 58

Why an Address is Key to Integrated Development 60

Revitalising Public Service Delivery 64

Winning the War against Red Tape 74

Building a Unified System of Public Administration 78

The Need for a Strategically Managed Developmental State 83

Creating Job Opportunities in a Developmental State 102

Rapea Rises to the Occasion 112

Volume 3 No. 3

Opinions expressed in this journal are not those of government but

reflect the views of individual writers

Managing Editor Thuli Radebe

Editor Fred Khumalo

PublisherSTE Publishers

on behalf of the Department of Public Service

and Administration

DesignMad Cow Studio

ISSN 1681-7826

Editorial team Khaya Ngema

Executive Manager, Service Delivery Improve-ment

Mashwahle DiphofaSenior Manager, Service Delivery Improve-

mentWelcome Sekwati

Professional Writer, DPSABongani Matomela

Case Study Coordinator

Send all your comments and editorial

correspondence to: [email protected]

Each of us is a knowledge worker anda learning champion in this knowledgeeconomy. We all have a role to play inturning the Public Service into a “Learn-

ing Public Service for Quality ServiceDelivery”. Let us pursue this ideal by

using the Service Delivery Review as afacility for sharing our experiences, suc-cesses, mistakes and methodolgies andfor growing our own intellectual capital

We belong,we care,we serve

Contents

Regulars

Case Studies

From the Editor’s Desk 2Letter from Tshwane 4Book Reviews 119The Funny Side 120

Water Services: Taking South Africa into the Next Century 46How Kimberley Hospital became Model of Excellence 52

Project Khaedu to keep Managers in touch with Delivery Problems ... and Solutions 68Improving Service Delivery at Home Affairs 70Making Integrated Programmes Work 89Planting a SEED for Better Provision of Energy 96Rehabilitation to Revitalisation: the Success of Limpopo’s RESIS Programme 106

Illustrated Procedure Manuals: A Batho Pele Initiative 114

SDR vol 4 no 1 2004 4/22/05 10:50 AM Page 1

Among the many major issues that President ThaboMbeki focused on when he delivered his State of theNation address recently was the need for the country to

nurture the Second Economy in order to help the State fulfil itsdevelopmental role.

“Success in the growth of our economy should be measurednot merely in terms of the returns that accrue to investors orthe job opportunities to those with skills.Rather, it should also manifest in the extentto which the marginalised in the wildernessof the Second Economy are included andare at least afforded sustainable livelihoods.South Africa belongs to them too, and noneof us can in good conscience claim to be atease before this becomes and is seen tobecome a reality,” he said.

In a real show of commitment towardsfulfilling its developmental mandate, gov-ernment has over the past nine monthsembarked on putting the Expanded PublicWorks Programme into operation.

The benefits have been manifold as theeffort towards poverty alleviation began toregister its impact.

For example, to date government hasspent over R1,5 billion, created over 76 000job opportunities and begun to afford thou-sands of those enrolled, with the skills that will stand them ingood stead as they leave the programme.

As the president noted, the major challenge now is to assistthose in the Second Economy to access economic opportunities.A major communication campaign will be embarked uponexplaining to those in need how they can access economicopportunities.

In addition, numerous interventions will be embarked uponto give this campaign teeth. These are: • the Early Childhood Development programme, based on

community participation, having ensured a commonapproach among all three spheres of government;

• increasing the numbers of community health workers, hav-ing harmonised training standards and increased resourcesallocated to the programme;

• the more extensive use of labour intensive methods of con-struction targeting housing, schools, clinics, sports facilities,

community centres and the services infra-structure.

Clearly, these are ambitious projects.They also come at a time when the publicservice edifice itself is repositioning itself tobetter grapple with the challenges that arefacing it, to better enhance service deliveryand improve the quality of life of the citi-zens.

As Khaya Ngema, of the DPSA, notes inhis article “Revitalising Public ServiceDelivery” published elsewhere in this jour-nal: “At inception, the democratic state in1994 inherited 18 different administrationswith disparate systems, processes, regula-tions, cultures, and with no deliberate focuson providing equitable, quality services toall South Africans. Accordingly, since 1994the public service has witnessed an unprece-dented process of rationalisation, amalga-

mation and restructuring.”To further facilitate effective leadership of the public service,

government has completed a review of skills and levels of com-petence within the Senior Management Service.

But in addition to this, plans are afoot to fill gaps, in the pub-lic service, where they exist.

It is against this background, therefore, that issues of ratio-nalisation and repositioning of the public service to better ful-fil its developmental mandate, form the core of issues beingdiscussed in the current edition of Service Delivery Review.

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F r o m t h e E d i t o r ’ s D e s k S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

Revitalising the Public Service to help the

State fulfil its Developmental Mandate

Fred Khumalo

SDR vol 4 no 1 2004 4/22/05 10:50 AM Page 2

SDR vol 4 no 1 2004 4/22/05 10:50 AM Page 3

The Conversations is indeed a rare opportunity for us to gettogether. The lack of integration between the various struc-tures of government as well as, quite ironically, within the

clusters and portfolios is a point of great concern as it has farreaching negative implications on service delivery. Telkom andthe Post Office for instance belong to one portfolio; one is com-mercially driven while the other is run along service deliverylines. We owe it to the people of this country to rid the portfolioof such differences so that it can effectively fulfil its role of deliv-ering services.

During the first Conversations in Parys, in the Free State, inDecember 2002 when the curtain was about to fall on our firstdecade of democracy we had to reflect on our past, that is, onhow we did what, our successes and failures. The focus was onwhether the state was properly set up to competently fulfil itsfunctions.

That considered, now our main concern is whether we func-tion in a coordinated and integrated way. Faced with all sorts ofchallenges and sometimes underperformance, one is tempted toput up the usual “lack of resources” outcry. While that may betrue, we have to consider whether those resources at our dispos-al are optimally used.

Guy Peters in his monograph Managing Horizontal Govern-ments — the Politics of Coordination quite relevantly stated that:“The administrative holy grail of coordination and horizontali-ty is one of the perennial quests for the practitioners of govern-ment from the time of the separation of government structuresinto departments, ministries and analogue organisations therehave been complaints that one organisation does not know whatanother is doing and that the programme are contradictory,redundant or both. The fundamental problem of coordinationhas been exacerbated by the growth of a structural elaboration ofmodern government, but the coordination problem appearsendemic to all large organisations or collections of organisationswhether public or private.”

Let me now turn my attention to another important issue, i.e.the complex structural landscape of public service activity. TheSouth African public sector has experienced significant structur-al changes over the past decade — firstly its arrangement intothree spheres, and of course the division of the country into nineprovinces. However, the state that the local sphere of govern-ment is in leaves much to be desired.

On the one hand, we need to acknowledge that significant

4

L e t t e r f r o m T s h w a n e S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi

Time to Break out of Comfort Zones

In this abridged version of her welcome speech delivered at the South African Public

Management Conversations, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, Minister of Public Service

and Administration, urges senior management in the public service to think about

integrated planning that will prevent the syndrome of thinking and acting in “silos”

SDR vol 4 no 1 2004 4/22/05 10:50 AM Page 4

strides were made to simplify this sphere. Amongst other things,we can mention the reduction of the number of localities, con-sidering the implications of aligning conditions of service acrosslocal government and between local and provincial and nation-al or local government and the public service. We need a seam-less government while conditions of service of officials across thesphere are realigned where people would consider themselves asbeing part of the public service rather than being part of a par-ticular job in a narrow sense. On the other hand, whilst trying toadvance greater integration there is simultaneously significantpressure to decentralise and to localise even further.

Then of course there is the whole issue of the many publicentities in the country. Government is conducting an extensivereview of public entities with numerous debates being thrownaround. Topical issues in this regard include the role of publicentities in development, corporate governance, the question ofconditions of service, remuneration, whether collective bargain-ing should be governed more centrally if it has to, etc. Publicentities, and of course public enterprises, undoubtedly play avery critical role in realising the policy anddevelopmental agenda of the government.However, their role and impact have to bereviewed.

The service delivery loop also includesthe private sector, and the non-govern-mental organisations. All these structureshave a very significant role to play inbuilding the developmental state andwhether they would succeed in thatdepends largely on high-level coordina-tion and integration.

Lack of coordination and integrationamongst these structures leads to seriousschisms. It is widely known that in publicadministration one’s turf has always beenan important source of individual andorganisational power. It is an imperativethat government keeps the initiative toguard against this phenomenon. Govern-ment’s service deliverymandate requires well-established and sustainable partnershipsthat can work together.

Usually one does not support the tendency to uncritically trans-fer anything from anywhere, least of all from north to south.However, one has to be mindful of the critical gains that othershave made elsewhere around these issues. After all it is aboutlearning and being willing to experiment with new things tohopefully improve one’s situation. In their report published in2001 on the challenge of integrated governance in a new institu-tional landscape, the Canadians list five important aspects worthsharing.

First off they acknowledge the existence of a broad range ofstructural solutions that can be applied to improve integrationThe critical challenge is finding a viable solution for a particulartask at a given time in its life cycle.

Secondly, although structural arrangements can either facili-tate or impede initiatives for greater integration, the human fac-tor is the primary determinant for successful integration. TheCanadians acknowledge aspects such as solid leadership, teambuilding, linking cultures, sharing responsibility and buildingtrust as a critical combination of factors fundamental to theirsuccess. Also important is the question of attitudes. With theirattitudes people can make it happen or destroy everything. Thisundoubtedly highlights the significance of the so-called softerissues in organisational development.

The third factor is about the importance of a shared frame-work that promotes shared goals and results that translate good-will and teamwork interaction. Significantly, this serves to giveshape and purpose to the endeavour of integrating activities.

The fourth factor emphasises the need for the accountabilityconundrum to be addressed. Performance evaluation systemsthat narrowly focus on the subunit objectives and mandatesrather than against the overall societal goals that government hascould be misleading and biased.

And last on the list is breaking away fromisolationism. The momentum of integratinginitiatives is not sustained naturally by a sys-tem that is accustomed to operating in verticalsilos. Since 1999, government has committeditself politically and otherwise to consciouslybreaking out of silos. However, one has toacknowledge that we have barely scratchedthe surface. The natural tendency when facedwith difficulties is for people to revert into thesafety of their silos. We need knowledgeableleaders and champions that will successfullydrive the processes. Also fundamental is acommitment to continuous learning and solidcommunication assisting in changing thesocial culture.

In conclusion, let me challenge you to striveto make a meaningful contribution to ournational endeavour to think critically about

these pertinent issues. Just a short word about one of our esteemed colleagues who

has sadly passed on. Those of us who were in Parys wouldremember Mr Gordon Draper. A dedicated colleague, politi-cian, practitioner and academic of high standing, Gordon passedaway shortly after he did some training in South Africa. Gordonwas one of those very special people that would if he were partof us with his clarity of thought in a very decisive manner giveexpression to complex ideas. Gordon never spared the last atomin his energy in pursuing his noble ambition to find solutions tomany challenges and problems we confront in this country andin the Commonwealth at large.

Our diversity as practitioners, academic, civil society etc. isconversely our advantage and strength. As a group, we will beable to generate a wealth of experience and valuable knowledgethat will enrich the discussions and ultimately help government

L e t t e r f r o m T s h w a n e

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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

Government’s service delivery

mandate requires

well-establishedand sustainable

partnerships that can work

together

SDR vol 4 no 1 2004 4/22/05 10:50 AM Page 5

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S M S C o n f e r e n c e S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

Bridging the Gap Between Two

Economies: A PublicService Response

Reneva Fourie and Thami

Ngqunguwana give an

overview of issues tackled at

a recent SMS conference,

particularly highlighting the

role of senior service

management, and the State

as a whole, in the second

decade of democracy

During its election campaign in2004, the African NationalCongress committed to halving

poverty and unemployment by the year2014. When the political party won the2004 national elections with an over-whelming majority, the state was taskedwith meeting this commitment. Presi-dent Mbeki, in his opening address to thethird democratic Parliament, outlined aprogramme of action detailing how gov-ernment will meet commitments madein the election manifesto.

Senior managers of the public serviceare instrumental in driving the imple-mentation of the programme outlined bythe President; hence it was appropriatethat a gathering of the senior manage-ment service (SMS) be convened toobtain clarity on the role of the state inthe second decade of democracy. Thetheme of the conference for the SMS,which took place at the InternationalConvention Centre in Cape Town from20-22 September, was “Building a devel-

opmental state: bridging the gapbetween two economies: a public serviceresponse”.

Occurring at a pensive moment in thehistory of our country, where the demo-cratic government’s performance overthe past decade is under critical review,the conference sought to locate theresponsibilities and actions of seniormanagers within government’s broaderdevelopmental agenda. Conference wasaddressed by a plethora of senior leader-ship including the Deputy President,Ministers and Premiers, creating a plat-form for the sharing of ideas and infor-mation on how to build a developmentalstate in the second decade of democracyand the role of SMS in pursuing thatobjective.

The three days were informative anddemanding, providing a clear under-standing of our socio-economic trajecto-ry and highlighting the responsibility ofcivil servants in advancing that trajecto-ry. Provincial and international case

SDR vol 4 no 1 2004 4/22/05 10:50 AM Page 6

S M S C o n f e r e n c e

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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

studies were explored, emphasising thatit is possible to manage our key develop-mental challenges and create a publicservice environment where people nolonger feel humiliated and degraded buttake pleasure in visiting a governmentoffice.

Sketching the socio-economictrajectoryFundamental to understanding the roleof the state, was the necessity to under-stand the character of the state.Members of the executive consistentlycharacterised South Africa as a develop-mental, activist state, making it clear thatthe state has a responsibility to activelytackle poverty, joblessness and economicinequality.

Minister of Finance, Trevor Manuel, indefining the role of the developmentalstate, referred to Sen’s definition in whichremoving poverty and tyranny was key.This definition included expanding eco-nomic opportunities, fighting social dep-rivation, and providing public facilitiesand services to the poor. MinisterMoleketi highlighted that development isabout improving the quality of life, andabout equity and justice.

The general message from all speakerswas that the state had a duty to grow aneconomy, which modernised productiveforces and redefined productive rela-tions, including gender relations. Thegaps brought about by distributive gov-ernance were recognised and the needfor improved and strengthened inter-governmental relations was emphasised.It was further noted that the budget of adevelopmental state should balanceaddressing poverty and deprivation, andexpanding economic opportunities forall citizens.

Mr Joel Netshitenzhe, head of GCIS,in his overview of government’s per-formance over the past decade, reportedthat much has been achieved, particular-ly with regard to creating macroeconom-ic stability and strengthening interna-tional relations, thereby providing a solidplatform for economic growth. NationalTreasury statistics illustrated that theconsistently expansionary budget has

resulted in government spending almostR60 billion or about a fifth of the budgeton direct transfers to households.

If indirect transfers to households suchas free basic water and electricity, busand train subsidies, health care, educa-tion and housing subsidies and landtransfers are added, then spendingamounts to almost 70% of the budget.Although the democratic governmentboasts many successes, the pace of deliv-ery is not adequate and many gapsremain. The role of public servants in adevelopmental state needs to be rede-fined in order to meet government’sdevelopmental objectives.

The role of public servantsConference speakers accentuated thatthe programme for the next five years isdemanding. The effective implementa-tion of the programme required civil ser-vants that are professional, skilled, ade-

quately remunerated, but humble. Civilservants in a developmental state are ser-vants of the people, champions of thepoor and downtrodden and not self-serving individuals that seek onlyadvancement on the career ladder. “Thepoor are our masters,” said Minister ofSocial Development, Dr Zola Skweyiya.

Speakers stressed that responses to thebasic requests of the public must be cre-ative and swift. They stated that seniormanagers have a responsibility to ensurethat the quality of service given to thepoor is commensurate with the moneyspent and more. Failure to translate thenoble ideas of the developmental stateinto action and poor management ofhuman and other resources should beregarded as failing the poor.

Speakers also noted that addressing thegap between the first and secondeconomies is not purely a socio-economicissue; it also has a human factor. Theyappealed that public servants never losesight of our people and their dreams. Theimportance of caring, interested andresponsive managers that embraced thespirit of Batho Pele and the need to com-pliment our skills with the necessary val-ues and attitudes were emphasised.Conference called for civil servants to bedevelopmental activists and championsof people-centered development. Povertyand deprivation was pinned as theenemy; skills, professionalism and humil-ity were identified as the key weapons.

ConclusionThe resources dedicated to the confer-ence were resources well applied. Whilstthe extent to which the messages thatwere conveyed at conference will beassimilated is an individual choice, con-ference provided a solid frameworkfrom which senior managers can oper-ate. It remains imperative, however, thatthe public holds government account-able. Public servants are servants of thepeople. By monitoring the implementa-tion of government’s programme ofaction and reporting poor delivery andcorruption, we will all contribute tobuilding an effective developmentalstate. •

Occurring at apensive moment inthe history of ourcountry, where the democratic

government’s performance overthe past decade is under critical

review, the conference sought

to locate theresponsibilities andactions of seniormanagers within

government’sbroader

developmentalagenda

SDR vol 4 no 1 2004 4/22/05 10:50 AM Page 7

8


Deputy President Urges Senior Public Service Managers to

make Batho Pele work

It is an honour and privilege for me tointeract with our country’s senior man-agers from various government

departments this evening. Only a fewmonths ago, President Mbeki outlined aProgramme of Action with very tightdelivery deadlines, which gave manyPublic Service senior managers sleeplessnights. The programme outlines veryclearly that the main focus of govern-ment in this second decade of freedom, isto accelerate the pace of service delivery,eradicate poverty and create jobsthrough interventions in the secondeconomy.

For government to meet these strategicobjectives, there is a need for the PublicService to function more smoothly. Yourconference is therefore crucial as it pro-vides an opportunity for our senior man-agers to review progress and chart theway forward with regards to executingtheir responsibility of implementing theProgramme of Action.

There are a number of issues that areimportant to members of the SeniorManagement Service. Key among theseis the issue of the transformation of the

public sector, not only in terms of race,gender or disability, but also regardingthe manner in which services are deliv-ered to the public. Through the BathoPele programme, government began animportant process of changing focus andattitudes, to make public servants regardmembers of the public as key customerswho deserve excellent, efficient andcourteous service.

You are aware that one of the weak-nesses identified in the Ten Year Reviewwas the poor involvement of senior man-agers in the monitoring and implemen-tation of the Batho Pele principles. Wetrust that you have already worked outplans for correcting this oversight, as werely on you as senior managers to ensurethat the entire public service incorporatesBatho Pele in daily work.

We also rely on you to ensure thatmembers of the public are aware of theseprinciples for information on what typeof service they are entitled to and how todemand redress if they have been treatedunfairly. Therefore, constant internalmonitoring and evaluation is important,as we need to know how well or how

In his address to a recent

SMS Conference in Cape

Town, Deputy President

Jacob Zuma said

government depended

on senior managers in

the public service to turn

the principles of

development to reality,

to benefit ordinary

South Africans

SDR vol 4 no 1 2004 4/22/05 10:50 AM Page 8


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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

badly we are doing, proactively from ourown assessment, and not only throughthe media or public complaints.

There are a number of easy yardstickswe could use in assessing ourselves. Forexample, in clinics and hospitals, are allSouth Africans treated with respect andcourtesy by medical professionals andadministrative staff who are wearingnametags that make them easily identifi-able? At other service departments suchas police services, home affairs, schools,social development and welfare offices,municipal offices, are citizens receivedpolitely, their enquiries dealt withrespectfully and with great speed?

We would know we have a trans-formed civil service if members of thepublic no longer feel humiliated ordegraded when dealing with public ser-vants, and when they look forward tovisiting a government office instead ofresenting this necessity.

Previous Senior Management Serviceconferences have dealt with the crucialissues of ensuring that governmentmoves beyond policy formulations toeffective implementation. Last year’sconference also dealt with the issue ofintegrating government services in theform of Multi Purpose CommunityCentres (MPCCs). These centres areamong the most innovative programmesthis government has introduced, andmakes practical our vision of bringinggovernment to the people.

The challenge in this aspect is to ensurethat all our MPCCs are fully functional,and that all the key government depart-ments which are supposed to constitutethem are actually participating in them.In addition, we are all aware of the needto streamline government operations toensure that there is no duplication, inview of the scarcity of resources and theneed to be comprehensive and cohesivein what we do. It is within this contextthat we encourage the utilisation of clus-ter systems as the correct way of imple-menting and monitoring governmentprogrammes.

The cooperation that exists betweengovernment departments at this level isimportant, and must be strengthened and

permeate all government departments.We are also closely monitoring the trans-formation that is taking place in order toensure that electronic governmentprocesses are in place.

Coupled with this is the issue ofCommunity Development Workers. Weare heartened by the progress that has

been made so far to ensure that we utilisethese officials in delivering services to thepeople. We appreciate the role that seniormanagers are playing to realise this goal.

Ladies and gentlemen, as governmentwe have realised that government alonecannot meet all the objectives we havearound service delivery, job creation andpoverty eradication, hence we encouragePublic Private Partnerships. We wel-come the participation of big business inhelping us meet our objectives.

We urge senior managers to play theirrole in exploring new partnershipsbetween government and business, forthe betterment of the lives of the peoplewe serve.

This conference takes place in themidst of the dispute around wages in thepublic service, which is in the process ofbeing resolved. As government weregard public servants as a vital compo-nent of government and our most valu-able resource. That is why we havealways been keen to find a solution, andwe hope for a speedy resolution of thismatter so that we can all return to per-forming our tasks of serving the publicwithout distraction.

Ministers, director generals, seniormanagers, I cannot finish this addresswithout acknowledging the dedicationand hard work of many public servicesenior managers. Many of you work longhours daily, seven days a week if needsbe, in order to meet the deadlines toimprove access to a better life for all.

We congratulate you on this commit-ment, especially as we are aware of thestrain it puts on your family lives. Wealso thank your families for putting upwith such demanding schedules. Wehope that sooner than later we will passthis difficult phase of seeking to urgentlyimprove the lives of our people who havesuffered for so long. We will then be ableto leave our desks at 4.30pm each day,and go home to relax, not to continueworking until the early hours of themorning!

Ladies and gentlemen, I wish you all asuccessful conference, as you deliberatearound the crucial issues that face ourcountry •

We would know wehave a transformed

civil service if members of the

public no longer feelhumiliated when

dealing with publicservants, and whenthey look forward tovisiting a government

office instead of resenting this

necessity

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10


It is fitting that the proposed dialogueand deliberations in this year’s SMSconference be rooted in the perspective

that the state as understood a develop-mental state, is an important vehicle forbridging the divide between the twoeconomies.

In recent years there has been muchdebate about the role of the state in soci-ety. Neo-liberal opinion would have usbelieve that the state must not interferewith the workings of the market, thatthe market has a tendency towards self-correcting “equilibrium” and that theoperation of the market produces thebest results for society as a whole. In hisaddress to the Progressive GovernanceConference in London in July last year,President Thabo Mbeki challenged theseassumptions:

“Capital has no soul ... the life impera-tive of capital is profit maximisation ...Thus ‘the market’ becomes the great lev-eller, the cold, dispassionate and undis-criminating instrument for the achieve-ment of the goal of human equality, giv-ing an equal possibility to all to succeed

or fail. The neo-liberal/conservativepolitical ideology therefore proposes...[that] the market must be given freereign to operate as it will.”

President Mbeki added that “the poordo not present themselves as an appro-priate object of attention by capital,whose inner logic is the maximisation ofprofit”. Clearly then, capital, left to itsown devices, will ignore the poor. Theinequalities in our society will not be cor-rected by the operation of the market.The inclination of the market will ratherbe to make inequality more pronouncedby increasing the divide between the richand the poor. It is only the state that canintervene to ensure that poverty andinequality are addressed.

Inequality in our country is epitomisedby the phenomenon of two economies.The first economy is modern, producesthe bulk of our country’s wealth and isintegrated with the global economy. TheSecond Economy is characterised byunderdevelopment, contributes little tothe GDP and incorporates the poorest ofour urban and rural poor. It is structural-

Building aDevelopmental State: A Public

Service Response

The Hon Geraldine

Fraser-Moleketi, Minister

for Public Service and

Administration, told a

recent SMS Conference

that in its third term of

democracy, government

has outlined an

ambitious set of

programmes aimed at

increasing employment,

reducing poverty and

equality, and improving

the quality of life of the

citizens in order to bring

about the realisation of a

developmental state

SDR vol 4 no 1 2004 4/22/05 10:50 AM Page 10


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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

ly disconnected from both the first andglobal economies and is incapable of self-generated growth and development.

The Second Economy is the productof a “peculiar form of capitalism” inher-ited from the apartheid era, which“turned the African majority into a land-less, propertyless, disenfranchised,unskilled labouring class”. This state ofaffairs has been exacerbated by the factthat the economy has since the 1980sneeded fewer and fewer unskilled work-ers. Therefore “this reservoir of cheaplabour now overflows with the unem-ployed, the indigent, the old and the veryyoung”. Add to this the phenomenon ofmassive migration from rural to urbanareas, which means that poverty is nolonger confined to the rural areas.

In its assumption of power, govern-ment has undertaken to nomalise thissituation and turn south Africa into adevelopmental state. The concept of thedevelopmental state is not new. It isenshrined in our Constitution — whichmakes it not the creation of this govern-ment but an imperative from the societyfor current and future generations. Theobligation of building the developmentalstate is thus also not only a matter ofchoice or of government policy, it is avalue that society has established, and anexpectation that the whole of societyholds regarding its public administrationsystem.

Naturally, people hold different per-spectives on what the developmentalstate really stands for, particularly at adeeper level. However, in my mind thereseems to be some consensus that a devel-opmental state simply implies a state thathas the capacity to intervene in societyand the economy to secure the “commongood” What constitutes this “commongood” makes up the actual mandate thatthose in government have, according toour Manifesto, been given an over-whelming responsibility to implement.

Within the ANC we also have awealth of policy to draw on. In “TheState, Property Relations and SocialTransformation”, the developmentalstate is specifically defined in the tradi-tion of the liberation movement.

“Development is about improvingquality of life; it is about equity and jus-tice.” The RDP document defines devel-opment in terms of a growing economyin which redistribution is a critical ele-ment ... It includes the preservation anddevelopment of human resources in theform of skills-training, job-creation andthe provision of education, health servic-

es, infrastructure, an adequate socialsecurity system, and so on. It is also aboutdemocracy and popular participation.

“A developmental state should befounded on the principles of democracy,justice and an abiding culture of humanrights — conditions which afford peoplenot only the right to benefit from theactivities of the state, but also to takeactive part in improving their lives ...”

In its third term of democracy, govern-ment has outlined an ambitious set ofprogrammes aimed at increasingemployment, reducing poverty andequality, and improving the quality oflife of the citizens.

These, including detailed targets andtimeframes, were announced by thePresident in his State of the NationAddress in May. Collectively, all theseoutputs have been consolidated into aProgramme of Action for Governmentand can be viewed on the Governmentwebsite.

Government is, as a result of thisinformation, subjected to enormouspressure to deliver. We are required toopenly account for our performance. Itake this as a positive pressure, whichwill improve government efficiency andspur us on to even greater achievements.To strengthen the first economy we areraising the rate of investment for job cre-ation through infrastructure develop-ment. We are facilitating broad-basedBlack Economic Empowerment whichalso benefits communities, workers andsmall businesses.

In a recent article on affirmativeaction, Loyiso Mbabane quotes formerUS President Lyndon Johnson, whosaid, “There is nothing as unequal as theequal treatment of unequals.” It is forthis reason that the Constitution ofSouth Africa includes “measures to pro-tect or advance persons, or categories ofpersons” who have been “disadvantagedby unfair discrimination”, as part andparcel of the right to equality.

Left to its own devices the market can-not be trusted to promote the advance-ment and empowerment of those previ-ously disadvantaged by racism. Thedevelopmental state must take proactive

The developmentalstate should be

seen as an enabler of growth,

employment, human resource

development andsocial upliftment,amongst others

SDR vol 4 no 1 2004 4/22/05 10:50 AM Page 11

12


steps to correct the imbalances of thepast.

What duties does this impose on thesenior management service?

Clearly, all managers procure andappoint staff, to varying degrees.Therefore they have a duty to put theseprinciples into practice in their everydaywork, especially by building in criteriafor evaluation that will promote theadvancement of the previously disadvan-taged in society.

To boost the second economy govern-ment is creating one million jobsthrough the Expanded Public WorksProgramme over the next five years. Atthe same time we are retaining andstrengthening the welfare safety net toaddress the poverty and inequality in oursociety.

However, may I emphasise that theseinterventions in society and in the econo-my are not intended to turn citizens intopassive recipients of benefits and servic-es. Citizens of a state that is on a develop-mental path have a responsibility to takeactive part in improving their own livesand realising their full potential, as theConstitution requires.

The developmental state should beseen as an enabler of growth, employ-ment, human resource development andsocial upliftment, amongst others.

The “People’s Contract”, which isembodied in the ANC Manifesto, con-tains our undertakings to the people forthe next five years. We aim to unite all ofsociety in partnership around our devel-opment initiatives. An important ele-ment of the realisation of the People’sContract is citizen participation in gov-ernance and service delivery.

I would like to cite a number of initia-tives that are designed to ensure that thepeople of this country are jointlyengaged in our efforts to improve thelives of the poor. First to come to mind isthe Imbizo programmes that PresidentMbeki has initiated to ensure that thecountry’s top leadership hears about theconcerns of ordinary people in SouthAfrica. A strict account is kept of therequests and complaints that are madeby citizens. Managers in the public serv-

ice have a responsibility to follow theseup swiftly, to ensure the credibility of theforum and government as a whole.

That is why we make a concertedeffort at the level of local government toensure that there are numerous avenuesof participation for ordinary people. Allmanagers should be reflecting on theirarea of work and determining whatpartnerships are required, with the pri-vate sector, or civil society, or otherspheres of government.

Government must be informed of theneeds of the people, and the people mustbe given an opportunity to take an activepart in improving their lives and realis-ing their full potential.

Another way that government hassought to strengthen its linkage commu-nities is to establish a cadre of communi-ty development workers. Their task is togather information on the citizens’ needsand channel it to line function depart-ments and the municipalities so thatappropriate services can be deliveredwhere they are most needed. The CDWswill also provide information on thosegovernment services that are readilyavailable.

The President’s Imbizos have revealedthat a significant percentage of the peo-ple in poor urban and rural communitiesare not even aware of the services andbenefits that they are entitled to as citi-zens. The CDWs would act as facilita-tors to ensure that government is accessi-ble to the people; and that government isproperly informed about the needs onthe ground.

CDWs are unique public servants inthat they will be expected to engage withgovernment departments and munici-palities. Managers in the public servicemust respond to requests from CDWs,to ensure that the intelligence gatheredfrom the citizens is incorporated intogovernment’s delivery efforts.

To deliver on the People’s Contract wemust have a public service that adheresto the principles of Batho Pele. Cabinethas recently adopted a set of cost-freemeasures to facilitate the mainstreamingand revitalisation of Batho Pele. Part ofthis programme involves extending

Batho Pele to local government whereactual service delivery is taking place.

The call from the public is for countersto be staffed during lunch hours, whichfor many working people is the onlyavailable time in the day to visit govern-ment offices. This of course means thatofficials must take their breaks before orafter the ordinary lunch hour. These arecommonsense approaches that can makea big difference in the way that the pub-lic experiences public service delivery.

These solutions fall within the realmof devolved management responsibility.Every manager should be a problem-solver.

We are asking departments to improvethe signage inside and outside theiroffices, providing key information onservices, hours of business and other vitalinformation. We are also asking alldepartments to ensure that public ser-vants on the front line wear name-tags atall times while on duty. There is no doubtthat this will sharpen performance, as thepublic will have a name to add to a com-plaint of poor service. These measureshave been introduced primarily for thepositive impact they make on the publicrather than to police public servants.

However public servants need to beprofessional in managing “service-userrelations”. Records should be kept on thenumber of cases attended to per day, thenumber of complaints received and howsoon these were attended to. This infor-mation will shed some light on the kindsof complaints and queries we receive andmost importantly how these are solved.

An agreement has been reached withmembers of the national and provincialexecutives and Public ServiceCommissioners to visit service deliverycentres, to talk to people in the queues, togauge the level of satisfaction regardingservice delivery and toact accordingly.However, this is not done to police pub-lic servants. Members of the SeniorManagement Service would also have tospend some time in service delivery cen-tres and institutions, not as inspectors butas co-workers. This would expose them,as drafters of policies in central and linedepartments, to the realities associated

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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

with delivering services on the ground.This intervention, which we call the SMSService Delivery Challenge, will givemanagers first-hand experience of theservice delivery challenges our frontlineofficials face every day.

In their own workplaces managersmust lead by example, especially by put-ting into practice the principles of BathoPele. Batho Pele is not just a policy onpaper: it is a mindset geared towards bet-ter service delivery and enhanced devel-opment.

It is for social and economic develop-ment that government established theSenior Management Service. The SMSlevel in the public service is an effort bygovernment to enhance leadership andmanagement, and to develop a pool of peo-ple who will lead and guide in the plan-ning, redesigning, reconstruction andinnovation in carrying out the mandate ofgovernment.

This overarching purpose might havebeen lost to many, as the initial reforms inestablishing the SMS were gearedtowards improving and modernisingremuneration and conditions of service.The question we have to ask ourselves is:Is there a relationship between theimproved incentives for senior managersand the overall performance of the state?There are some who would suggest thatperhaps the opposite is true. That is, theSMS dispensation has done nothing morethen intensify an ethos where senior offi-cials view themselves as an “elite group-ing” who are valuable as an “end”, ratherthan a means to an end.

I hope that you will, through your con-duct and performance, demonstrate thatthis is not the case; and that we have acore of high performing senior managerswho are rooted in society, and who serveto empower and energise all public ser-vants in the delivery process.

Whilst you focus on establishing your-selves as part of a community of seniormanagers, don’t lose site of the fact that,without having demonstrable value, soci-etal and political support for the conceptof an SMS will be lost in which case, theSMS would be part of the problem andnot a solution.

Government, must reap the rewards ofa transformed system, with capable SMSofficials who have appropriate levels ofauthority. With the authority that comeswith being a member of the SMS, shouldbe the recognition that managing goesbeyond “attending meetings and confer-ences” and “signing the submissions” ofmiddle managers. The SMS mustdemonstrate real value and not just be anadded — and may I add, costly — layerin the bureaucracy. Many will agree withthe argument that many members of theSMS are merely “penpushers” who addvery little or no real value to the work ofthose in the frontline of delivery.

Some people might argue that govern-ment can possibly afford to trim down itslayer of management without any dam-age as much of the real work is done bypeople at the level of Deputy Director andlower. Many mangers would obviouslydisagree with this perspective and refutethat with a long list of areas where theyadd value.

Nevertheless, it is not me you have toconvince; it is the larger public and thejunior officials involved in direct delivery

because it is they who are often most scep-tical as regards the real value of seniormanagers in government. As you wellknow, scepticism cannot be changed byarguments; it is best changed by demon-stration.

For this, the value of having an SMSlayer has to be experienced consistently atthe point of delivery and not just in meet-ings and on paper. We must guard againstthe temptation of believing that the peo-ple who speak the loudest at meetings andconferences, or those who generatepapers, are capable and adding value.Real value, as you all know, is bestdemonstrated in the form of active deliv-ery in more houses, better health, excel-lent education and a growing economy.

As we focus on this challenge to theSMS, we need to be mindful that at theend of our conferences there should be alink between the deliberations that havetaken place here and active delivery. Thisconference, excluding direct conferenceand accommodation charges, will costover R2 million. This, just for the time ofsenior officials attending the conference.We therefore need to demonstrate value-add after the conference through ourfindings and resolutions.

I have been emphasising the need forvalue-add on the part of the SeniorManagement Service because the SeniorManagement Service is not an entitle-ment. It is an opportunity to serve thepeople, using skills of leadership andmanagement, of policy and implementa-tion for the benefit of all South Africans.

While the developmental state musthave the capacity to intervene in society,we as agents of the state must also havethe will to intervene to make a differencein people’s lives.

Our daily duty should be to build abridge between the divide that separatesthe first and second economies.

Our objective is a state founded on theprinciples of democracy, justice and anabiding culture of human rights, wherecitizens not only benefit from state inter-ventions in their interest, but are alsoempowered to take an active part inimproving their own lives and realisingtheir full potential. •

The SMS level in the public service

is an effort by government to

enhance leadershipand management,

and to develop a poolof people who will

lead and guide in the planning,

redesigning, reconstruction and

innovation in carryingout the mandate of

government

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14


Budgeting Challenges in the

Developmental State

In the history of a nation, very few peo-ple get to be part of the process ofdefining the development path of the

country at its birth. I cannot think of amore exciting time to be a civil servant,to be a senior manager in a public servicemaking a meaningful impact on the livesof our people.

This privilege, however, comes withhuge responsibility and equally hugeexpectations. You (as senior managersgathered here) carry the hopes anddreams of a nation. You stand at the coal-face of a struggle that is immense, chal-lenging and fraught with difficulties.For this reason, the responsibility youbear goes far beyond what senior civilservants in most countries have to con-tend with.

Your job is not an easy one. The peo-ple of South Africa expect nothing butthe best performance from their civil ser-vants. They expect you to deliver on thepromises and policies we politiciansmake, the policies that they have votedfor in their millions. I’m sure, for all ofyou, this challenge is a daunting one.

Budgeting in a developmental stateBefore going on to talk about the chal-lenges faced in budgeting in a develop-mental state, perhaps we need to establishwhat a developmental state actually is. Dowe all share one understanding of what adevelopmental state is? Do we all haveone view of the developmental mandateof this government? Are we galvanizedby a single vision for our country? And, ifwe have that single vision, is it under-pinned by a common set of values?

The idea of the developmental state ismost closely associated with ChalmersJohnson and his seminal analysis ofJapan’s very rapid, highly successfulpostwar reconstruction and re-industri-alisation.

Johnson’s central contention was thatJapan’s quite remarkable and historicallyunparalleled industrial renaissance wasneither a fluke nor inevitable, but a con-sequence of the efforts of a developmen-tal state. A developmental state was onethat was determined to influence thedirection and pace of economic develop-

Minister of Finance,

Trevor Manuel, recently

addressed a Senior

Management Service

Conference in Cape Town at

which he states, among

other things, that the two

main thrusts of the budget of

a developmental state must

be how much the state

spends fighting poverty and

deprivation and how much

of the country’s resources

go towards expanding

the economic opportunities

of all its citizens.

This is an abridged version

of his address

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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

ment by directly intervening in thedevelopment process, rather than relyingon the uncoordinated influence of mar-ket forces to allocate resources. Thedevelopmental state took upon itself thetask of establishing substantive socialand economic goals with which to guidethe process of development and socialmobilisation. The most important ofthese goals, in Japan’s case, of course wasthe reconstruction of its industrial capac-ity, a process made easier by widespreadconsensus about the importance ofindustrial development.

However, in the latter half of the 20thcentury, the concept of the developmen-tal state evolved. Patrick Heller, directorof Brown’s Development StudiesProgramme, defines the developmentalstate as one that has been able to managethe delicate balance between growth andsocial development.

Amartya Sen, in his book Developmentas Freedom, says, “Development can beseen ... as a process of expanding the realfreedoms that people enjoy”. He goes onto say, “Development requires theremoval of major sources of unfreedom:poverty as well as tyranny, poor econom-ic opportunities as well as social depriva-tion, neglect of public facilities as well asintolerance or over-activity of repressivestates.”

In defining our concept of a develop-mental state, Sen’s concept of removingpoverty and tyranny is key; expandingeconomic opportunities and fightingsocial deprivation is critical and provid-ing public facilities and services to thepoor is paramount. Fundamentally, in adevelopmental state, civil servants areservants of the people, champions of thepoor and downtrodden. To the seniormanager in the public service, povertyand social deprivation are the enemy, theforces of reaction and elitism are thenemesis.

Being a senior civil servant in adevelopmental state In most developing countries, the seniorcivil service becomes a self-serving elite,interested only in their own welfare,their own empowerment and their own

bank balances. Because of the hugeincome inequality in many developingcountries, senior civil servants becomepart of the elite. They are well educated,have access to economic opportunities,receive a remuneration many times

greater than the average income in thecountry and become an obstacle tochange in society. Let me state unequiv-ocally that public service is a calling anda responsibility — it is a choice exercised.We choose to serve and accept that wewill be comfortable or, we enter the pri-vate sector in pursuit of wealth. We can-not do both!

In a developmental state, the civil ser-vant is professional, skilled, adequatelyrewarded but humble. Humility towardsthe poor is the greatest attribute of a civilservant. A leader who best espoused thesevalues in civil servants is also one of ourcontinent’s most accomplished civil ser-vants.

Julius Nyerere, the former presidentof Tanzania, better known as Mwalimu,or “teacher” to those not familiar withSwahili, embodied the values and char-acter of a humble civil servant, alwaysstriving to serve the poor, always tryingthe change the conditions of thoseexcluded from the economic opportuni-ties of the elite. In fact Minister Fraser-Moleketi, we should introduce an awardfor the senior manager who best embod-ies the spirit of a developmental state,and it should be called the Julius Nyerereaward.

The budget of a developmental stateIf the task of a developmental state is tofight poverty and expand economicopportunities for the poor, then thebudget of a developmental state mustreflect this in every respect. In my 2004Budget speech, I quoted JosephSchumpeter who said that the “publicfinances are one of the best startingpoints for an investigation of society. Thespirit of a people, its cultural level, itssocial structure, the deeds its policy mayprepare — all this and more, is writtenin its fiscal history.”

The budget must tell a story of the val-ues a society eschews. The two mainthrusts of the budget of a developmentalstate must be how much the state spendsfighting poverty and deprivation andhow much of the country’s resources gotowards expanding the economic oppor-

The two mainthrusts of the budgetof a developmentalstate must be how

much the statespends fighting

poverty and deprivation and howmuch of the country’s

resources gotowards expanding

the economic opportunities of all

its citizens

SDR vol 4 no 1 2004 4/22/05 10:51 AM Page 15

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tunities of all its citizens. The budget of adevelopmental state must balance thesetwo main pillars. If one dominates, thenthe outcome is likely to be a reinforce-ment of poverty in the long term.

In the direct assault on poverty, ourbudget shows one of the most extensivenon-contributory social security systemsin the developing world. We spendalmost R60 billion, or about a fifth of ourbudget, on direct transfers to households.These transfers include old age, disabili-ty and child grants, unemploymentinsurance payments, payments to victimsof road accidents and occupationalinjuries.

In total, almost nine million people,almost all of whom are poor, receivedirect transfers from Government. If weadd to this amount the indirect transfersto households such as free basic waterand electricity, bus and train subsidies,health care, education and housing sub-sidies, water systems and land transfers,we are now talking about almost 70% ofour budget. Except for education andhealth, the beneficiaries of all the otheritems I’ve listed are poor households.While not all education and healthspending goes to the poor, pro-poorfunding policies in these two areasmeans that we have one of the most pro-poor budgets in the world.

What areas of spending expand economic opportunitiesfor the poor? Here, our biggest investment is the edu-cation system. The main way in whichpeople improve their living standards isthrough improving their education, get-ting a job and investing in assets such ashousing and furniture. In South Africa,getting a good education is the differencebetween a life of comfort and a life ofstruggle.

Highly skilled people in South Africaearned an average of R8 906 a month in2002. Skilled people earned R2 554 amonth and unskilled people earned justR967 a month. People with a tertiarydegree earned an average of R12 692 amonth, those with matric R4 504 whilethose without matric R1 373 a month.

The rates of return to education for asociety are massive.

Improving the health profile of anation is a major contribution to theirability to get an education, earn anincome and invest in assets for their chil-dren. A poor health profile means thatpeople spend time and money on cura-tive means as opposed to working orinvesting in assets.

For many, economic opportunities arelimited because they live in dormitorytownships with few work opportunities,or worse still, in former homeland areaswhere enterprises are either small ornon-existent. Access to business areasand more specifically work opportuni-ties are a major “unfreedom” as Senwould put it. Providing public transportthat is safe and affordable to poor com-munities is a key ingredient in expand-ing economic opportunities.

Similarly, our road network, electrici-ty grid, water systems, telecommunica-tions network, even radio and news net-works, are all elements of a system tobroaden economic opportunities. Thecriminal justice system plays a role inprotecting the property rights of all citi-zens, but has the even more importantrole of protecting the poor and vulnera-ble from criminal elements in our midst.

Protecting the assets of everyone isimportant, but for the people with verylittle, protecting their assets, their hard-earned investments in modest householdpossessions is fundamental to ensuringthe well-being of the poor.

Now that I have outlined how almostevery element in our budget is designedeither to raise the living standards of thepoor directly, or indirectly through theprovision of services, or is designed toexpand economic opportunities for thepoor, let me go one level deeper.

Let me start with education. While wehave achieved much in improving accessto education for all children, even thepoorest, and we have dramaticallyaltered the spending pattern in favour ofpoor children, we must admit that onerand spent educating a child in the leafyJohannesburg suburbs does not buy thesame amount of quality education as one

rand spent in Alexandra or MitchellsPlain. To put it bluntly, the quality ofeducation, and therefore the economicopportunities that that education buys inthe suburbs, is far greater than in thetownships or in the former homelands.Why is this?

While poor and rich kids do not startschool with the same level of education,we, as senior civil servants and politicalprincipals, must admit that the quality ofteaching and learning materials in sub-urban schools is vastly better than intownship schools. While a significantproportion of human capital is trans-ferred from parents, and the physicalcondition of schools is a factor in deter-mining outcomes, the quality of teachingis probably the single biggest contribut-ing factor towards quality education.The management of our schools, ourschool districts, the management of pro-curement for textbooks and learningmaterials, the management of teacherappointments, of disciplinary hearingsall fall under the ambit of the publicservice management echelon. And inmany aspects of management, we arefailing the poor.

Sometimes there is evidence of con-flicting policy options. In these cases, thepoor almost always lose out. From a dis-cussion with a premier recently, I learntthat a province now realises that whilstthere are only three publishers produc-ing learner support materials, they hadopted for a BEE strategy which onreflection buys 20% fewer books forlearners. They have now opted to focuson maximising the quantity of booksthat they can purchase. The province istaking a decision which, in my view,favours the poor.

Similar stories can be told in healthcare, refuse removal, policing, court pros-ecutions or traffic enforcement. In manyareas of public service delivery, the quali-ty of services received by the poor are notgood enough relative to the money wespend. This, in most instances, is a man-agement failure. It is a failure of ourmanagement systems and of our man-agers. It is our collective failure.

If we are to translate the noble ideals

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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

of our developmental state, our manage-ment of our human and other resourcesmust improve. The challenges of budg-eting in a developmental state do notstop at the need to get money to theschool in Cofimvaba. The challenge is toensure that the money is translated intoqualified teachers, school books, water,electricity and sports equipment.

The challenge even goes further. It isto ensure that education that is relevantand of a high quality gets to the childrenin the school in Cofimvaba. This isindeed a tough challenge.

In investing in expanding economicopportunities, we also have to be mindfulthat we must invest both in the long-termability of societies to work, proper andinvest and more immediate means of rais-ing economic growth and employment.Often, investments in education and skillsdevelopment take generations to yield animpact. We also have to focus on theshorter-term measures to boost growth.

This requires careful regulation ofmarkets, investment in roads, ports andrail systems, research and developmentand expanding energy capacity. One ofthe criticisms of our present budget

framework is that we have not focusedsufficiently on ensuring that our stateenterprises are efficient, that our marketsare functioning without being burdenedby red tape, that we have the ports to takethe goods we make, roads that link theplaces of production with markets.

In yielding to Patrick Heller’s call tomanage the delicate balance betweengrowth and social development, myworry is that at the present time, we arestrong on social development, strong onlong-term human development, butweak on investing in economic growthin the medium term.

One of the key strategic decisions weneed to take in budgeting over the next

few years will be to improve the balancein our present budget structure, movingresources towards investing in economicgrowth and fostering the type of growththat can increase employment. It is notabout either/or. The challenge of budg-eting is not about all on social grants orall on road building, it is not about justspending on education versus spendingall our money on fixing the ports. It isabout managing this delicate balance.

Conclusion You as senior civil servants have a criticalrole to play in translating financialresources into real inputs. You have thetask of ensuring that these real inputslead to better quality education, animproved health profile and in the finalinstance, genuine empowerment of peo-ple to lift themselves out of poverty.

Please remember that your enemy ispoverty and deprivation, that your keyweapon is your skill and professionalismand that your modus operandi is yourhumility. You are, with us, custodians ofa value system that defines our objectiveas demonstrating every single day thatwe are a caring democracy. •

In South Africa, getting a good

education is the difference betweena life of comfort and

a life of struggle

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Ihave decided, in view of the schedule,to structure this presentation as a casestudy. I do this with some reservations

as you are all aware that the nationalsocial security agency is not only a workin progress, but also an institution thatwill be in its infancy for the next two orthree years.

The Ten Year Review correctly indi-cates that, “It is possible to argue that thesuccess or failure of government inachieving its developmental objectiveswill largely be determined by the appro-priateness of the institutional frameworkthat it creates.” In this regard, I hope thiscase study on the social security agencyhas a bearing on the subsequent discus-sions on constitutional evolution process-es and the macro organisation of thestate.

Background to the case studyFirstly it should be noted that the estab-lishment of the agency was a response toConstitutional imperatives. A funda-mental purpose of the Constitution is to

improve the quality of life of all our peo-ple, especially the most vulnerable. Socio-economic rights, including the right ofaccess to social security, are at the heart ofthis purpose. The Constitution thereforeimposes an obligation on the State to takereasonable measures to ensure the pro-gressive realisation of the right of access tosocial security within available resources.Concomitantly, the Constitution alsoenjoins government to ensure that servic-es are provided to all in an equitable anddignified manner.

I expect that students of public man-agement will be interrogating the casestudy on the significance, ramifications,and impact of the establishment of thesocial security agency for years to come.By establishing the national securityagency government is giving effect to therecommendation by the ChikaneCommission of 1996 that called for theestablishment of a nationally-organisedsocial security system.

The South African Social SecurityAgency marks the culmination of the

Towards a South African

Developmental State: Challenges Ahead

Dr ZST Skweyiya,

Minister of Social

Development, focuses on

government’s efforts of

moving South Africa from

a fragmented and

incoherent social security

system, to an integrated

national system that

improves the protection

of the most vulnerable

people in our society

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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

government’s efforts of moving SouthAfrica from a fragmented and incoherentsocial security system, to an integratednational system that improves the protec-tion of the most vulnerable people in oursociety. The fragmented spheres of juris-diction and institutional arrangementsthat we had in the past created loopholesfor fraudulent practices and led to parallellines of accountability for performancemanagement.

It is not a coincidence that this problemhas been particularly acute in certainprovinces. There continues to be wide dif-ferentials in the capabilities of the variousprovinces to provide social developmentservices. This uneven development is therationale for an asymmetrical policyapproach and a staggered implementationprogramme. Some of the key decisionpoints for analysis in this case study on thenational social security agency are thesequestions of asymmetric policy and stag-gered implementation.

Another point to be noted is that theestablishment of the national social securi-ty agency was in recognition of the factthat over the previous six years we had suc-ceeded in expanding the reach of our socialsecurity system, and the challenge now isto deliver high-quality services in a digni-fied manner. In addition to the issue ofquality services, we also have to ensure thatwe reduce the substantial leakages fromour social grant system by cutting down onthe levels of fraud and corruption.

I also expect that the case study on theestablishment of the South African SocialSecurity Agency will also be used as anentry point to examine the progress wehave made in the construction of a com-prehensive system of social security in ourcountry.

While significant progress has beenachieved in extending basic social assis-tance, there is still outstanding work thatneeds to be done to ensure that westrengthen contributory arrangements forcomprehensive social security. The mostimportant elements of this work are thefinalisation of negotiations between theNational Treasury and the Department ofHealth on Social Health Insurance, andthe development of an integrated imple-

mentation framework for Social HealthInsurance and the Road Accident Fund.

In terms of government’s programmeof action, these elements were scheduledto be completed by September 2004.

Related to this, government as a wholeneeds to do more research work toimprove our understanding of the compo-sition, value and distribution of the bene-fits of the social wage. The creation of anenhanced knowledge base for the target-ing of social policy will greatly improveour ability to address the challengesahead.

The concept of a developmentalstateBefore outlining the case study on theNational Social Security Agency, let’sbriefly focus on the concept of a “develop-mental state”. First off, it has to be notedthat different people give different mean-ings to the concept of a developmentalstate. This depends upon the specific his-torical conjuncture being considered andthe particular ideological perspectiveadopted. In addition, underlying each ofthe meanings are the primary social forcesand imperatives shaping public policy.

The adjective “developmental” focusesattention on processes rather than struc-tures. Recalling Amartya Sen’s influentialbook Development as Freedom, the term“developmental state” highlights the ethi-cal dimensions of economic and social pol-icy. The theme of this conference cantherefore be read as re-focusing our collec-tive attention on issues of poverty andsocial justice.

In whichever way the term is used, Iwould assert that in all instances the devel-opmental state is by definition open tocriticism of its policies and programme,responsive to stakeholder interests, andespecially attuned to the many weak voic-es speaking from the margins of socialexclusion.

The establishment of the NationalSocial Security Agency is an example ofthe developmental state acting in accor-dance with this mission with respect to aparticularly important constituency — thepoorest and most vulnerable members ofour society.

Much work is currently being done toimprove the reliability of government’sempirical knowledge about the depth andextent of poverty in our country.However, two statistics should make all of

The establishment ofthe national social

security agency was in recognition of thefact that over the previous six years

we had succeeded inexpanding the reachof our social security

system, and the challenge now is todeliver high-quality

services in a dignified manner

SDR vol 4 no 1 2004 4/22/05 10:51 AM Page 19

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us — politicians and public sector man-agers — pause and reflect upon thethresholds we use in determining access tosocial assistance and other basic services.These statistics are the Minimum LivingLevel for households and the medianannual income for individuals.

According to the Bureau of MarketResearch at Unisa, the Minimum LivingLevel in 2000 was R1 489 per month for ahousehold of 4.7 people. Using thisMinimum Living Level as a cut off point,approximately 17 million South Africans(38% of the total population) lived inpoverty in 2000. In March 2003, theMinimum Living Level for an urbanhousehold of 4.7 people was determinedto be R1 871 per month. The appropriate-ness of this posited minimum living can becontested.

However, it does provide a usefulmarker for examining public policy, espe-cially when seen in the context of themedian annual income for individuals inour country which in 2000 was R5 500.

Progress on the establishment ofthe national social security agencyThe establishment of the South AfricanSocial Security Agency is a Cabinet andCluster priority. Government has made acommitment that the agency will be oper-ational by April 2005. The legislativemandate of the agency is to manage,administer and deliver social grants tomore than eight million beneficiaries.Both the Social Assistance Act and the SASocial Security Agency Act, were passedlast year to provide the legislative frame-work for the establishment of the agency.This legislation provided the mandate forthe shifting of the function of social assis-tance delivery from the provincial depart-ments of Social Development to the SouthAfrican Social Security Agency.

To date the following tasks have beenconcluded:• Agreement on an implementation plan

and process design between the nation-al Minister of Social Development andthe MECs for Social Development inthe provinces;

• The establishment of a steering com-mittee and project teams consisting of

managers from the national and provin-cial departments of Social Develop-ment, National Treasury and theDPSA;

• The ring-fencing of resources devotedto social security in the provincialdepartments of Social Development;

• The development of norms and stan-dards for service delivery, and a servicedelivery model;

• The development of an informationtechnology plan;

• The development of policies and proce-dures for human resource management;

• The development of an organisationalstructure for both the headquarters andregional offices; and

• The procurement of accommodationfor the agency’s headquarters.

The establishment of the National SocialSecurity Agency is a hugely importantproject that directly impacts on the deliv-ery of vital services to citizens aimed pri-marily at addressing poverty. Further tothis, government devotes a substantial pro-portion of its budget to this programme.

As can be imagined, such a majorundertaking cannot be initiated or suc-cessfully concluded without the mobilisa-tion and continued support of familiesand communities across the length andbreath of our country. It requires the buy-in and unwavering support of formationsthat embody and express the people’s will.Both individually and collectively, itrequires from public servants at all levelsof government trust, a commitment toBatho Pele and sustained effort. In sum, itrequires political will and communityparticipation.

The establishment of the NationalSocial Security Agency was based on thecaution expressed in the Ten Year ReviewDiscussion Document: “Though economicpolicy processes have been sound, one ofthe key limitations in the implementationof economic policy has been the cost ofinstitution building. Institutions such assome of the small business agencies, theNational Empowerment Fund, theNational Development Agency, theUmsobomvu Fund, some of the SETAs,and many local government level eco-nomic agencies have taken a great deal of

time to become effective. Some key lessonsare that the cost of institution buildingshould not be underestimated, and that,where possible, new tasks should be incor-porated into the work existing successfulagencies.”

On 1 April 2005, when we submit ourprogress report on the establishment ofthe agency, much of the analysis of thecase will centre on decisions about processdesign, project management and institu-tion building.

But the challenges ahead for the devel-opmental state extend way beyond thesenarrow institutional matters.

As part of the process of creating theSouth African Social Security Agency, theCouncil of Social Development Ministersfrom the national and provincial spheresof government have committed them-selves to the speedy restructuring of theprovincial departments of Social Develop-ment. This restructuring is an opportuni-ty for provinces to respond to communitydemands for the enhanced provision ofsocial welfare services, sustainable liveli-hood interventions and programmes thatmitigate the socio-economic impact ofHIV and AIDS.

These services, interventions and pro-grammes have to take into account demo-graphic and macro social trends. Forinstance, the drop in the average size ofhouseholds between 1996 and 2001 thatresulted in an increase in the total numberof households in our country that wasthree times larger than the rate of popula-tion growth.

One of our most important tasks duringthe current term of government is to bet-ter understand the interactions betweenthese demographic and macro socialtrends and our various policy and pro-gramme interventions. We have to have abetter understanding of how these inter-actions impact the seven composite index-es developed and used in government’sTen Year Review (Infrastructure, Qualityof Life, Political Participation, EconomicParticipation, Economic Preparedness,Safety and Security, and Social Inclusion).

This task requires a substantial increasein the capacity of government and acade-mia to conduct social policy analysis,

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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

research and monitoring. We also have toensure that the resultant knowledge basisinforms policy reviews, programmedevelopment and decision making.

Both within our country, in the SADCregion and on the continent, a consensus isalso forming about the parallel impor-tance of having a social policy frameworkon par with and that articulates withmacro economic policy. Under the aus-pices of the African Union an expert panel

has begun work on formulating a com-prehensive and coherent African socialpolicy framework.

As outlined by the expert panel devel-oping a Social Policy Framework for thecontinent, the challenge is to respond tothe persistence of poverty and wide dis-parities in the quality of life, high levels ofunemployment, the adverse social effectsof market-based strategies of economicmanagement, disintegration of the social

fabric, misgivings about environmentaldegradation and pollution, and the insta-bility wrought by ethnic tensions, civilstrife and conflict.

The recently concluded ExtraordinarySummit of the African Union onEmployment and Poverty Alleviation inBurkina Fasso is further testimony to theparallel importance of having as socialpolicy framework on a par with and thatarticulates with macro economic policy.

My purpose in sketching a case study onthe establishment of the National SocialSecurity Agency was to provide a commonentry point and trajectory for the interro-gation of the challenges facing the devel-opmental state. Unfortunately, becausecase studies are analytical tools they do notin themselves provide closure on a particu-lar subject. I would therefore like to usethe organising principles of the ILO’s“Social Security of All” campaign to thisend in an attempt to summarise some ofthe key issues raised.Social Security ...A universal right for workers, their fami-lies and their communities.An essential means for creating socialcohesion.An indispensable part of governmentsocial policy.A powerful tool to prevent and alleviatepoverty.An instrument to achieve human dignity,equality and social justice.... a basic human right •

The establishment ofthe National SocialSecurity Agency is a

hugely importantproject that directly

impacts on the delivery of vital

services to citizensaimed primarily ataddressing poverty

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In considering the skills needs of adevelopmental state, I start with twopropositions.The first is that there are no universal

skills needs, and that these depend on thestage of development, and the chosen tra-jectory of the state. Just as there are dif-ferences between nations, in this countrythere are stark differences between thevarious provincial growth and develop-ment strategies — with very differentorientations in regard to economic andsocial development, and therefore also inregard to human development. This is agood thing.

Secondly, I hold that no skill is ever apermanent asset. Technologies change,and we have to as well. So whatever skillswe do develop, the most important is theskill to apply what we have learnt to newcontexts and situations. Lifelong learningis not a “nice to have”. It is an essentialcomponent of every working life, in thepublic service as much as in the commer-cial sphere.

These ideas may help to understandthe situation in South Africa, where the

most pervasive feature of every momentof life is indeed the existence of the twoeconomies.

The public service is not immune tothe divisions between these twoeconomies, and many government serv-ices tend to be delivered in one of twomodes. One is clean and efficient, usesnew technologies and has the necessaryresources, while others are dilapidated,uncared for and uncaring. Many publicservants, including teachers, strugglehard under the limitations of their situa-tions, and often make a huge difference,and we salute them. But in too manycases, they simply give up, and stay onwith only payday in mind.

Your job, as managers, is to know thedifference between those who are gen-uinely trying, but suffer a lack of capaci-ty, and those who simply don’t care. Youmust do so because it is the former groupwho are deserving of so much more fromall of you and your middle managers.From school principals to senior man-agers, I get letters of frustration at thepoor treatment they receive from their

Skills Requirementsfor a Developmental

State: A focus on Key Role-Players

Naledi Pandor, the Minister of

Education, in this abridged

version of her speech to a

recent SMS Conference

highlights the importance of

lifelong learning in order to

keep abreast of technological

developments that have an

impact — negative or

otherwise — on the service

delivery chain

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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

supervisors, while just trying to make adifference in the lives of people. Thesepeople we must support in their work,even if only a word of encouragement,for they are like gold, and the peopleknow it. The rest, we all know whatshould happen to them, although manymanagers seem remarkably loathe totake such action.

The point is that whatever skills we areable to develop, we do need to comple-ment with the necessary values and atti-tudes. Without the will to provide a serv-ice, the knowledge and skills gained fromthe many training programmes we offer,are only self-serving, perhaps a route upthe career ladder.

For our country, in the present stage ofdevelopment, we need basic services of ahigh quality to be delivered to many whohave never had these. But too many ofour officials have learned only the skillsof paper shuffling and meetings, and for-gotten the value of government servicesto those who need them.

When I hear of school teachers exclud-ing poor pupils from school because theyhad no uniform, I wonder what moreskills are required. When nurses neglectpatients, when pension clerks abuse theelderly, when senior managers are rudeto their staff, I do not look for skills pro-grammes, I plead for ethics courses, for anew value orientation. Nobody needs askills programme to get to work on time!

Faced with these two economies, thereis a real need for education in SouthAfrica to respond to each of them. We doso firstly in a targeted manner, aiming tomeet the differential needs of schoolswithin the two economies. There can beno approach which simultaneously meetsthe needs of a large township secondaryschool, a suburban primary, and a oneteacher farm school.

Quality initiatives are unapologeticallyaimed at schools of the second economy,and all our resourcing policies are aimedat shifting state funds from the wealthierschools, which draw on the first economyfor additional fee income, towards thepoor, which have no such support base.

However, we also have an obligation tostrive towards an education which repre-

sents a fusion of the two economies, sothat we are not locked into the twoeconomies forever.

Schooling is never the magic bullet for

healing all that is wrong, but it shouldcertainly serve as a beacon for our future— a practical demonstration of the betterworld ahead.

Schools are a catalyst for social trans-formation, and can contribute to buildingthe integrated, compassionate society wehave defined in our Constitution. That iswhy I continue to be so encouraged whenI get the all-too-rare opportunity to actu-ally visit schools, especially the raciallymixed primary schools where we havethe “born frees” — the children born inand after 1994. Their freedom, thoughperhaps not fully understood, is certainlyfully enjoyed, as they grow up togetherwithout prejudice, and with huge self-confidence.

HRD StrategyWhich brings us to the first buildingblock of the national HRD Strategy: theprovision of at least one pre-school yearfor all children. The benefits of this areinternationally demonstrated, and thegains in combating the cycle of povertyare extraordinary. Poor children, withlimited chances, can get the kind of startthey need to reach beyond all expecta-tions, and in so doing they benefit theircountry.

ECD is an investment in our collectivefuture, and it is one of the cheapest wecan make, with the greatest returns.

Adult literacy is also a key part of thefoundation on which can build a func-tioning society. Some eight million SouthAfricans are today unable to participatein social and economic processes becauseof their inability to read and write. This isa serious limitation on our ability togrow; no nation can reach for the starswhile its poor are still stuck in the mud.

I recently committed my Ministry to around table with all players in the litera-cy arena to map out a new roadmap forthe complete eradication of illiteracy inour country.

Beyond basic education for childrenand adults, the focus of our attentionmust shift to the development of inter-mediate skills for the economy — theartisans, the trades, the technologists.Unlike some of the higher level manage-

When nurses neglect patients,

when pension clerksabuse the elderly,

when senior managers are rudeto their staff, I do not look for skills

programmes, I pleadfor ethics courses, for a new value

orientation

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rial levels, these are the people who actu-ally produce much of the wealth of ourcountry — making and selling the goodswhich we all need, or providing the prac-tical services which keep the world turn-ing.

Manufacturing is the largest growthsector in our economy, and desperatelyneeds people who can fit, who can turn,who can weld. Of course, this is wherethe risk element is most profound, wherechanging technologies are most likely toimpact and cause certain skills to becomequickly redundant. Any skills pro-gramme must therefore go beyond thenarrow bounds of the discipline, to devel-op a broader range of capacities.

Most of these intermediate skills arelearnt at technical colleges, or else in theworkplace, in collaboration with thesecolleges. I am glad to record that theseinstitutions, now designated FET col-leges, are finally on a turnaround path,and that they have shown a growth inenrolment for the first time in manyyears. The introduction of learnershipshas contributed to this uptake, as publicFET colleges learn to operate within thisnew paradigm.

Our challenges for this sector aretwofold. One is to ensure that these col-leges have the necessary facilities andresources to train people for the 21st cen-tury, and the other is to ensure that theprogrammes offered are properly alignedtowards the skills needs of the country,and remain fully responsive to thesechanging needs.

In each case, I must confess the chal-lenges are profound. Many FET collegeshave outdated equipment, and pro-grammes (and the people who offerthem) are often the same ones that werethere 20 years ago, with little relevancefor today’s world. As a result the skillslearnt are often redundant before theyeven start work, and employers see littlevalue in some of the qualificationsoffered.

One of the key elements of the HRDStrategy was building the capacity tounderstand the labour market better, andthe need for specific skills, especiallyhigher-level skills. I am pleased that the

HSRC, together with the Inter-Departmental HRD CoordinatingCommittee, has been able to develop a listof scarce skills.

These are based in part on the skillsplans developed by the respective SETAs,including the public service SETA,which are required to identify areas ofscarcity in each economic sector.

For education, this listing of scarceskills is a critical factor in influencing thefunding of education. We have twomajor levers which we can and do use toinfluence the direction of skills develop-ment: through the allocation of universi-ty subsidies, and the provision of bur-saries through the National StudentFinancial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

In each of these we are informed bynational priorities and encourage institu-tions to respond to these as best they can.While never dismissing the importanceand value of esoteric studies in the arts orthe sciences, we cannot pretend that eco-nomic pressures do not exist, and we arebound to balance these against theabstract pursuit of knowledge.

Freedom and autonomy are alwaysbounded by responsibility.

From the analysis of scarce skills, it isclear that we require skilling at all levelsof the system. Managerial skills are cer-tainly in short supply in the public andprivate sector, but there are also shortagesat the intermediate or technical level, andeven at the administrative level as well.

Despite the plethora of office manage-ment courses, secretarial seminars andpublic administration programmes whichwe send our staff on regularly, we are stillunable to find enough people who can filea document and retrieve it when required.This applies as much to the public serviceas the rest of the economy.

Finding a competent economist for theDepartment of Education is not easy, andwe will probably land up recruitingsomeone from another department. In sodoing, we will add to the syndrome thatsees talented people in government moveup the career ladder well before theyreally develop the necessary experience.

The very limited use of the scarce skillsallowance may need to be reviewed to

allow us to compete with the rest of theeconomy in regard to IT skills, legal serv-ices, and financial managers, and suchlike.

One of the issues that must remain afocus area is that of leadership in govern-ment. Not the old style bureaucraticmanagement which we inherited, but akind of leadership which embraces inno-vation and risk taking as an integral partof work.

In a recent interview, the Mayor ofNew York, who came into office fromthe business sector, said that the one dif-ference between the public and privatesectors was in the area of innovation.Innovation, he explained, means that youdon’t really know how something willwork out, but you do it anyway, havingassessed all the risks.

In terms of the PFMA, this would bevery difficult to justify in the public serv-ice, and SCOPA would almost certainlywant to hear from you. For me, this isregrettable and in many ways contradictsthe very purpose of the PFMA whichwas to give accounting officers a greatersense of discretion to allow departmentsto use their funds most effectively toachieve their goals.

In education terms, this is outcomesbased education — you achieve theobjectives, and we don’t quiz you abouthow you got there, unless of course youoverspent. But the message is very differ-ent; if you don’t comply, PFMA will getyou!

We had a recent instance where thehead of department in one province com-plained about the need for three quotesfor any purchase. In a rural area, he said,there is only one store — the generaldealer — and unless the school wasexpected to also get quotes from the near-est town, some 200km away, he wasready to approve any purchase from thegeneral dealer for minor items — per-haps a new window or tap for the school.

I am not convinced the PFMA hastaken sufficient account of these condi-tions of our developing nation, althoughit does appear that the provincial SCOPAis sensitive and supportive of the HoD inthis approach.

This limitation on innovation is regret-

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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

table, since in this modem world thingsmove fast, situations are dynamic andchange quickly, and we cannot always betied to rigid procedures.

We need effective protection againstfraud and corruption, of course, but wemay have over-emphasised this at theexpense of some innovation, some risk-taking, which is always good for anorganisation. I am not looking for loosecannons, but at least give me some sharp-shooters among the ranks of the foot-sol-diers, some guerrillas among the uni-formed troops.

In a developmental state, it is these peo-ple who will take us forward, while theremainder may be inclined to just marktime and keep us where we are now.

And so, in conclusion, to the key role-players. For me, these must include thethousands of educational institutions,from ECD and ABET centres, throughschools and colleges, to the universities,and their new counterparts, the universi-

ties of technology. I can only say that wewill endeavor to ensure that each one ofthem strives to respond to the education-al and skills needs of our developingnation.

But the most important players in thecontext of this conference must be the

public servants themselves, who hold theirown, and the country’s, future in theirhands. They are in the best position to takeadvantage of the multiple opportunitiesthe state offers to learn, to create learningorganisations.

Not just workshops, seminars andcourses, not even degree programmes, butthe very real learning that can come fromdoing your jobs.

You are managing some of the biggestbudgets in the country — far bigger thanmost big corporations; on a daily basisyou are making policy and laws for 40million people. These are real learningopportunities which must be exploited tothe full. Bring in thebright young interns,nurture the youthful talent in yourdepartment, especially the women —you may be pleasantly surprised how ablethey are and what good ideas they have.

I wish you well in your conference, andin your endeavors to make this countrywork. •

Schools are a catalyst for social

transformation, andcan contribute to building the

integrated, compassionate society we have

defined in our Consti-tution

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Improving Intergovernmental Relations:

A Critique of the Macro-Organisation

of the State and Possible Solutions

In this abridged version

of his address to a

recent Senior Managers

Conference, Gauteng

Premier Mbhazima Shilowa

argues for the strengthening

of the existing system of

government, and further avers

that the state should put

more emphasis on enhancing

the developmental needs of

the South African populace

The efficacy and appropriateness ofthe macro-organisational system ofour state has been the subject of

intense debate since the establishment ofthe new system of local government in theyear 2000. The establishment of metro-politan municipalities, some of whichcontrol budgets that are far bigger thansome of our provinces, has also givenimpetus to the debate.

Many opinions have been given both inand outside government about whetherthe current system of governance is suitedto meet the developmental needs of ourcountry. Some of the opinions were objec-tive attempts to find solutions to some ofthe realities of our country while otherswere subjective and only served to pro-mote political and ideological interestswhich have no relevance to our situation.

Those who believed in a minimaliststate have been bold to call for a reducedrole for national and provincial sphereson the pretext that they are far removedfrom service delivery. Discussion aboutour system of governance — whether ithas worked, whether it needs to bechanged or modified — should be driven

by principles and informed by experience. It must also be driven by a desire to find

the best ways to improve the provision ofservices to the people and meet the devel-opmental needs of our country. Thisshould therefore not be treated merely asan academic debate. It must reach a con-clusion which must help us to perfect oursystem and improve the effectiveness ofgovernment across all spheres.

It is important that as we grapple withthese issues we start by correctly identify-ing challenges or shortcomings of the cur-rent organisational system before we tryto find solutions. If we do not correctlydiagnose the problems and defects wewill not be able to prescribe the correctremedies.

I am sure that as senior managers in thepublic service you have, in the course ofyour duties, identified the weaknessesand possible defects of the system. Yourcontribution to this debate is thereforecrucially important.

Before we attempt to identify the prob-lems let us look at the fundamentals. Oursystem of government is based on theprinciple of co-operative government and

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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

intergovernmental relations. Chapterthree of the Constitution says: “In theRepublic, government is constituted asnational, provincial and local spheres ofgovernment which are distinctive, inter-dependent and interrelated.”

All the three spheres of governmenthave both legislative and executiveauthority. Their powers and functionshave been stipulated in the Constitution.The Constitution requires that all spheresof government must exercise their powersand perform their functions in a mannerthat does not encroach on the geographic,functional or institutional integrity ofgovernment in another sphere.

The Constitution also stipulates thatthe spheres of government must co-oper-ate with one another in mutual trust andgood faith by:• fostering friendly relations; • assisting and supporting one another;• informing one another of and consult-

ing one another on matters of commoninterest;

• co-ordinating their actions and legisla-tion with one another;

• adhering to agreed procedures; and• avoiding legal proceedings against one

another.At the time of the multiparty negotia-tions, which set the principles and frame-work within which the Consti-tution wasbased, there was intense debate about thesystem of government that the democrat-ic South Africa should have. Variousoptions were considered but at the endthe current system was the consensusposition. The principles of co-operativegovernment and intergovernmental rela-tions are still correct and appropriatetoday.

Over the past 10 years we have built thestate institutions at all three spheres ofgovernment guided by the provisions ofthe Constitution. The government organ-isational structures that we created havehad time to develop and grow the neces-sary capacity to exercise their powers andperform their functions.

Our assessment of how governmenthas functioned over the past 10 yearsreveals that there have been challengesand organisational weaknesses. The chal-

lenges and weaknesses can be sum-marised as:• lack of capacity by some of our institu-

tions to perform their functions;• poor co-ordination and communication

across spheres of government;• lack of protocols governing the imple-

mentation of joint projects and the pro-vision of integrated services; and

• lack of formal intergovernmental rela-tions institutional mechanisms.

During the first five years of democraticgovernment, both the spheres of govern-ment experienced what could be referredto as teething problems. During the firstfew years many departments both atnational and provincial level could notspend significant portions of their allocat-ed budgets. The implication was thatmoney that was allocated for social servic-es and developmental projects, amongother things, had to be rolled over.

The reasons for the failure to spendallocated resources were mainly lack ofcapacity to implement programmes andpoor programme management skills. Insome instances, where capacity existed atnational level, such capacity would belacking at provincial level, where most ofthe programmes had to be implemented.

The National Public Works Pro-gramme was one of the projects that typ-ified this problem. Money that was allo-cated for the programme was rolled overbecause there was no capacity to imple-ment the programme at provincial andlocal level.

Provinces, because they were a com-pletely new creation as compared withthe national sphere of government, expe-rienced more problems in their formationstages. Some of the provinces inheritedthe old apartheid created Bantustans andhomeland administrations. Some of theprovinces had to start building institu-tions from scratch. Some of our provincesfailed to administer the social security sys-tem, resulting in many of our people whoare eligible for social security grants notreceiving their grants.

The failure by government to spendmoney allocated for the alleviation ofpoverty meant that the poorest of the poorwould continue to live under conditionsof abject poverty even though the govern-ment had allocated resources to help themout of that situation. Local governmentencountered more problems and difficul-ties compared to the provincial and

The Constitutionrequires that all

spheres of government must

exercise their powersand perform their

functions in a mannerthat does not

encroach on the geographic, functionalor institutional integrity

of government inanother sphere

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national spheres of government. Due to the complexities in the munici-

pal government structures and the factthat most of the municipalities weredesigned along racial lines it took muchlonger to create non-racial and democrat-ic local government structures. The cur-rent municipal structures system onlycame into existence in the year 2000.

During the early stages of government,communication and co-ordination acrossspheres of government was not sufficientto enhance intergovernmental relations.This has improved during the secondterm of government with the introduc-tion of a number of forums such as thePresidential Co-ordinating Council andintergovernmental forums in allprovinces. While these forums haveimproved contact and communicationamong the executive arms across spheresof government there remains a challengeof co-ordination of activities and projectsimplementation among the three spheresof government.

An example that comes to mind is theimplementation of the urban and ruraldevelopment projects. While these proj-ects are by design and conceptualisationjoint projects involving all three spheresof government, the practical reality hasbeen that provinces and municipalitiesoften find themselves carrying the finan-cial burden for implementation of theprojects. In some areas, no work has beendone since local and provincial govern-ments rely heavily on the initiatives ofnational government.

This problem could be attributed inpart to lack of protocols governing jointplanning, funding and implementation ofintegrated development projects andservices that involves all three spheres ofgovernment.

In Gauteng we have often raised theissue of indigent policies with municipal-ities. Different municipalities use differ-ent formulae to determine who of theirresidents should be placed on their indi-gent programme. It is possible to find ahousehold that qualifies to be on the indi-gent policy in one municipality and findthat another household in a differentmunicipality with exactly the same cir-

cumstances not qualifying because of thedifferent policies used to determine theneed. This means that some of our peoplewho should be receiving help from gov-ernment are not receiving it because oflack of a common approach to the indi-gent policy. This is happening in all theother provinces.

It is easy for people who are observingfrom a distance to use these and manyother challenges that face our govern-ment system to argue for its completechange. These challenges can be easilyovercome if we improve our intergovern-mental relations.

Important steps have already beentaken to address all the challenges thatface our government system. In June theExtended Cabinet Workshop on Inter-governmental Relations made importantdecisions which will take us forward.

There is now broad agreement by allspheres of government on the Inter-gov-ernmental Relations Framework Bill.The proposed law will provide clarity andcertainty regarding intergovernmentalrelations at executive level of government.It will create formal institutional mecha-nisms that will ensure regular and ongo-ing communication and coordinationacross all spheres of government.

Improved intergovernmental relationsmust result in seamless government forthe country. As the Bill suggests, ourintergovernmental relations must assistgovernment to:• Set, execute and monitor key develop-

ment priorities for the country regard-ing the creation of work, fightingpoverty and reinforcing national pride,given the relative autonomy of provin-cial and local government in key areasof social delivery;

• Consult another sphere on policy oractions that it must implement or thataffect it before a decision is taken and togive due regard to its views and cir-cumstances;

• Manage service delivery in ways thatare efficient, accessible to beneficiaries,responsive to the needs of our commu-nities, and that result in integrated andsustainable service provision —despite jurisdictional boundaries and

with due regard to unequal capacities;• Forge strong, flexible goal-directed

partnerships, that can unlock the cre-ativity and energy of collaboration andpartnership without weakening per-formance and accountability;

• Empower communities to participatein processes of governance whilstinspiring and supporting communitiesto become self-reliant;

• Plan and to act within the frameworkof domestic and global conditions,within available budgetary constraintsand to account for performance interms of existing legislation; and

• Resolve disputes without recourse tocourt action. The proposed law willcertainly contribute to strengthening ofintergovernmental relations in ourcountry. It will help us to forge strongerforms of collaboration and partnershipsacross spheres of government.

Another matter that is closely related tothe issue of intergovernmental relations isthe allocation of powers and functions.Our experience in the past 10 years hasshown that there are functions that arecurrently performed by national andprovincial spheres which could be bestperformed by the local sphere of govern-ment.

It is also probable that certain powersand functions that currently reside atnational government could be best exer-cised and performed by provinces. This isnot an argument for the devolution ofpowers and functions to provincial andlocal governments, but more an argu-ment for the need to examine whether ornot the existing allocation of powers andfunctions is appropriate.

As we know, the Constitution providesfor the assignment of national andprovincial powers and functions to thelocal sphere of government. This provi-sion is premised on the principle that if afunction can be best performed by localgovernment such function can beassigned to local government.

A study is being undertaken at nation-al level to determine which powers andfunctions can be reassigned from nationalto the provincial and local spheres of gov-ernment. In Gauteng, we are also under-

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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

taking such a study, especially since threeof the country’s six metropolitan munici-palities are found in the province.

A question has to be asked: If munici-palities can establish municipal policedepartments and courts, why can’t theyget involved in primary healthcare andeducation for example? But when we dodecide to devolve powers we shouldunderstand that funds must follow func-tions.

Sometimes we are unfair to criticiselocal government. If you look at the issueof the provision of free basic amounts ofwater and electricity you will find thatmunicipalities are able to provide theseservices except in areas where electricity issupplied to residents directly by Eskom.In this situation most of the residents forwhom the policy was designed are notbenefiting from it, not because local gov-ernment is failing to implement it butbecause a state-owned enterprise is notplaying its role.

The issue of the appropriateness of themacro-organisational system of our stateshould also be linked to the discussionand process towards the creation of a sin-gle public service. This will appropriately

locate the role of the senior managementcorps of local government within thebroad civil service.

When we have a single public service itwill be easy to deploy and redeploy peopleacross all spheres of government depend-ing on the need for the skills they posses.This deployment and redeployment mustnot just be limited to the lower rank staff.It must include senior managers.

Let me conclude by dispelling onemyth that strong local government poses

a threat to the existence of provincial gov-ernment. I should know better that thiscannot be true because three of the sixmetropolitan municipalities are located inGauteng. We have been working verywell with all the metropolitan municipal-ities and districts, pooling our resourcesand knowledge to focus on the prioritiesof the province. Achieving co-operationand collaboration between provincial andlocal government requires more than justadherence to the constitution and legisla-tion. It requires political maturity andrespect.

In Gauteng we have just demonstratedhow such co-operation and collaborationbetween local government and theprovincial government can be achieved.That is why we are now working with allmunicipalities towards building Gautengas an integrated globally competitive eco-nomic region.

I wish to thank the organisers of thisconference for giving me the opportunityto share with you my thoughts on thisimportant topic. I hope that some of themild thoughts I have will find expressionsin the proposals that are being developedon the subject. •

In some areas, no work has beendone since local and provincial

governments relyheavily on the

initiatives of nationalgovernment

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Taking Stock of theConstitutional

Evolution Process

Advocate Vusi Pikoli,

director general for

Justice and

Constitutional

Development, in this

shortened version of

his address to a recent

SMS conference,

explains how the new

constitution has

impacted on the

public service and

how it touches the

lives of ordinary

South Africans

The Constitution as a shiningbeacon of hope for transformation It is no doubt a mammoth task to attemptto define the evolution of our constitution-al processes today, but I will, as a propo-nent of the Constitution, touch on a fewareas that have been the highlights of ourfirst years of democracy.

When President Mbeki addressed thenation in 2001 he said: “Gradually, step bystep, our country proceeds further awayfrom its painful past. We, its citizens, whoare very close to the coalface of change,may not easily see the steady transforma-tion that informs all aspects of our nation-al life.

“The past which I speak of is wellknown to all of us. It is a past of a raciallydivided country, of masters and servants,of racially inspired conflict and mistrust. Itis a past of endemic and widespreadpoverty and gross imbalances in levels ofdevelopment and the distribution ofwealth, income and opportunity. It is apast of an economy that was immersed ina crisis that was destined to worsen. It is apast of the denial of freedom to the major-ity, gross violation of human rights andrepression, of entrenched sexism, a past ofhigh levels of crime, violence and corrup-tion It is a past of a South Africa isolatedfrom the rest of Africa and the world, apariah among the nations. It is away fromthis painful past that our country is pro-

gressing and must progress.”The Constitution, a milestone in our

legal history, a shining beacon of hope forthe protection of human rights and theadvancement of human liberty and digni-ty, exemplifies this revolutionary changethat has taken place in the first decade ofour democracy

Both the Interim Constitution of 1993and the final Constitution of 1996 provid-ed the context in which major rationalisa-tion and transformation needed to takeplace within the public service to align thepublic service with the structures and val-ues defined by the new Constitution.

The massive extent of the rationalisa-tion and transformation required, meantthat in respect of several areas, an evolu-tionary approach would be adopted inorder to achieve the constitutional ideal.Hence the comprehensive transitionalarrangements found in sections 236 and237 of the Interim Constitution, that stillremain in force under item 24 of Schedule6 to the Constitution of 1996.

The Constitution therefore required inthe early stages of our democracy that webegin the process of rationalisation in thepublic service by passing new laws, settingup structures for, and providing for gov-ernance of, the public service, both as awhole and in respect of individual statedepartments.

The Constitution therefore determined

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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

the agenda for Government to build anon-racial, non-sexist and united demo-cratic South Africa. It is the main legalsource of Government’s mandate andserves as a blueprint for the transformationand the rebuilding of our society.

The transformation of the judiciaryIn some respects, the transformation of thejudiciary has been one of the most success-ful aspects of the implementation of theConstitution. However, much still remainsto be done. The most important aspectrelating to the transformation of the judi-ciary has been the evolutionary shift fromparliamentary sovereignty to constitution-alism. This shift has directly changed thedynamics in as far as the independence ofour judiciary and its credibility amongstthe citizens is concerned.

At the opening of the newConstitutional Court building at No 1Constitutional Hill, our President remind-ed us that it is important to “reflect on thehistory of our judiciary, a history that is notso distant that we can view it merely asbelonging to the past”. He went on quoteDeputy Chief Justice, Pius Langa, whosaid the following at the Truth andReconciliation Commission:

“The divisions and conflicts of ourapartheid past have distorted the relation-ship between, on the one hand, institu-tions, involved in the administration ofjustice, including the judiciary, and, on theother hand, significant sections of theSouth African community. This has to beset right now in order to ensure and tomaintain a healthy democracy, which fullyespouses the values of a new constitutionaldispensation.

“I make a submission in the hope thatthe story of some of my personal experi-ences, perceptions and observations,shared as they are by thousands of citizensof this country who were similarly placed,might assist in bringing about a greaterappreciation of how others were affectedby the operation of the legal system duringthe period under review. I make this sub-mission also because of my belief that thecorrection of this distortion, the restorationof complete trust, is not something which

should simply be assumed because thecountry now has a new Constitution.

“A process needs to take place, a processwhich will not only liberate those mem-bers of the judiciary who have felt thealienation, but which will also reassure theformerly oppressed about the judiciary’srededication to justice for all.”

The need for change in the judiciary isvery important. In line with the visionespoused by Justice Langa, theConstitution paved the way for a completeoverhaul of the court structures in ourcountry. The Constitutional Court ourapex Court, entrusted with the coreresponsibility of being the watchdog of theConstitution, has “already shown in itsshort life that it will strike down anythingthat runs counter to the spirit and letter ofthe Constitution”.

The Judicial Service Commission andthe Magistrates Commission have alsoplayed a significant role in the creation of asingle judiciary that is reflective of thedemographics of this country.

The Truth and ReconciliationCommissionAnother milestone in the first decade ofour democracy has been the establishmentof a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.In the light of South Africa’s past atrocitiesit became very evident that we as a nationhealing from the divisions of the past hadto also deal effectively with the past. Weowed it to the communities and our people.

It is within this context that theConstitution provided an historic bridgebetween the past of a deeply divided socie-ty characterised by strife, conflict, untoldsuffering and injustice, and a futurefounded on the recognition of humanrights, democracy and peaceful co-exis-tence and development opportunities forall. The pursuit of national unity, the well-being of all South African citizens andpeace require reconciliation between thepeople of South Africa and the reconstruc-tion of society.

Legislation The Independent Institutions SupportingConstitutional Democracy, (Chapter 9Institutions)

These are important institutions designedto play a very significant role in terms ofpromotion and building a culture ofrespect for human rights, the promotion ofgender equality, ensuring the proper con-duct of state affairs and sound financialmanagement in the public service.

These institutions have played a crucialrole in the past 10 years in terms ofstrengthening our constitutional democra-cy. They have worked with Govern-mentwhere necessary to improve the quality oflives of our people and they have beenvocal when they felt government was devi-ating from its mandate or failing to fulfilits mandate in terms of service delivery.The Independent Electoral Commission,in particular, is commended for its out-standing work in ensuring free and fairelectoral processes.The Promotion of Equality andPrevention of Unfair Discrimination Act No 4 of 2000 During the first decade of democracy,Government promoted key pieces of legis-lation central to the Constitution and theBill of Rights, the purpose being to speedup the transformation process and deepenour constitutional democracy. In order toaddress the legacy of a deeply divided Stateand the glaring socio-economic inequali-ties, the Constitution envisaged the prom-ulgation of the Promotion of Equality andPrevention of Unfair Discrimination ActNo 4 of 2000 which was passed byParliament.

The purpose of the Act is the progres-sive eradication of current systemic dis-crimination which is a legacy of previouslylegalised discrimination, thereby trans-forming South Africa into a countrywhich is based on respect for the dignityand equal worth of all human beings. Itwill achieve this by preventing and pro-hibiting unfair discrimination; providingremedies for the victims of unfair discrim-ination and persons whose right to equali-ty is infringed and addressing and elimi-nating the imbalances and inequalitiesparticularly in terms of race, gender anddisability.The Promotion of Administrative JusticeAct No 3 of 2000In order to promote an efficient adminis-

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tration and good governance, and to createa culture of accountability, openness andtransparency in the public administration,or in the exercise of public power regard-ing the performance of public functions,the Promotion of Administra-tive JusticeAct No 3 of 2000 was passed. This is a veryimportant piece of legislation in our consti-tutional state in as far as service delivery toour people is concerned. The Act is at thecentre of the transformation of our publicadministration from one that was not con-cerned about the needs of the majority ofour people to a public service committed toeffective service delivery.

The Constitution requires South Africanot only to be a constitutional democracybut also to be an open society. At the centreof the apartheid system was the culture ofsecrecy and non disclosure of information.It was for this reason that the Constitutionrequired the passing of the Promotion ofAccess to Information Act No 2 of 2000.

The Act, in general, aims at the promo-tion of transparency, accountability andeffective governance of all public and pri-vate bodies. It also aims to ensure thateveryone will be empowered and educatedto understand their rights in terms of theAct, and the functions and operations ofthe public bodies to ensure that everyone isin a position to effectively scrutinise andparticipate in decision making by publicbodies that affects their rights.

The successful implementation of theseimportant pieces of constitutionally man-dated legislation is of paramount impor-tance to the success of our transformationagenda. These pieces of constitutionallymandated legislation require the commit-ment of public servants to the constitution-al imperatives of building a non-racial,non-sexist, open and democratic society.

The Constitution also provides thatpublic administration must be governedby democratic values and principlesenshrined in the Constitution and thatpublic administration must be develop-ment oriented.

In order to transform the type of publicservice that we inherited from theapartheid government, the Constitutionrequired that legislation be passed to deter-mine the structure and functioning of a

public service and also required it to loyal-ly execute the lawful policies of the gov-ernment of the day.

The passing of the Public Service Actwas a milestone in this regard. Today wepride ourselves in the transformed andtransforming public service workforcethat is committed to the ideals of ourConstitution. In this regard the PublicService Commission established by section196 of the Constitution has played a criticalrole in promoting basic values and princi-ples governing the public administration.

The challenges of bridging the gapbetween the two economies Turning to the topic of this third AnnualConference for Senior ManagementService, “Bridging the gap between thetwo economies: A Public ServiceResponse”, it becomes critically importantto identify the challenges posed by the sec-ond economy, and as our Presidentreferred to it in his State of the NationAddress on 6 February 2004, “which con-stitutes the structural manifestation ofpoverty, underdevelopment and marginal-isation in our country”. The President’s directive then was that wemust move vigorously to implement all theprogrammes on which we have agreed toensure that we extricate all our peoplefrom the social conditions that spell loss ofhuman dignity.

As pointed out in the Government’s TenYear Review Report, the ConstitutionalCourt has already in a number of casessought to interpret Government’s constitu-tional obligations to progressively realisethe socio-economic rights contained in sec-tions 24, 26, 27 and 29(1) of the Consti-tution. The Constitutional Court has reaf-firmed in many of these cases thatGovernment is obliged to promote theprogressive realisation of these rightsthrough the effective and efficient use ofavailable resources.

In this regard the majority ofGovernment’s programmes are aimed atthe realisation of socio-economic rightswithin limited available resources of theState. Mindful of the importance of theimplications of these judgments for theState and our constitutional imperatives in

terms of socio-economic rights, we mustnow be ready and resolute in this secondeconomy to tackle the challenges relatingto the realisation of socio-economic rightsand ensuring a better life for all our people.

Before I conclude I would like to takethis opportunity in recognising our FirstWoman Minister for Justice andConstitutional Development, Ms BSMabandla. The appointment of myMinister and many other female ministersand deputy ministers in the Cabinet, thehighest executive body in the land, is anexpression of our commitment thatadvancing the rights of women asenshrined in our Constitution is an impor-tant priority on the agenda for transforma-tion. We will continue to follow the exam-ple set by the President.

Conclusion Laws alone cannot bridge the gap betweenour deeply divided past and the currentrealities that we face, as a Public Servicededicated to serving the public in pur-suance of the principles of Batho Pele, Theonus is upon us to look introspectively athow we as public servants can make a dif-ference in the lives of our people. We mustchange our attitudes and behaviour inkeeping with the values of a Constitutionrespected by the world, to make this anefficient and effective Public Service thatmakes our President proud to lead.

My department has been entrusted withbeing the proud caretaker of our worldclass Constitution and we promote thismandate through a Chief Directoratecalled Constitutional Development. Itsfunctions are to administer the Consti-tution and engage in all constitutionalprocesses, advise State departments on theimplications of Constitutional Court judg-ments, facilitate amendments to theConstitution and monitor and evaluate theimplementation of the Constitutionthrough programmes such as the NationalForum against Racism and the NationalAction Plan to Promote and ProtectHuman Rights.

My Department, through this ChiefDirectorate, is also available to assist allother State departments to fulfil their con-stitutional mandate. •

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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

DeepeningProfessionalism

in the Public Service

According to Webster’s Third NewInternational Dictionary, profes-sion means, “A calling requiring

specialised knowledge and often longand intensive preparation includinginstruction in skills and methods as wellas in the scientific, historical, or scholarlyprinciples underlying such skills andmethods, maintained by force of organi-sation or concerted opinion, high stan-dards of achievement and conduct.”From this definition one can rightfullyconclude that the criteria for profession-alism involve technical competence andpersonal behaviour.

Competency Framework forsenior managersThe introduction of the SMS Compe-tency Framework is a major step inensuring that the Public Service achievesits objective of establishing a profession-al Public Service. They say: the fish rotsfrom the head. Therefore, focusing onthe senior management, which is thehead of the Public Service, will preventthe rot from setting in, infecting the

entire public service. The SMS Competency Framework

will assist in ensuring a consistentapproach to human performancethroughout the Public Service. The SMSCompetency Framework consists of a setof 11 generic competencies that commu-nicate what is expected of senior man-agers. In addition, this Framework seeksto establish a shared understanding ofcritical success factors for performance inthe Senior Management Service. ThePublic Service Regulations, 2001 definescompetence as “... the blend of knowl-edge, skills, behaviour and attitude that aperson can apply in the work environ-ment, which indicates a person’s ability tomeet the requirements of a specific post.”

The 11 competencies that are viewedas being critical for high performance inthe senior manager’s role are:1. Strategic Capability and Leadership— Must be able to provide a vision, setthe direction for the organisation andinspire others in order to deliver on theorganisational mandate.2. Programme and Project Management

Alvin Phumudzo Rapea,

of the DPSA, at a recent

SMS Conference,

explained how

professionalising the

senior management

service could help

accelerate efficiency

and effectiveness in the

Public Service

SDR vol 4 no 1 2004 4/22/05 10:51 AM Page 33

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— Must be able to plan, manage, moni-tor and evaluate specific activities inorder to deliver the desired outputs.3. Financial Management — Must beable to compile and manage budgets,control cash flow, institute risk manage-ment and administer tender procure-ment processes in accordance with gen-erally recognised financial practices inorder to ensure achievement of strategicorganisational objectives.4. Change Management — Must be ableto initiate and support organisationaltransformation and change in order tosuccessfully implement new initiativesand deliver on service delivery commit-ments.5. Knowledge Management — Must beable to promote the generation and shar-ing of knowledge and learning in orderto enhance the collective knowledge ofthe organisation.6. Service Delivery Innovation — Mustbe able to explore and implement newways of delivering services that con-tribute to the improvement of organisa-tional processes in order to achieveorganisational goals.7. Problem Solving and Analysis —Mustbe able to systematically identify, analyseand resolve existing and anticipatedproblems in order to reach optimumsolutions in a timely manner.8. People Management and Empower-ment — Must be able to manage andencourage people, optimise their outputsand effectively manage relationships inorder to achieve organisational goals.9. Client Orientation and CustomerFocus — Must be willing and able todeliver services effectively and efficientlyin order to put the spirit of customerservice (Batho Pele) into practice.10. Communication — Must be able toexchange information and ideas in aclear and concise manner appropriate forthe audience in order to explain, per-suade, convince and influence others toachieve the desired outcomes.11. Honesty and Integrity — Must beable to display and build the higheststandards of ethical and moral conductin order to promote confidence and trustin the Public Service.

Ethics and conduct for senior managersIt is expected of senior managers in thePublic Service to display and uphold thehighest standards of professional ethics asdefined in Section 195(1)(a) of theConstitution. Senior managers mustunderstand and uphold the key valuesand principles that guide them in theirinteraction with their superiors, peers,subordinates, and members of the public.

Responsiveness and impartiality• Elected governments, whatever their

political make-up, are entitled toexpect loyalty and dedication fromsenior managers.

• Senior managers are expected to carryout decisions and implement pro-grammes promptly, conscientiouslyand effectively, and provide advice,which represents the facts accurately,is impartial and maintain a high stan-dard of professional integrity.

• Senior managers must have the abilityto interpret the priorities and goals ofgovernment. They should be able torender free and frank advice and todraw attention to any unforeseenimplications or unintended conse-quences.

AccountabilityAccountability is fundamental to goodgovernance and is one of the essentialelements of ethical administration. Theperceptions of the public on the state ofgovernance and administration are to alarge extent determined by whether gov-

ernment and administration are seen toaccount for its actions.

Senior managers provide services onbehalf of government to all client groupsand individuals in a greater variety ofcircumstances and in so doing (i) theymust adhere to the law and policies ofgovernment and not pursue their owninterest, (ii) they are accountable for thequality of their dealings, and (iii) they arerequired to deal equitably, justly andresponsively with all individuals andgroups.

Senior managers are further requiredto be frank, open and cooperative withother bodies established under legisla-tions such as the Public ServiceCommission, Portfolio Committees, andthe Auditor General.

LeadershipSenior managers must provide leader-ship in the area of ethics and “walk thetalk”. They should treat all people withwhom they interact fairly, with courtesyand sensitivity taking pride in any serv-ice they provide.

CommunicationEffective communication is vital in plan-ning, organising and carrying out theactivities of government. How the seniormanager communicates is often asimportant as what she/he communicates.While words are important, gestures andbody signals, serve to either reinforce orcontradict messages you want to send.

Public servants may only communi-cate with the media if they are permittedto do so in terms of the departmentalpolicy. Public servants may also notrelease information to public without thenecessary authority.

Senior managers are expected, wherepossible, to try and resolve complaintsinternally, without resorting to publiccomment or criticism. Senior managerswho make public comments in their pri-vate capacity must make it clear that theyact in their personal capacity.

Management of misconductAn ethical culture cannot develop in anenvironment where there are no effec-

Elected governments,whatever their

political make-up, are entitled to

expect loyalty anddedication from senior managers

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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

tive mechanism for detection, investiga-tion and institution of discipline.

Prompt and decisive disciplinaryaction should be seen as a means of rein-forcing high standards. Senior managersmust report any unethical behaviour orwrongdoing by other officials.

Confidentiality of official informationSenior managers must not disclose anyofficial information to any persons unlessthey are acting: (a) in the course of theirofficial duty, (b) with express authority oftheir department, (c) for other lawful pur-pose. They should also not misuse infor-mation gained in their official capacity inseeking to take advantage for personalreasons. They should further take care tomaintain the integrity and security of offi-cial documents/information for whichthey are responsible. Every attemptshould be made to avoid leaks.

It is also important for senior man-agers to act and advise with honesty andintegrity in all aspects of official duties. Ifa senior manager believes an aspect ofpolicy or administration may haveunforeseen consequences or otherwiserequires review, it should be brought tothe attention of the head of departmentor the executing authority.

Financial and other private interests(disclosure)Chapter 3 of the Public ServiceRegulations prescribe that all seniormanagers must disclose their financialinterests on an annual basis. Financialinterests may take the form of shares,directorships or property, which have thepotential of conflict with official duties.

Senior managers should not allowthemselves to be improperly influencedby personal relationships. They shouldrecuse themselves from any decisionwhere there might be a conflict betweentheir personal relationship/interests andthe public interest.

Senior managers may accept unsolicit-ed gifts or moderate acts of hospitality.Accepting such gifts or benefits is a mat-ter of judgment for individual con-cerned. In such instances they must besatisfied that their position will not in

any way be compromised by acceptance.Any gift and hospitality with a valueexceeding R350 must be disclosed. Inaddition, no senior manager must solicitor accept any bribe or other improperinducement.

Political participationSenior managers should be aware of thepotential for conflict of interest and mustnot take part in any political activitywhen on duty or on official premises.They must further not attend in theirofficial capacity outside conferences orfunctions convened by or under the aegisof a party political organisation.

Section 36 of the Public Service Act,1994 provides that a public servant maybe a member and serve on the manage-ment of a lawful political party or mayattend public political meetings, but maynot preside or speak in such a meeting. Apublic servant may also not draw up orpublish any writing or deliver a publicspeech to promote or prejudice the inter-est of any political party.

Outside employmentPublic servants must not, withoutapproval, undertake remunerative workoutside their official duties or use officeequipment for such work. Senior man-

agers should not seek to engage in out-side employment if that employmentwill place them in conflict with theirofficial duties or is likely to affect theirefficiency in the performance of theirofficial duties.

Labour relationsIn performing their duties, senior man-agers must ensure equity in employmentprocesses and manage staff fairly. Theymust also ensure that the workplace isfree from discrimination and harass-ment. They should avoid acting in a waythat could be seen to be unreasonable orcould be construed as unlawful discrimi-nation.

Senior managers should deal withcomplaints and grievances in a promptand fair manner. It is the responsibility ofsenior managers to ensure that the con-duct of staff does not undermine servicedelivery of a department. Misconductmust therefore be dealt with and notoverlooked or swept under the carpet.

Senior managers must defend theirdepartments in labour disputes of theirstaff members. In instances where staffmembers participate in industrial orprotest action, senior managers muststrictly apply the principle of “no workno pay”.

Senior managers involved in negotia-tions with trade unions must ensure thatthey have the necessary mandate beforeentering into an agreement. In instanceswhere the matter has financial implica-tions, they must also ensure that the nec-essary funds are available

Intellectual propertyGovernment or the department retainsthe copyright of work produced by a sen-ior manager during her/his employment.

ConclusionThe professional association will assist inshaping the professionalisation of theSenior Management Service it is guidedby the constitution that derives its cuefrom a quest to build the SMS competen-cies and promotion of the professionalethics and conduct expected of the seniormanagers. •

It is the responsibilityof senior managersto ensure that theconduct of staff

does not undermineservice delivery of adepartment. Miscon-duct must thereforebe dealt with andnot overlooked or

swept under the car-pet

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How National andProvincial Spheres of

Government can worktowards fulfilling their

Constitutional Mandate

After 10 years of this government’sascension 0to power, our peoplehave every reason to celebrate the

fruits of democracy in South Africa, par-ticularly in the area of heritage.

The first part of this input addressesthe challenges of the second economy,within the context of the local sphere ofgovernment. In the second part of theinput, the intergovernmental relationshipof local government to provincial andnational government is examined. Thethird part focuses on the obligation on theother two spheres to support municipali-ties. Fourthly, we examine the regulatoryframework, principles and proceduresgoverning the assignment of additionalfunctions to municipalities.

The challenges of the secondeconomy within the context oflocal governmentAs you will be aware, South Africa’ssocio-economic dualism has beenanalysed extensively in a report co-ordi-nated and compiled by the Presidency onthe Ten Years of Democracy. Accordingto this report, the first economy is at thecutting edge, globally integrated and hasthe capacity to export primary commodi-

ties, services and manufactured goods. Incontrast, the second economy exists at theedges, consisting of large numbers of theunemployed and the “unemployable”and does not benefit from progress in thefirst economy.

Not far from this Waterfront precinct,which depicts features of the first econo-my, are farm areas, townships and infor-mal settlements that are a reflection ofsome characteristics of the second econo-my. The names of some of these townshipsand settlements tell a story —Kwalanga(sun and light), eNyanga (moon),eGugulethu (our pride), eKhayelitsha(new home), eBarcelona, eBoystown,eEurope, eJoe Slovo, eKanana (Canan),eLusaka, eNewrest and KwaVukuzen-zele (rise and do it yourself).

These areas are situated along the N2on the Settelers Way Freeway.

If we had time, we could talk aboutmany other townships and rural villageswhose people are trapped in similar condi-tions. Despite these conditions, which area result of our apartheid past, our peoplehave a resolve to strengthen the social con-tract with government. This contract isbased on the creation of a better life for all.

It is clear that municipalities no longer

Lindiwe Msengana-Ndlela,

Director General of

Department of Provincial

and Local Government,

explores ways and means

in which the national and

provincial spheres of

government can help the

local sphere of

government live up to

their constitutional

obligations. This is an

abridged version of a

she speech delivered

at a recent Senior

Management Service

Conference

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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

only have a task of basic local administra-tion; they are required to play an impor-tant role in the country’s struggle againstpoverty and underdevelopment. TheConstitution and Government policyhave identified a developmental role formunicipalities that puts the local sphereof government in the foreground of anational effort to redress the political,social and economic wrongs of apartheid.Indeed the contribution of municipalitiesin this effort will over time prove to be adecisive one.

In 2004, many of our 284 municipalitieswere able to shoulder their responsibili-ties, but not all could do so without thesupport of national and provincial gov-ernment.

Municipalities have undergone a processof amalgamation and rationalisation, withtransitional structures from 1994 to 2000. Itwas only in December 2000 that munici-palities were established within the newsystem of local government.

The current term of municipalities willend in December 2005. It is also withinthis context that on 20 September 2004,the Department of Provincial and LocalGovernment, together with theMunicipal Demarcation Board (MDB)convened a preparatory conference forthe next local government elections.During this conference, stakeholdersincluded the Independent ElectoralCommission, the South African LocalGovernment Association, Members ofParliament, representatives of TraditionalLeaders, municipal mayors and council-lors. These stakeholders confirmed aProgramme of Action for the next 15months that will ensure that we have suc-cessful elections.

Indeed, having established municipali-ties to the levels where they are today, it isclear that for the next five years everyeffort must be made to direct governmentsupport to the consolidation of local gov-ernment.

We are repeatedly reminded of the factthat the footprint of South Africa’sapartheid past is a continuing and unmis-takable daily reality within our munici-palities. There are communities whichstill do not have access to basic services

such as clean water, adequate sanitation,food security and appropriate shelter.

For example, in Khayelitsha, CapeTown, according to Statistics SouthAfrica, approximately 64,4% of house-holds who live in informal dwellings ascompared to the national average of15,6%. A similar pattern exists in otherareas such as Motherwell (Eastern Cape)where 61,3% of households live in infor-mal dwellings, 41,8% in Inanda(KwaZulu-Natal) and 30.9% inAlexandra (Gauteng).

At the same time, in areas such as these,the levels of unemployment place addi-tional pressure on the viability of munici-palities and their capacity to deliver serv-ices at the expected standards and norms.It is clear that we in the public servicehave to be more practical in addressingthese challenges and recognise that gov-ernment has pronounced extensively onpolicies, strategies and mechanisms thatshould guide implementation.

These pronouncements include themicro-economic reform strategy (MERS),the governments’ commitment to the res-olutions of the Growth and DevelopmentSummit (GDS) as well as theGovernment-wide Programme of Actionthat was announced by our President inhis State of the Nation Address in May2004.

The place of local governmentwithin the intergovernmentalsystemI would like to briefly sketch the institu-tional basis for local government and itsplace in the intergovernmental system.

A municipal council is elected, isaccountable to its electorate, and is thefinal decision-maker on a defined rangeof matters in terms of the Constitutionand legislation. The council is constitu-tionally endowed with legislative andexecutive powers for its areas of compe-tency, such as raising its own revenuethrough rates, taxes, or charging user feesfor certain services.

To this end, a municipality determinesits own budget, adopts a strategic planlinked to its budget, takes full responsibil-ity for performing its functions andaccounts for overall performance. As youwill be aware the own revenue compo-nent is very important because currently,out of the total transfers to the threespheres, national government receivesapproximately 37%, provincial govern-ment receives 58% and local governmentreceives approximately 5%.

With regard to intergovernmental rela-tions, a substantial body of policy and leg-islation has been enacted since 1996 withmunicipalities — including the Organ-ised Local Government Act (1996); theIntergovernmental Fiscal Relations Act(1997); the Local Government WhitePaper (1998); the Municipal StructuresAct (1998); the Municipal DemarcationAct (1998); the Municipal Systems Act(2000); the Municipal Finance Manage-ment Act (2003); the Municipal PropertyRates Act (2004); the TraditionalLeadership Framework Act; and theDivision of Revenue Act (2004).

At the same time, the Constitution allo-cates functional areas of competence tomunicipalities (as listed in Parts B ofSchedules 4 and 5). These include theprovision of services such as municipalinfrastructure, water and sanitation,municipal health services, transport andstreet lighting and electricity distribution.All of these functions are subject tonational regulation but for each function,a municipality has the authority to exer-

Indeed, havingestablished

municipalities to thelevels where they aretoday, it is clear that

for the next fiveyears every effortmust be made todirect government

support to the consolidation of

local government

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cise its legislative, executive and adminis-trative powers.

Many sector departments also adminis-ter their own legislation and regulatingservices for which municipalities areresponsible. The water, transport andenvironment sectors, amongst severalother sectors, all have legislation thatdirectly affects the responsibilities ofmunicipalities.

Engaging and supportingmunicipalitiesWhen we deliberate on issues of munici-pal budgets, we should always be mindfulof the fact that one municipality as com-pared to another may have a weaker eco-nomic base, depending on its specific geo-graphic, social and economic circum-stances. This municipality may generateless revenue for public consumption orinvestment, be more dependent on rev-enue transfers from the national fiscus,and will confront challenges as it seeks toextend service provision to previously dis-advantaged sectors of our population thatare uniquely its own.

As a result, actual historical inequalitiesand the reality of asymmetrical develop-ment are factors of profound consequencewhen we design programmes whoseimplementation requires effective munic-ipalities. We must therefore do every-thing in our power to support municipal-ities throughout the country to becomesustainable institutions.

The basic policy frameworks are inplace. The task that we have as the entirepublic service is to devote time, skills andeffort to implement the programme ofgovernment in these localities, nearer toour people and where it matters most.

For us colleagues located in national orprovincial departments, this means thatin the first instance we need to have anunderstanding and an appreciation of theservice delivery backlogs that face localmunicipalities because of our past.Secondly, we need to have an understand-ing of the available policy instrumentsand institutional mechanisms that havebeen designed to address these backlogs,particularly after ten years of democracy.

Thirdly, we need to ensure that indi-

vidually and collectively in our depart-ments we are able to practically engageand support municipalities as they striveto meet the objectives of government.

I hope you will agree with me that thedevelopment path of government is notadvanced by those who are quick to pointto a litany of problems in municipalitiesand do not, with the same amount ofvigour, go out of their way to play theirrole to support these institutions as clear-ly articulated in our Constitution.

I challenge you today, colleagues andrepresentatives of provincial and nationaldepartments, to carefully read ourConstitution, once again, particularlySection 154. It states that national andprovincial government must “by legisla-tive and other measures support andstrengthen the capacity of municipalities tomanage their own affairs, to exercise theirpowers and to perform their functions”.

How can you support and strengthenmunicipalities if you do not practicallybuild this capacity together with theseinstitutions? You must demonstrate thissupport in practical terms, having anunderstanding of the daily realities thatface these municipalities and the commit-ment that government has with our peo-ple. Municipalities depend on the supportof the other two spheres of government toperform their own functions.

One of the frequent complaints we hearduring the Integrated DevelopmentPlanning (IDP) review processes is thatdepartments seem to be unwilling to sup-port municipal planning.

I would like to share with you one ofthe case studies our department under-took, together with the United NationsDevelopment Programme and the SouthAfrican Local Government Association.Our objective was, amongst other things,to examine how different stakeholders,including national and provincial depart-ments, played their roles in the IDPprocess that has started to bear fruit today.

Allow me to take you to Ugu DistrictMunicipality, in KwaZulu-Natal, a dis-trict which has a population of approxi-mately 687 000 people. The population ispredominantly rural, with 15% in theurban coastal strip, 15% on commercialfarms and 70% in traditional rural areas.

The economy of the region is centredlargely on agriculture, tourism and com-merce, but there is an important agro-processing component focusing on sugarcane and timber. Service industries and alevel of manufacturing of products suchas clothing exists. The region also con-tains an important administrative andservice component largely focused onPort Shepstone and Margate.

The IDP process was an iterative oneand was undertaken through the follow-ing phases:• Analysis;• Development of strategies;• Identification of projects;• Integration of programmes, sector

alignment and establishment of a sus-tainability framework;

• Public comment and council approval;and

• Implementation, monitoring and eval-uation.

During the implementation of the IDP,partnerships have strengthened betweenUgu and some of the national and provin-cial departments. Together with somestate-owned enterprises, the departmentshave mobilised support and technical andfinancial resources for the municipality.The departments of Water Affairs andForestry, Public Works, Agriculture,

The task that wehave as the entirepublic service is todevote time, skills

and effort to implement the programme of

government in theselocalities, nearer to our people and where it matters most

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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

Health, KZN Tourism, Eskom and theSA Police have played very significantsupport roles.

Valuable partnerships were put to thetest, for instance on land restitution andsupport to small growers. This initiativebrought together the Ugu DistrictMunicipalities with the Department ofLand Affairs, the Department ofAgriculture, the Small Cane GrowersAssociation, commercial farmers and tra-ditional leaders. Another related initiativeinvolved bringing together similar group-ings around other forms of agriculturalproduction and the development of a dis-trict farmers market.

In Emzumbe, commercial farmers,who were already exporting, workedtogether to support emerging farmersaround skills development and access tomarkets.

At this stage, the Ugu District Councilcan never claim to have addressed all thebacklogs of the past, and the challenges ofthe second economy. What is instructive isthe fact that a lot has been achieved in thismunicipality because of municipal owner-ship of the integrated development plan-ning processes and the continued supportfrom national and provincial departments.

Assigning additionalresponsibilities to municipalitiesBeyond the discussion on IDP processes Iwould like us to briefly discuss the issuesof assigning powers and functions.

The Constitution permits national andprovincial government to assign to amunicipality additional powers and func-tions, including under certain circum-stances and with the agreement of amunicipality, the administration of afunction in Parts A of Schedules 4 and 5.In other words, the Constitution providesfor evolutionary decentralisation. Thepower or function concerned in all caseshas its origin in a piece of legislation.

The assignment provisions are complexand beyond the scope of this paper. Whatis important for our purposes today is tobring to the attention of the leadership ofthepublic service the body of detailed reg-ulation that governs this form of inter-governmental relations.

I am bringing this matter to your atten-tion particularly because the assignmentof additional functions to municipalitiesat this stage in our history, should beapproached with prudence and a greatdeal of circumspection. Assignment haslasting implications for municipal stabili-ty and service provision, and should notbe regarded as a solution to service deliv-ery challenges or undertaken for reasonsof administrative convenience.

At the same time, when properly exe-cuted, assignment of functions to the localsphere can create possibilities forimproved service delivery.

Government’s policy on decentralisationis contained in the Local GovernmentWhite Paper (1998) and several Acts, inparticular the Division of Revenue Act(Act No 5 of 2004) and the MunicipalSystems Amendment Act (Act No 44 of2003). Both Acts prescribe a complianceprocedure for assignment of powers andfunctions.

Practice shows that assignmentprocesses can be well executed, as we havedone in the past 10 years. However, westill have some few unfortunate instanceswhere the assignment process is inconsis-tent with policy. The consequences ofthese actions could result in municipali-ties being placed in a compromising situ-ation where they are expected to performfunctions without being allocated the nec-essary financial resources. Funds mustfollow functions.

The issue of assignments is currentlyreceiving close attention as we propose

improvements in our system of intergov-ernmental relations.

ConclusionIn conclusion, the challenges of the sec-ond economy, especially within the con-text of local municipalities will not beresolved through support alone. Manychallenges can be successfully addressed ifmunicipalities are able to engage directlywith the other two spheres.

Some will require dedicated supportand engagement over a long period oftime as we consolidate effective local gov-ernment systems.

As the leadership of the Public Servicein this country we have a duty to providegovernment policy, full and unwaveringsupport to local government. This weundertake, not as an ad hoc task but as anexpression of our core business and acommitment to service our people rightthere at the coalface of service delivery.

Our human resource development pro-gramme within government and initia-tives by the Department of Public Serviceand Administration (DPSA), as well asthe South African Management Develop-ment Institute (SAMDI) must addressthese challenges. The human resourcedevelopment programmes must give seri-ous attention to building the capacity ofour senior management.

Amongst other things, these pro-grammes must assist managers to under-stand the nature of our intergovernmen-tal system, the place and role of local gov-ernment within it and practical systemsthat will take us forward to reaching thestrategic objective of reconstruction anddevelopment.

We are engaged in a massive enterprisein our country. As public servants, we areboth the frontline and the reserve. Thebuck stops here, with each and every oneof us. We are fortunate that we are the ser-vants of our people whose vision has deephistorical foundations. Our mandate andvision is clear. Our government and ourpeople expect us to play our part.

The stakes are high and failure is not anoption. It is our time to stand up and becounted. What we do now can and willleave a mark in the history of this country.•

The human resourcedevelopment

programmes mustgive serious

attention to buildingthe capacity of

our senior management

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How TechnologyImproves

Government’sPerformance in a

Developmental State

Mavuso Msimang, the

Chief Executive Officer of

the State Information

Technology Agency,

explains how people can

best use technology for

socio-economic

development in a

sustainable manner

The challenge for government tobridge the gap between the twoeconomies in the country has over

the past 10 years proven to be enormous.Over the past 10 years, both the publicand private sectors have made commend-able efforts to make government andgovernment services accessible to all citi-zens and to narrow the growing gulfbetween those sectors of the society thathave and those that do not. However, thevast difference in the living conditions ofSouth Africans remains an alarmingreminder of the enormity of the problemsof inequitable allocation of resources stillprevalent.

In its effort to solve these problems,government has had to break away fromthe obsolete ways of delivering service.Instead, it had to opt for more innovativestrategies to overcome some of the imped-ing challenges, e.g. geographical ones. Asa result, government has become the

biggest consumer of information andcommunication technology in the coun-try.

The implications of this are self-evi-dent to those charged with driving strate-gy in a developmental state. Amid theexcitement brought about by Informationand Communication Technology (ICT)as one of the most viable solutions to ournumerous service delivery problems,decision makers in government are grad-ually awakening to some new challengesthat literacy can no longer be defined interms of the mere ability to read andwrite.

Literacy now includes the ability to usetechnology both from the point of view ofbeing able to use it to deliver the servicesto the community and being able to accessthose services using technology. In thenew service delivery environment, peoplecannot claim competence in the dischargeof their responsibility if they wilfully con-

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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

tinue to stand on the wrong side of thedigital divide. The digital divide is thegap that exists in opportunities availableto those with limited access to technology.It is the divide between technology“haves” and technology “have-nots”.

The 21st century senior managers ingovernment are expected to use informa-tion and communication technology toempower those who, through misfortuneand circumstances and not by choice, findthemselves on the other side of a growingdigital divide, i.e. those who are disadvan-taged by geography, race, gender and dis-ability or by income.

Managers should be mindful of thedangers of over reliance on ICT as a

means to an end. ICT should be viewedas an enabler whose accessibility by thecommunity should form the priority indeveloping government policy targets —i.e. how people can best use the technolo-gy for socio-economic development in asustainable manner.

SITA’s mandateThe mandate that SITA (StateInformation Technology Agency) carriesis to enable the public service to improveservice delivery to the public through theprovision of information technology,information systems and related prod-ucts. Furthermore, SITA has a majorchallenge of encouraging the greater

Cellular communication hasplayed an importantrole in addressing

universal communication

service and universalaccess through both

its commercial services as well as itslicence obligations

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majority of citizens to participate in eco-nomic activities. This involves undertak-ing relevant research and supporting ini-tiatives that support training and skills-transfer for those who have yet to explorethe benefits of ICT.

In accordance with this mandate, SITAis required to lead in such areas as theachievement of economies of scale, inter-operability within the government envi-ronment, the launch of a bona fide e-Government, the broadening of theskills base, and securing of environments.It is a tough but achievable mandate that,if successfully carried out, would eventu-ally enable the public service to broadenand enhance the ability of South Africansto proactively participate in the country’seconomy.

SITA upholds the notion that technolo-gy adapted to local conditions and cou-pled with education and training canserve as a key mechanism to help bridgethe gap between the two economies.

A little bit of historyThe correlation between ICT, ICTgrowth and the developmental state is notnew. It was most famously captured inthe December 1984 Maitland Report pre-pared by the Independent Commissionfor Worldwide TelecommunicationsDevelopment. The Maitland report high-lighted the inequalities in telecommuni-cations resources between developed anddeveloping countries. What is important,is that it also exposed the existence of adirect correlation between the availabilityof and access to telecommunicationsinfrastructure and the countries’ condi-tion and growth.

The report also features an ambitiousgoal, that by the 21st century everyoneshould be within easy reach of a tele-phone. While three years into the 21stcentury there are now globally over 1.13billion fixed telephone lines and over 1.16billion mobile phones, not everyone iswithin easy reach of a phone as promised.Rather contradictory but the rapid devel-opment of technology globally furtherexacerbates this challenge.

When Maitland’s report was compiledplain old telephone services, often called

(POTS) were the state of the art technol-ogy of the day. Many drastic changes havetaken place and lately people have movedon to awesome news services (pans) thatcover broadcasting and IT services aswell. What Maitland in his report callsthe “missing link” can therefore be char-acterised as the lack not just of telecom-munications but also of ICT infrastruc-ture.

The effect of this missing link is foundto be a serious impediment to economicgrowth. My argument is that the perpetu-ation of the digital divide and the subse-quent failure to minimise the cleavages ofthe last few years could have grave conse-quences for South Africa in terms of theeconomy it develops. This would furtherhave adverse consequences on its abilityto compete globally based on the businessenvironment it creates and the skills itproduces.

Context and statisticsExtrapolating from Maitland’s missinglink theory the missing link exists notonly between South Africa and the moretechnologically developed countries butalso within South Africa itself.

In 1994 the new government inheritedthe highest teledensity in Africa, which in1996 was 10%. Conversely, judged againstmiddle-income countries this was low.Added to that, the teledensity was alsovery racially skewed. About nine in every10 (89%) of white households, 77% ofAsian households, 43% of coloured and11% of black households had a telephone.A decade later, penetration is still skewedand teledensity is at approximately 10.6%,up from 10% based on the 2001 SouthAfrican Census. It is 11.4% based on theTelkom 2002 figures. As at 2002, Telkomhad rolled out approximately 2.7 millionadditional lines, bringing the total num-ber of fixed lines excluding pay phones to4.9 million.

An analysis of data from the 2001 cen-sus shows that 7.6% of black households,12.1% of coloured households, 22.1% ofAsian households and 31% of whitehouseholds have access to a telephoneonly, a cellphone only or a telephone anda cellular telephone in their dwelling.

These figures cannot be compared direct-ly with the results of the previous censusdue to the difference in the questionsposed and the approach used for informa-tion seeking.

However what remains relevant is thefinding that the skewed racial distribu-tion of telecommunication services andaccess still exists. While figures aboutaccess to computers, the internet andother ICT components that are critical tothe communication revolution are notavailable, you can be assured that theskew is more bewildering.

The cellular marketThe cellphone is very important as a toolof communication. This is convincinglycorroborated by the growth in connec-tions that has been so phenomenal. Froma total number of 535 000 cellular phoneusers in 1995, the number of subscribersin South Africa has now increased toapproximately 12 million

Cellular communication has played animportant role in addressing universalcommunication service and universalaccess through both its commercial serv-ices as well as its licence obligations. Thiswas made possible because the technologydeployed has the ability to cover the coun-try more comprehensively at a lower costbecause of its mobility. Added to this wasthe introduction of a prepaid service thathas proven to be a great attraction to lowincome users.

The prepaid service is a classical exam-ple of how technology can be used as atool to facilitate the bridging of the digitaldivide. Prepaid technology has proven tobe a significant factor in the high take upof the cellular service in South Africa andinternationally despite the fact that interms of tariffs charged, it is often lessaffordable on a per minute or per sendbilling compared to a post paid.

It has some outstanding and uniquefeatures that attract the public to it as ameans of accessing telecommunicationsservices. This is particularly true as low-income users need more than low prices.One of its unique features is that itenables the users to control their spend-ing. All it takes is a single sign-up without

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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

credit checks or the need for a bankaccount. In addition, there are no bindinglong-term service agreements.

Beyond physical access the digitaldivide is generally measured in terms oftangibles - the number of computers, tele-phones and Internet connections. As acountry, we have succeeded to varyingdegrees in increasing mobile connections,fixed line teledensity, Internet, and PCaccess over the past decade. However, thedigital divide is more complex than that.It is more than the mere provision ofphysical access. It extends to the effectiveintegration of ICT into society thusreducing connections to merely a startingpoint. The main concern is how best dowe integrate ICT into local communitiesbeyond the physical address, that is,beyond physical access. It is necessary to: • ensure that the technology deployed is

appropriate;• consider the impact of pricing and the

significance of affordability — a typicalexample is that of Telkom whose suc-cess in rolling out thousands of tele-phones was short-lived because of thedisconnections that followed;

• complement ICT rollout with relevantcontent; and

• train citizens on the use of ICT.

Conclusive remarks While language and literacy had littleimpact on IT a few years ago, the grow-ing importance of content places moreemphasis on these two critical areas. Theshift from narrow band to broadbandservices means that language and literacyhave become an integral part in the devel-opment and use of ICT and its delivery tocommunities. Language websites withrelevant local information on weather,business and community information area simple example.

If Internet uptake is to increase in addi-tion to the roll out of more PCs, local con-tent will have to be promoted to addresslocal development, training and educa-tional requirements. This is important indeveloping e-Government strategies andpolicies geared to making South Africanse-citizens. In our rush to develop e-Government services, increase connection

and ensure that South Africa is techno-logically advanced as other countriesglobally, it is important to ensure that oure-citizens are equipped with e-skills.

A traditional emphasis on the roleinfrastructure plays in the delivery ofservices has to give way to a recognitionthat in addition to connecting networksto networks we must look at connectingpeople to networks. It is thus importantthat factors such as the level of education,literacy, language and geographical chal-lenges are addressed as part of our ICTstrategies.

We know that we live in a country thatis characterised by two economies, onehighly developed and the other in a seri-ous streak of underdevelopment. The sta-tistics that have been presented abovepaint a picture of a society characterisedby inequalities in the availability andapplications of ICT. As managers andproject leaders we should be committedto working towards strengthening thecountry’s capacity to grow economicallythrough policies that would empower thecitizens to participate meaningfully in thegrowth of this developmental state. MECRamatlakana from Western Cape definesa developmental state as by nature:

• interventionistic, especially where thereis market failure;

• enables citizens or organised groups tomobilise;

• is directive, namely providing aroadmap where necessary; and

• is supportive of the weak and vulnera-ble.

As Prof Levin correctly pointed out, thereis actually nothing futuristic about ITcapabilities. ICT is real and accounts forthe digital yawning gap between “thehaves” and “the have-nots”. This is seeninternationally and within the nations ofthe world.

Speaking about the challenges of beinga civil servant in a developmental state,Finance Minister Mr Trevor Manuelpointed out that the “unfreedom” of notknowing extends to the use of a comput-er. Senior managers in the public serviceare thus challenged to be change catalystsby firstly embracing transformation.Technology is the central point of thedelivery of the developmental state.Government has wholly embraced thischallenge hence the proliferation of ICTdevices in all national departments,provincial and local administrations.Amongst other things, SITA was estab-lished primarily to facilitate the cost-effective use of ICT.

Let’s consider some of these fundamen-tal questions: • In its role as a custodian of the public

sector IT strategies, can SITA claim tohave contributed significantly to theenhancement of the developmentalstate?

• How many senior government officers,accounting officers included, can claimjudicious use of their ICT budgets?

• How many can claim optimal use oftheir resources in the services of BathoPele?

These are fundamental questions that donot require speculative answers or to bereduced to mere rhetoric. Accordingly, wewill have to agree to subject ourselves to ascientific measurement of our perform-ance. Incorporating the management ofICT in the key performance areas of allsenior civil servants and linking them toperformance bonuses will cause no harm.•

A traditionalemphasis on therole infrastructure

plays in the deliveryof services has to

give way to arecognition that in addition to

connecting networksto networks we

must look at connecting people

to networks

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Summary of Key Issues:Building a Developmental

State and Bridging the Gapbetween Two Economies

By Corrie Smit

Chairperson, thank you for theopportunity to reflect on the out-come of the past three days. This

task is a difficult one for two reasons.Firstly because it comes at the end of theconference when most of you are anxiousto board your planes, and secondlybecause we’ve had so many inspiring pre-sentations and informative debates that Imay not do justice to all the issues raised.

Let me nevertheless attempt to sum-marise what struck me as the key mes-sages emerging from our deliberations,remembering that a full report will bepublished on DPSA’s web site shortly.

Nature of the developmental stateIn outlining the purpose of the confer-ence, Dr Richard Levin, DG of DPSA,asked that we develop a common under-standing of a developmental state and therole of senior management in bridgingthe gap between our two economies.

A number of speakers reminded us ofthe developmental challenges still facingus despite our achievements in the firstdecade of democracy. Minister Manuelspoke of these as the “sources of unfree-dom” — poverty, unemployment, lack ofeducation and violence. We remain oneof the most unequal societies in theworld, a situation that normal market

forces will not remedy but will in factexacerbate if left to its own devices.Drawing on minimum income data,Minister Skweyiya pointed out that atleast 38% of our population, or around 17million people, still live in poverty.

Dr Mkosana, acting DG of Labour,added that 72% of poor people live inrural areas and that most are female-led.Adding to this challenge is the pattern ofmigration that we experience from ruralto urban areas and the increase in house-holds due to the emergence of smallerfamilies.

A developmental state therefore hasthe responsibility of fighting these sourcesof unfreedom and thereby closing the gapbetween the rich and the poor.

As we’ve heard the developmentalstate is also self-reflective, is open to criti-cism, is responsive to stakeholder inter-ests, and most importantly, is attuned tothe many weak voices speaking from themargins of society.

Role of senior managementSo, what does this mean to you and me asmembers of senior management?

Minister Manuel asked us to remainhumble and to espouse the same values asformer President Julius Nyerere. Indeed,he suggested that we consider introduc-ing a Julius Nyerere award. On a more

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S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

sobering note, he asked us to stop taking“mad” decisions, like filling ourwardrobes with caps and golf shirts, notto wear caps during conferences, and hemay have added, not to fall asleep duringpresentations.

Mr Ramatlakane spoke about the needfor focusing on clear deliverables support-ive of the weak and the vulnerable asopposed to arranging “feelgood” events.

Minister Fraser-Moleketi reminded usof the words of Lyndon B Johnson thatthere is nothing as unequal as the equaltreatment of unequals.

She also asked us to turn around theperception that we as managers don’tknow what’s happening at the coalface ofservice delivery, which includes notdreaming up excuses when our servicesare required where they are needed most.

We have been implored not to fall preyto self-serving behaviour. We have chosena career in the Public Service not to enrichourselves but to serve. We should takeour cue from Premier Shilowa, whoreminded us that he represents the“working class”.

Mr Alvin Rapea referred to the originalobjectives in establishing the SeniorManagement Service, which was to attractand retain a cadre of professional seniormanagers. Quoting from his dictionary, hesaid that professionalism represents both a

high standard of achievement and exem-plary personal conduct. From his own lifeexperience he reminded us that a “fish rotsfrom the head”. He referred us to the SMSHandbook for detailed guidance on theskills that we should develop and the val-ues we should espouse.

Key issuesComing to the key themes of the confer-ence and the key issues raised. To methose that stand out are:• The need to increase the impact of the

State on the lives of the poor whileincreasing investment in long term eco-nomic growth. Speaker after speakeremphasised that we cannot hope to closethe gaps if we maintain the same trajec-tory of delivery. We need to becomemore innovative in our approaches, evenif it means moving out of our comfortzones and embracing new service deliv-ery models. Perhaps our choices werebest summarised by Mr Joel Netshitenzewho referred to the four journeys thatwe could embark on — the Segud,Smaraait one, Dulisanang, Skedonk orShosholoza. Clearly Shosholoza is thepath we should choose, where all ourpeople get on board and have a sense ofbelonging.

• Another key issue that was raised is theneed for improved coordination and

integration of state services, which hasraised the need to establish a “singlePublic Service” with improved mobili-ty of both functions and peoplebetween and across the different levelsand organs of state

• We heard a clarion call from the DG ofProvincial and Local Government tosupport our colleagues at local govern-ment level, remembering that the newsystem of local government was onlyestablished in December 2000 and thatmunicipalities have a key developmen-tal role to play. Historical inequalitieshave a profound impact on municipali-ties’ access to resources and their capac-ity to deliver, which means that weshould not be devolving functionsindiscriminately.

• Another cross-cutting theme thatemerged was the need to revitalise thespirit of Batho Pele and putting it towork in our different departments. AsMinister Pandor has so eloquently stat-ed, our people need caring public ser-vants who provide basic services of ahigh quality. This includes introducingsimple things like wearing name tagsand adapting our office hours to theneeds of our clients.

• Mr Msimang and other speakers allud-ed to the powerful role that technologycan play in bridging the digital divide— which requires all of us to embracenew technology and mobilise this toclose the gaps.

• Building on the monitoring and evalu-ation system that is taking shape atnational level, while drawing on thelessons learned by individual depart-ments, has also been a key theme of thisconference. I sensed a great deal ofexcitement and interest in the M & Esystem of the Presidency, emphasisingthat we should use this as a learningopportunity and improving our per-formance.

• Strengthening our human resourcemanagement; in particular developingour skills, performance managementpractices and basic administration.

• Balancing the need for financial andadministrative regulation with the needfor differentiation and innovation.•

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C a s e S t u d y S D R V o l 3 N o 3 2 0 0 4

Water Services:Taking South

Africa into theNext Century

South Africa’s national water policyof 1997 and its supporting legisla-tion, the National Water Act of

1998, are recognised internationally asbeing amongst the most progressive ini-tiatives in the world today, in the globalmove towards sustainable developmentof water resources and achievement ofequity in distribution of the benefits ofresource utilisation.

This policy and legislation clearlyestablish a new kind of vision and a rad-ically different way of conducting thebusiness of water resource managementthat will take this country into the nextcentury. It is understood that SouthAfrica is taking the first bold steps alonga path that may well provide a model formany other countries in the world toshift and adapt to the newer realities ofmanaging scarce natural resources, in anenvironment which is uncertain andcontinually changing, influenced byglobal, regional and localized processes.

The policy and legislation are far moresophisticated and complex than anythingwhich existed previously; the implica-tions for the roles of government, civilsociety and professional service providersare profound, and are not yet clearlyunderstood by all parties. The ultimatesuccess of the new policy depends to a

very great degree on our ability to under-stand the long term needs, and to buildand deliver the capacity to sustain thisnew trajectory.

The development of policy at nationalor provincial levels is a process thatrequires a high level of integration,influenced as it is by political, economic,social, technical and ecological issues.Many people, particularly those in gov-ernment agencies, who become involvedin policy development processes aretrained in one or other of these disci-plines, but have not been formallytrained or equipped with the basic com-petencies to manage high-level policyprocesses, instead finding their way bytrial and error.

There is a high risk of good policy fail-ing or being rewritten before its imple-mentation reaches full maturity, due to alack of people with the capacity andhigh-level skills to manage implementa-tion processes. Yet policy development,implementation and review processescan be made much more effective, effi-cient and sustainable if there is betterunderstanding of the overall public poli-cy cycle.

Between 2002 and 2004, the WaterResearch Commission (WRC) supporteda research project entitled “Consoli-

Heather MacKay, Water

Research Commission,

and Dirk Roux, CSIR

Environmentek, give an

overview of how the

water sector is coping

with developing

capacity to take policy

from planning to

implementation

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dation and transfer of knowledge andexperience gained in the development ofwater and related policy in SouthAfrica” (WRC project number K5/1295).The project aimed to provide, throughcritical review and analysis, an under-standing of where we in South Africahave come from and where we are goingto in terms of water policy, in order tosupport ongoing development andimplementation throughout this andfuture policy cycles.

The objectives of this research projectwere to: • capture and consolidate knowledge

and experience gained in severalrecent policy developments and R&Dprocesses related to sustainable waterresources management;

• provide guidance for future leaders inhow to establish and manage policydevelopment and implementationprocesses; and

• provide guidelines for training andenhancing the capacity of people whoare or will be responsible for policydevelopment and implementation

The members of the core project teamhave been closely involved in SouthAfrica’s water policy development andimplementation process since the early1990s. Most of us came into the processfrom a technical perspective; few of ushad any grounding or basic training inpublic policy and the social and politicalcontexts in which public policy is devel-oped and implemented.

The opportunity afforded to us, andthrough us to other members of thewater sector, to reflect back on a processwhich was at times extremely difficultand seemingly chaotic, has led to a muchdeeper understanding of the genericpublic policy process, in all its complexi-ties.

Through this project, we have endeav-oured to make this understandingexplicit, so that it can be communicatedmore widely, to those who are still close-ly involved in ongoing policy develop-ment, implementation and review, aswell as to the next generation of policy-makers in the water sector.

Products and outcomes of the WRC

research project include:• Report on a critical review and assess-

ment of the South African water poli-cy process 1994-2003 (WRC reportnumber TT232/04);

• A project synthesis report, due forrelease in early 2005 (WRC reportnumber 1295/1/04);

• A series of issues papers published invarious journals and collated on a cd-rom with the synthesis report;

• A series of professional seminars,aimed at middle managers, on publicpolicy in the water sector, which havenow led to an annual event supportedby the WRC.

Review of the water policyprocess 1994-2003In their analysis of the water policyprocess (WRC report no TT232/04),Christo de Coning and Tamsyn Sherwillcompared the process followed by thewater sector, in which the Department ofWater Affairs and Forestry (DWAF)acted as the lead agent, to theoreticalpublic policy process models, particular-ly those emerging from recent southernAfrican experiences and research.

The theoretical models provide animportant and very practical basis forplanning large public policy processes,especially in ensuring that sufficient timeand resources are available for all thevarious phases. A very important learn-ing point arising from the application ofthe theoretical models was the need formanagers to ensure that the three majorphases — (i) policy analysis and develop-ment, (ii) policy implementation, and(iii) monitoring and evaluation — are allincorporated into a single “metapolicy”cycle (see Figure 1 – generic policyprocess).

Difficulties or obstacles to successfulimplementation of policy, and poordelivery on policy objectives, can oftenhave their roots in weaknesses or gaps inthe policy analysis and developmentphase. Likewise, policy review anddevelopment may be significantly com-promised by the lack of adequate andeffective objectives-based monitoringand evaluation.

A detailed discussion of the strengthsand weaknesses of the water policyprocess is provided in the review reportmentioned above, which is availablefrom the Water Research Commission(www.wrc.org.za). In summary, thereview authors concluded that despitehaving and using almost no theoreticalknowledge of policy process models, thewater community in South Africa fol-lowed a logical, participative, legitimateand otherwise sound process.

However, the overall water policyprocess was somewhat unplanned, andin addition the legal drafting activitiesrelated to the National Water Act of1998 did rather dominate the policyprocess. These two aspects impactednegatively on the water policy, notablyby reducing the time and effort spent onthe policy analysis and formulationphase.

In some areas, such as preliminaryobjective setting prior to the WhitePaper or the legal review, the water pol-icy process shows some remarkableexperiences in soliciting public commentand consultation prior to formal process-es. It is also remarkable that legal teamswere, in contrast to other South Africanprocesses, involved at an early stage andused throughout.

This greatly assisted in drafting oflegal text which was informed by practi-cal realities on the ground, and also ingenerating increased (but still insuffi-cient) understanding amongst technicalstaff of DWAF regarding the legalaspects of water management.

Key learning pointsTwo key learning points for public sectormanagers emerged from the research:• the value and role of an internal com-

munication and capacity buildingstrategy which is fully integrated withthe metapolicy cycle; and

• the value of opportunities for experi-enced practitioners and managers toreflect and structure knowledge sothat it can be made available more eas-ily to others around them.

With regard to the first point, the exter-nal consultation and communication

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related to the water policy developmentphase was remarkably strong and broad-based. Yet time, opportunities andresources for internal communicationwithin the water sector, particularly oftechnical and legal concepts, were verylimited during the policy developmentphase. In fact, no co-ordinated capacitybuilding strategy for DWAF staff wasinitiated until well into the policy imple-mentation phase, and a sector-wide, co-ordinated strategy, which includes gov-ernment, key external agencies and serv-ice providers, still has not been for-malised.

This is of concern when the approachesto water resources management whichare required by current policy and legisla-tion are very different to those of the past.

Technical, social, economic, managerialand political competencies are urgentlyneeded, that could have been emergingnow if real effort and resources had beenconcentrated on communication andcapacity building in parallel with the pol-icy development phase, bringing peoplealong with the policy rather than expect-ing them to catch up much later withwhat it means for them and for their dailywork.

On the issue of reflection, a significantconclusion that we have drawn from thisresearch project is that the value of oppor-tunities to reflect and consolidate individ-ual and collective learning cannot beover-estimated. In the South Africanwater sector today, the real and pressingchallenges of delivery of basic water and

sanitation services to all, the underpin-ning of our industrial and agriculturalfoundations, and the protection of waterresources for future sustainability, tend tobe overwhelming and all-consuming.

Trying to do more with few people andlimited resources, professionals in thewater sector tend to miss or undervalueopportunities to take our own learning tohigher levels through reflection andanalysis.

Yet this reflection and analysis allowsus to do our own work better and enablesothers to learn from our successes andfailures, so as to contribute to ongoingimprovement in service delivery, econom-ic activity and social developmentthrough sustainable utilisation and man-agement of water resources.

Figure 1: Generic public policy process (adapted from De Coning, 1995)

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Knowledge transfer and capacity buildingThe term “capacity building” is some-what over-used in South Africa today, yetthe importance of ensuring the capacityfor implementation of new policy is read-ily recognised. For the public sector,capacity building generally refers toimprovements in the ability of public sec-tor organisations to perform appropriatetasks, either on their own or in co-opera-tion with other organisations.

This capacity building involves a total(structural, functional and cultural) trans-formation of government in order tomobilise all available resources to achievepolicy objectives.

We would like to add an emphasis onthe importance of human competence or“capacity for informed action”. It is ulti-mately humans who make decisions, whofoster new relationships and who changebehaviour. Technologies, data, guidelines,procedures and regulations can only eversupport human action, not define ordetermine such action.

Appropriate and sufficient knowledge,which essentially resides in people, is crit-ical in the capacity equation. In the WRCproject, and to serve the ultimate goal ofbuilding capacity and competence forpolicy processes in the water sector, wehad to overcome three potential obstaclesto the consolidation and transfer ofknowledge. These were:• Extraction and consolidation of knowl-

edge that existed in the system;• Packaging and transfer of that knowl-

edge to new adopters; and• Ensuring that new adopters have deep

understanding as opposed to superficialawareness of key concepts.

Extract and consolidate knowledge thatexisted in the systemJust finding the people that played keyroles in the water policy reform processwas difficult enough. Many have sincemoved on to new jobs and new interests.Secondly, convincing these people tomake time available for sharing their pastexperiences posed a challenge. Modernsociety tends to value action and notreflection, to the extent that reflection is

not seen as a valid activity at work. Middle and senior managers in the

public service especially seem to be over-loaded with administrative responsibili-ties. The urgencies of day-to-day opera-tions and “firefighting” can draw atten-tion and resources away from the strate-gic management of policy processes that,if properly addressed, could prevent or atleast minimise the need for future fire-fighting. Much of the value of theresearch project thus lay in creating thespace and time for senior practitioners toreflect on and share their experiences andknowledge.

Package and transfer consolidatedknowledge to new adoptersA common knowledge transfer strategy isto “codify” or write down the knowledgethat is tacitly possessed by people, i.e. toconvert what we know into numbers,words and equations. In this explicitform, knowledge can relatively easilybecome part of organisational artefacts(tools, documents, procedures, etc.), andcan be transferred and “owned” byorganisations.

However, such explicit knowledge isstripped from its human context andstrictly speaking does not represent trueknowledge, but rather information. Itbecomes knowledge when an individualinterprets and internalises the informa-tion.

This article and the reports and papersproduced by the WRC research projectare examples of codified knowledge.While this is a valuable form of capturinginstitutional memory, it must be realisedthat, once in an explicit form, control islost over the subsequent use of thatknowledge. This is because explicit formsof knowledge/information only becomepractically useful when individuals canapply their own experience and contextu-al understanding to interpret the detailsand implications for action.

Identical information will always pro-voke different meanings for differentindividuals since our interests, motiva-tions, beliefs, attitudes, feelings, and senseof relevance are always personal andchanging. Secondly, the loss of content

and particularly context involved in writ-ing down or codifying tacit knowledgemeans that explicit forms are only ever apartial representation of what we know.

Humanly-possessed or tacit knowledgecan often be transmitted more thorough-ly though narrative. The training semi-nars that were presented during this proj-ect are examples of using narrative shar-ing (two-way communication) to comple-ment written course material in order toestablish mutual understanding of thesubject matter.

We found that narrative sharing allowsthe exchange of context associated withthe content of interest that may be diffi-cult or even impossible to write down.This context may be conveyed in subtleforms such as emotion or body language.

Lastly, we acknowledge that there isalso a form of knowledge that cannot bewritten down or narrated – that existsonly within and between the minds ofpeople. This deeply tacit knowledge first-ly accounts for that which we don’t knowthat we know – until we need to know it.This knowledge may be latent until thereis a specific call for it, upon which it willprovide an individual with a “capacity forinformed action”.

To the observer, such action can appearto be based on “gut feel” or intuition. Inthe collective, the value of this knowledgemanifests, for example, in the efficiencywith which established teams – such asproject teams or sport teams – operate.There is an unwritten and unspoken codebetween members that allows such teamsto achieve results that are not possible forbeginner teams.

Collective efficiency does not come eas-ily and is often the result of a long processbased on a combination of peer and self-selection, getting to know each other inti-mately and developing trust. This pointemphasises the importance of promotingcontinuity of team membership in alllong-term initiatives. Yet we recognisethat achieving continuity is particularlychallenging in the public sector today,which is characterised by a very highturnover of staff at almost all levels.

Ensure that new adopters have deep

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understanding as opposed to superficialawareness of key conceptsCompetence relates to understanding,and understanding relates to a deeperprocess of connecting and organisingknowledge around important concepts.Such “conditionalised” knowledge sup-ports understanding as well as knowledgetransfer to other contexts, rather thanonly the ability to remember.

To develop competence implies havinga deep foundation of factual knowledgeabout a topic. The more deeply materialunder study is processed — for examplethe more effort is used to make use ofassociations between the items to belearned and knowledge already in thememory — the better will be the laterretrieval of the knowledge.

This has implications for capacitybuilding, knowledge transfer and learn-ing interventions in general. The experi-ence gained through the WRC projectseems to suggest that once-off seminarsserve a limited purpose. Individuals needthe time and space to apply what theyhave learned before they will truly under-stand it and can claim competence in thefield.

A supportive organisational environ-ment is also necessary for these individu-als, one where top managers support theintroduction and implementation of newconcepts and knowledge by junior andmiddle managers.

RecommendationsA range of quite specific issues relating tocapacity building, policy research and pol-icy management has arisen from thisresearch project, and these issues havebeen presented and explored in moredetail in the relevant project reports andpapers. Reflecting on the original objec-tives of this project, which were all aimedat improving the quality of the develop-ment and implementation of water andrelated policy in South Africa, we havemade a number of general recommenda-tions.

In addition, a number of research pri-orities have been identified and are alsodiscussed in the project reports.

The primary general recommendation

is that the South African “water institu-tion” (including government, externalagencies, service providers, higher educa-tion institutions and interest groups)should rapidly establish and implement astrategy for ensuring that the core ofcapacity for strategic policy developmentand management is maintained, throughthe provision of appropriate institutionalor organisational mechanisms as well asthrough building individual and collec-tive capacity amongst professional practi-tioners at various appropriate levels.

The construction of stories, anecdotesor metaphor is a particularly useful tech-nique for storing and sharing knowledgevia the institutional lore. A “storytellingprogramme” for the water sector, thatuses innovative techniques and mecha-nisms, would be a significant contributionto developing future leadership.

The creation of space for strategic con-versations and storytelling is increasinglyrecognised as a good learning and knowl-edge sharing practice. Storytelling caninvolve learning at three different levels: • The person “telling” the story often

gains deeper understanding of “whatthey know” through the reflection andconsolidation that are necessary prior tonarration;

• The person recording the story mustimplicitly and explicitly develop theirown knowledge and understanding inorder to hear and “package” the story;

• The person receiving the story must bewilling and able to integrate the newinformation, contained in the story,into their current knowledge in orderto generate new, broader or deeperknowledge and competency.

It has been recommended that two parallelinterventions be initiated and maintainedwithin the professional water sector.

Firstly, an ongoing programme oftraining and capacity building in genericpublic policy management, aimed atdeveloping capacity in people enteringthe water sector in early or mid-career.This should be designed within a frame-work which addresses the differentknowledge needs of line managers, strate-gic policy centres and technical specialists.This intervention would be focused more

on improving generic policy processes.Secondly, a vehicle for stimulating

high-level debate and action related to thecontent and impact of water policy. Theinstitutional “home” for such a vehicleneeds to be identified: there are advan-tages and disadvantages to locating thiseither within a government agency or as aless formal network outside an agency.

This intervention would be focused onexamining policy content, initiating criti-cal review as and when necessary, andgenerating and analysing appropriatepolicy options.

• The next annual professional seminaron “Managing public policy in the watersector” will be held in Pretoria in April2005. Contact Dr Heather MacKay at theWater Research Commission for moreinformation. Tel: (012) 3300340 or email:[email protected]

The contents of this article represent theviews of the researchers, and do notnecessarily reflect the views and policiesof the Water Research Commission orthe Department of Water Affairs andForestry. Mention of trade names orcommercial products does not constituteendorsement or recommendation for use.

ReferencesDe Coning, C.B. (1995). Development per-spective on policy management. Unpub-lished D Litt. Et Phil Thesis. Pretoria:UNISA.De Coning C.B. & Sherwill T. (2004). Anassessment of the water policy process inSouth Africa 1994-2003. WRC Report No.232/04. Water Research Commission,Pretoria.Department of Water Affairs and Forestry(1997) White paper on a National WaterPolicy. Pretoria, South Africa.Republic of South Africa (1998). NationalWater Act (Act 34 of 1998).Roux D.J., MacKay H.M. & Hill, L. (eds.)(2005 in press). Consolidation and transferof knowledge and experience gained in thedevelopment and implementation of waterand related policy in South Africa. WRCReport No. 1295/1/04. Water ResearchCommission, Pretoria, South Africa. •

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Bongani Matomela of the DPSA, writes

on the highlights from a Monitoring

and Evaluation Learning Workshop

held in Johannesburg, recently

Ms Kefiloe Masiteng from thePresidency gave an overview ofthe proposed government-wide

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system.The framework that the Presidency hasdeveloped is a key instrument to ensurethat there is no fragmentation in govern-ment, and is also key to measuring theGovernment’s Programme of Action.

It was, however, highlighted that thePOA constitutes only a third of what gov-ernment is doing, the other two-thirds iswhat government is doing on a daily basis.The main challenges are to ensure co-ordi-nation with provincial M&E systems, andhow to appropriately evaluate processes,outputs and outcomes. Key specialist skillslike research, data/statistical analysis, poli-cy analysis and report writing, arerequired to do this M&E in government.

The framework also explains the role ofvarious levels of government and the cen-tral co-ordinating departments.

Stanley Anderson presented the M&Esystem that was developed for theExpanded Public Works Programmeunder the Department of Public Works.This contains clear indicators: job opportu-nity; person years of employment; govern-ment expenditure; person training days;demographic data; and project wage rate.

Both national government initiatives,that is the Presidency’s and Public Works’,face largely similar challenges. Theseinclude institutional arrangements andintegration, particularly on the part ofEPWP, reporting fatigue, capacity to doproper M&E, integration with other plan-ning systems to address issues of duplica-tion and overlap as well as defining levelsto ensure proper evaluation.

Other challenges that need to be dealtwith include cluster co-ordination, thedevelopment of proper indicators andfinding out, as EPWP for instance

attempts to, whether development impactcan be attributed to what is being meas-ured.

Albie van Rensburg, from the Premier’sOffice in the Free State, made a presenta-tion on their electronic web-based systemwhich is probably the first of its kind in thecountry. It is a very good information huband a tool to monitor the progress of proj-ects being implemented, the nature andtype of projects, value and who theyinvolve, etc. It also has numerous valida-tion and checks and balances to authenti-cate the information being captured.

However, like many innovative solu-tions, the initiative also faces challenges,chief of which is getting other departmentsto co-operate, thus emphasising the needfor advocacy. Added to this are risks suchas the movement of people around postsand the availability of time and otherresources for such a big system.

A representative from the Premier’sOffice in the Eastern Cape also made apresentation about the M&E system for theprovincial growth and development plan(PGDP) in Eastern Cape. Though in itsdevelopment stage and not yet fully imple-mented, it is nevertheless a well-thoughtout plan. It incorporates many M&E sys-tems from various provincial departmentsand stakeholders. More importantly, it is adual system in that it is a combination of acentralised and decentralised M&E.

The Development Bank of SouthernAfrica has also developed a good M&Emodel that operates almost independentlyfrom the daily operations of the Bank. Oneof its features is that all completed projectsof the bank have to produce “lessonslearned reports”. Monitoring and evalua-tion is characterised by actual site and proj-ect visits, and teams are drawn from vari-ous disciplines and practices. The bankmodel shows a strong emphasis on rigour,objectivity and reliability in doing opera-tions evaluations. The bank offers a capac-ity-building programme that can be rec-ommended for the various provinces anddepartments.

Thulani Mabaso presented on the

UNDP results-based M&E frameworkwhich is premised on a linear system thatstarts from identifying and measuringinputs and activities, and establishing howoutputs contribute to the achievement ofoutcomes and ultimately impact. TheUNDP views M&E as part of the pro-gramme management cycle. Accordingly,performance and results are measuredensuring that those lessons learnt are inte-grated in management decisions andfuture planning. UNDP offered to shareits international best practice, and models,tools, report and forms.

The key feature of the two specialistinstitutions is that M&E is linked to thedesign, planning and future decision-mak-ing about programmes/projects.

Proposed Action Plan• A nationwide M&E forum should be

established to fill the gap betweennational initiatives and provinces. Theforums would amongst other thingsengage the Presidency, Public ServiceCommission, etc to ensure consultationwith and participation of provinces andother levels of government to create aplatform for engagement. Membershipfor the forum based at national levelshould include provinces, premier’soffices, treasuries and municipalities.

• Forums should also be set up at provin-cial levels and include municipalities.

• What is happening in provinces anddepartments should be analysed.

• Lessons learned in the workshop shouldbe considered for possible adaption andapplication when needed.

• Inter-provincial sharing. There must bediscussion forums and notification ofactivities/initiatives. DPSA to coordi-nate!

• Departments and provinces must tapinto the resources of DBSA and UNDPfor technical assistance and access to bestpractices.

In conclusion, members suggested that theforum meet again at the end of November2004 to, amongst other things, structureterms of reference of the forum. •

The Monitoring and Evaluation Learning Workshop: A Synopsis

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Public service delivery institutionslike public hospitals, home affairsdepartments, police stations, and

courts are the face of government for thevast majority of people in any country. Itis at this level that people’s perceptionsare determined of whether governmentis delivering a better life for all.

But it is also at this level whereimprovement and change is especiallydifficult, and for a variety of reasons.These include the lack of delegation toinstitutional managers, the inability toattract staff with the skills to manageinstitutions, the lack of essential infor-mation, and inadequate funding.

Over the last few years governmenthas prioritised the improvement of pub-lic service institutions as part of the over-all public service transformation agenda.A number of measures have been intro-duced to enhance the functioning ofinstitutions, including greater delegationof responsibility, enhanced pay levels formanagers, the introduction of informa-

tion systems, and general capacity build-ing. However, much more still needs tobe done.

The Centre for Public ServiceInnovation (CPSI) has also identifiedinstitutions as a key area of focus, whichis why it added the category “InnovativeService Delivery Institution” to itsInnovations Award programme in 2004.One of the winners of this category wasthe Kimberley Hospital Complex(KHC) in the Northern Cape Province.The KHC project has received a numberof other awards, including a platinumaward in 2003 from the ImpumeleloInnovations Award Trust, as well as theNorthern Cape Premier’s ExcellenceAward for two years running.

This case study looks at the achieve-ments of the Kimberley HospitalComplex in transforming both servicedelivery arrangements and internalprocesses through the application ofinnovation and good management prac-tice. This was done within the con-

How KimberleyHospital became

a Model ofExcellence

In this case study,

Dr Anna Strabel

focuses on the

systematic

transformation of a

South African hospital

from just an average

institution to one that

wins awards, and excels

in service delivery, to the

betterment of the

quality of life of those

who elicit aid and

service from it

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straints of the existing frameworks thatgovern the institution. The study high-lights the steps taken by the KHC in thisprocess and identifies those factors thatwere central to the revitalisation of theinstitution. It will also address somechallenges to maintaining the impetusfor change in the face of broader regula-tory issues.

The case study will also highlightthose characteristics that allow the KHCto continue changing and improving. Inthis way, useful lessons for other hospi-tals in South Africa are clarified, as wellas important lessons for the thousands ofother service delivery institutions acrossgovernment.

The revitalisation processThe Kimberley Hospital Complex islocated in Kimberley in the NorthernCape Province, and consists ofKimberley General Hospital, West EndPsychiatric and TB Hospital (incorpo-rated in 1997), and Kimberley HospitalRehabilitation Centre (incorporated in2001). The original Kimberley Hospitaldates back to the discovery of diamondsin the late 1800s, and has in recent yearsexperienced many problems in the deliv-ery of quality health services to theNorthern Cape, the largest province inSouth Africa, but the least populated.

Against this background, the newprovincial department of health under-

took to improve the provision of healthservices in the province. For this reason,the KHC embarked on a consciouseffort to improve the quality of servicesat all levels. Its starting point was a focuson more effective management.

In 1999 a new Chief Executive Officerwho was also a general manager, wasappointed. There were other changes inthe management team as well and, witha clear mandate from the provincialdepartment of health, there was a con-certed push to revitalise health servicesin the province with the KHC as themodel.

During 2000, the CEO and seniormanagement went on a study tour toOxford Radcliffe Hospital in the UnitedKingdom to identify best practices inhospital management, and this visitresulted in a customised programme onre-engineering. The overall aim was todevelop “a centre for health serviceexcellence”. The reasoning was thatimproved service delivery and quality ofcare would be brought about with animprovement in the motivation andworking conditions of all staff, and it fol-lows that a key component of the wholerevitalisation process has been to shiftattitudes and increase motivation amongstaff.

At the core of the turnabout has been amanagement style that has involved anextensive consultation process with staffat all levels, different units as well asunions, to determine priorities and prob-lems. Detailed strategic planning work-shops were held, with a focus on creatinga vision for the future, establishing anevidence-based quality health service,and enhancing capacity among man-agers.

The emphasis has been on streamlin-ing processes, the development of clearprocedural guidelines, and the introduc-tion of an ongoing system of monitoringand evaluation, to identify and respondto problems. Quality assurance measuresand clear disciplinary procedures werealso established.

A system is also being introduced totrack patients as they move through thehospital system, in order to identify bot-

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tlenecks and speed up efficient patientcare. In addition the informatics depart-ment provides regular and detailed infor-mation regarding the functioning of allaspects of the hospital, making it possiblefor senior managers to be kept up to date,so that problems can be addressed quick-ly.

Changes have not been restricted tomajor and potentially expensive transfor-mation. The attitude of management andstaff towards finding better ways of doingtheir work has allowed the institution tointroduce changes such as better trolleysfor general assistants. These small but sig-nificant changes reinforce the culture ofcontinuous improvement and enhancethe commitment of all staff.

Clearly, a major focus of transforma-tion effort was the overhauling of man-agement systems. This was not done inisolation but involved the inputs of bothinternational partners (who have provid-ed ongoing expertise and training in hos-pital systems management), as well asextensive consultations with all levels ofstaff, so that they continually provide andare given feedback on what is needed toenhance health services. Some of the far-reaching results of this process are out-lined below.

Achievements in re-engineeringhospital servicesThe KHC has developed an innovativeand refreshing approach to the delivery ofpublic health services. Transformation ofthe hospital complex and its services hasbeen multi-faceted and ongoing, andembraces an impressive range of initia-tives and outcomes.

Starting at the most practical level, akey issue to address was the deterioratingphysical conditions and staff morale com-mon in most public hospital services. Assuch, the physical environment of theKHC was dramatically transformed. Theappearance of the buildings and wardshas improved: newly painted walls (aproject that involved all staff, includingthe CEO, who donned overalls over aweekend to help with the task); newlyacquired clothing (which has done awaywith the humiliating open-backed gowns

of most hospitals); fresh bed linen andclean, colourful curtains; clear signpost-ing of services and posters outlining thepatients’ rights charter; very few queues;and no overcrowding of wards.

A central feature of the revitalisationprocess has been the commitment by hos-pital management to the acquisition andnurturing of quality staff. The manage-ment style combines an undertaking toenhance working conditions for all levelsof staff with the requirement of highstandards of excellence in service delivery.For this reason, part of the initial consul-tation with staff aimed to identify whatwould improve the staff’s ability to deliv-er excellent services, and then set aboutattending to as many of their concerns aspossible.

Many initiatives have been introducedfor staff, including regular team-buildingworkshops; the upgrading of staff quali-fications and redeployment where neces-sary; an Employee Assistance Pro-gramme, which incorporates a compre-hensive HIV/AIDS policy; and a staffWellness Centre.

This new facility, which was recentlyopened by the national Minister ofHealth, aims to support hospital employ-ees at all levels in their ability to maximisetheir job performance, by providing pro-fessional, confidential services and refer-rals to address a wide range of emotionaland mental well-being issues, includingfinancial, nutritional, rehabilitation andmedication services.

The attention to staffing issues hasclearly been successful, as reflected in thehigh morale across all categories of hospi-tal staff, who speak with enthusiasm andenergy about the hospital and its servicesand convey a sense of optimism and com-mitment unusual for employees of publicfacilities. They commented particularlyon the positive working climate, theopenness and fairness of management,the opportunities for career development,and their sense of pride in being part ofthe process.

“It is now a privilege to work here; pre-viously it was a shame,” according to amale nurse who has been employed at thehospital for 15 years.

Further evidence of the success of staffrecruitment and retention is reflected inthe fact that there have been no vacanciesfor medical doctors at the hospital for anumber of years, nor were there anyunfilled nursing posts in 2003, a remark-able situation in the context of chronicand extensive vacancies across publichealth facilities nationally.

In addition, the total number of doctorsemployed by the KHC has grown from33 in 2000 to 138 in 2003, and the numberof specialists from two in 2000 to 16 in2003 — again, no mean achievementgiven the remoteness of Kimberley.

Another positive development has beenthe introduction of private beds for thosepatients who have medical aid or who canafford to pay for services. This was com-bined with an agreement that allows pri-vate doctors to refer their patients to thehospital. This initiative generates signifi-cant additional funds for the hospital,with a monthly income of over R1 millioncurrently.

The success of this venture is alsoreflected in the growing numbers ofpatients making use of these facilities,with admissions growing from about 100in April 2002 to around 600 in May 2004.An interesting feature of this service isthat the quality of the general wards is infact such that there is no visible distinc-tion between the physical facilities in the26 private wards and those in the publicunits. This is important in ensuring thatnon-paying indigent patients are giventhe same level of professional care as pay-ing patients.

An improvement of which staff areespecially proud has been the reduction inwaiting time for patients at the hospital,so that the average waiting time in theAccident and Emergency Unit is nowdown to about 15 minutes, again a signif-icant achievement compared to the serv-ice in many public health facilities aroundthe country.

These reduced waiting times translateinto more patients seen by doctors, as wellas greater client satisfaction. Recent mon-itoring identified a waiting time bottle-neck at the central hospital pharmacy. Asa result, a satellite pharmacy to serve the

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specialist wards has just been opened,which will streamline patient movementsthrough the hospital and also reducewaiting time for medication.

Another core component of theimproved functioning of the hospital isthe implementation of monitoring andevaluation processes at all levels. Thedetailed documentation and sharing ofrelevant information, as well as the quali-ty assurance measures, regular customersatisfaction surveys, and evaluations bythe provincial DoH provide ongoingfeedback regarding the extent to whichthe KHC is meeting its goal of providingexcellence in service delivery, and allowstoo for rapid responses by management toany problems.

The constant performance appraisalsystem of all staff not only provides regu-lar feedback, but also allows for recogni-tion in the form of monthly awards tostaff, as well as a gala CEO AnnualAwards event, which is externally spon-sored. While the focus is on recognisingand rewarding good performance, thereis also no shirking from clamping downon disciplinary problems — so that “evendoctors who transgress have been dis-missed”.

A further feature of the revitalisationprocess of the KHC as a provincial public

hospital has been the development of anumber of significant partnerships withother government structures and the pri-vate sector, to enhance its health caredelivery. The Oxford Radcliff Hospital’stwinning programme contributes signifi-cantly to the sharing of expertise, initiallyat managerial level mainly, but increas-ingly also in relation to clinical services.

The International Men’s Health Clinicprovides a weekly service for men’s health

issues from the hospital. There are addi-tional partnerships that allow private doc-tors to use the private beds in the hospital;a reciprocal arrangement with the FreeState Academic Health Complex to bringabout rationalisation of services for geo-graphically isolated areas; an increase inthe extent and frequency of clinic out-reach services through the Red CrossOutreach flying service; as well as collabo-ration with a number of NGOs to provideHIV/AIDS, cancer and other services.

A wide range of ongoing innovationsand improvements attest to the dynamicnature of the revitalisation process. Somerecent developments include the estab-lishment of a new dental clinic, and theappointment of a chief dentist, so that thehospital is now able to offer maxillo-facialsurgery and other tertiary-level services.

In the field of occupational health,training of specialised staff is underway toallow the hospital to provide services tothe Asbestos Relief Fund, as well as toexpand services to the private sector inother areas of occupational health, anoth-er potential source of revenue generationfor the KHC.

The hospital has recently been accredit-ed as an antiretroviral treatment site forHIV/AIDS, and has appointed an infec-tious diseases specialist in this regard. Thebreast-feeding lodge, which accommo-dates around 20 mothers and their pre-mature or intensive care babies, has initi-ated a range of skills training options,including sewing and gardening.

Two isolation wards in the IntensiveCare Unit have been opened; the hospitalprovides library services for both adultsand children; braille controls have beenintroduced into some lifts; an internetkiosk for patients is about to be opened;and the hospital also has its own radio sta-tion. Increased security has led to bothpatients and staff feeling secure in thehospital complex and a marked reductionin theft of hospital equipment and per-sonal possessions. “I feel safer here than inmy own home,” said a general hospitalworker, in service for the past 12 years.

Regarding the important issue of sus-tainability, the KHC re-engineering proj-ect has strong and close support from the

Further evidence ofthe success of staff

recruitment and retention is reflectedin the fact that there

have been no vacancies for medical

doctors at the hospital for a number

of years, nor werethere any unfilled

nursing posts in 2003

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provincial department of health. There isalso clearly buy-in from senior structureswithin the hospital system, so that com-mitment seems secure.

Despite severe constraints, the complexhas also been able to bring about signifi-cant savings financially, which has freedup funds for allocation to priority areas.Furthermore, it has entered into a rangeof partnerships that contribute to finan-cial and other support for the project. Therecent change in the position of CEO wascarefully planned, so that momentumwas not lost. In fact, given that the previ-ous CEO is now Deputy DirectorGeneral in the provincial DoH, and thatthe two meet on a daily basis, the sustain-ability of the KHC project seems assured.

As the revitalisation of the KHC was ini-tially intended to serve as a model for therest of the province, the extent to which theturnabout here has been replicated else-where is a measure of its effectiveness andbest practice status. In this regard, aspectsof the initiative are already being imple-mented elsewhere, with two new modelcommunity health centres having beenbuilt, a new psychiatric hospital under con-struction, the appointment of district man-agers and the implementation of financialmanagement systems provincially.

Moreover, the KHC is increasingly play-ing a major role in improving health serv-ices in the province. Thus the six nodalhospitals currently report to the KHCCEO, and each senior manager in theKHC has “adopted” one of these hospitals,to assist with the transformation of its serv-ices. The emergency medical services nowalso report directly to the KHC CEO.

Other provinces have also begun tointroduce aspects of the decentralisedmanagement format, and the KHC regu-larly provides support in the induction ofsenior staff to the new systems. Moreover,the KHC developed the pilot for the cost-ing of health care nationally, with a uni-form patient fee system, which will serveas a national blueprint. Delegations fromother African countries have visited theKHC to learn from its model. Thus theKHC model is clearly one that could andsurely should be replicated.

Finally, a measure of the overall success

of the revitalisation of KHC is the factthat the five-year goals identified in itsstrategic plan were achieved in only threeyears, which has necessitated the settingof new goals. Other indicators of theeffectiveness of the project can be gaugedthrough the impacts on the quality of lifeand employment options of the KHCclients, as reflected, for example, inimproved treatment rates for TB, areduction in teenage pregnancies, anincrease in infant immunisation, and edu-cation and skills training for young moth-ers. Procurement policies of the KHCalso focus on providing jobs for local andpreviously disadvantaged enterprises.

Challenges and lessonsKHC provides an exciting example ofhow a government facility can be trans-formed to deliver high-quality health careto all its citizens. Given that all publicservice agencies have been tasked withtransformation toward improved servicedelivery, and that this has in mostinstances proved to be a difficult or evendaunting task, the identification of keyingredients in the revitalisation of theKHC, as well as a close consideration ofchallenges encountered in its implemen-tation, is extremely important.

A central question to be addressed inunderstanding the restructuring processis what it was that facilitated and sus-tained the changes at the KHC. The revi-talisation of hospital services has beenrecognised as a national priority in healthservice delivery, but has not easily beentranslated into effective turnabouts inmany other provincial hospitals.

Senior staff at the KHC would arguethat it was the political will at provinciallevel and the strong commitment of sen-ior management that ignited the process.So, on the one hand there was a clearpolitical mandate from the provincialDoH to transform services, while on theother hand a new management team —one that was passionate about change —had been put in place at KHC. Theappointment of a new CEO, with a man-agement rather than a medical back-ground, was also instrumental in chang-ing the hospital ethos.

As is the case in many successful devel-opment initiatives, the new leader broughtdedication, zeal and charismatic energy tothe task. However, unlike some other proj-ects, where there is a fall-off of momentumwhen such a leader leaves, at the KHC suc-cession issues were carefully considered.Thus the new CEO who took over in thelast year had worked closely together withthe outgoing manager, who is now theDDG in the provincial health department.

They continue to meet regularly, whichallows for continuity of the model, as wellas strategic planning for expanding themodel throughout the province. Thistype of ongoing collaboration betweenpolitical and delivery structures remains acornerstone of the success of the revitali-sation process.

As described in the previous section,the hospital management has identified anumber of core factors in the success ofthe project. First, there was the initialimproving of infrastructure at every levelin the hospital, from the upgrading of thecondition of wards, to the provision ofimproved laundry and cleaning facilitiesand the acquisition of state-of-the-artmedical equipment. This process contin-ues as resources are made available andnew needs identified. Second, the recog-nising and rewarding of staff perform-ance remains a central goal of manage-ment, based as it is on the rationale that ifemployees are motivated throughimproved work conditions, they willdeliver better services to hospital clients.

This process of staff motivation andretention continually throws up newchallenges. Given the remoteness of theNorthern Cape and its distance from themetropolitan hubs of the country, theextent to which staff have been attractedto and retained by the KHC is impressive.This has in large measure been the resultof creative approaches to addressing theneeds of staff.

Thus, community placement medicalofficers have been offered incentives tocontinue their work at the hospital, and40 school leavers from the province arebeing sponsored to complete their train-ing at the Free State Medical School. Inaddition, the loss of nursing staff recently

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to highly paid jobs overseas (a phenome-non not unique only to this province)resulted in a degree of demotivation andoverload among remaining nurses. Inresponse, the province has increased thenumber of positions in nurses trainingcolleges, and the KHC has appointedaround 600 auxiliary nurses to relievesome of their burden of existing nurses, aswell as offering them the opportunity totrain professionally.

In the light of such issues, it is clear thata major consideration for the KHC hasbeen how to sustain the momentumachieved in initiating the project. The dan-ger of stagnation, and even complacency,in response to the dramatic changes thathave occurred is a danger that hospital andprovincial management take seriously.

What is required at present seems to bea balancing of growth with consolidation.Thus, while new developments continue(for example, the recent opening of theWellness Centre for staff, and the satellitepharmacy), a phase of stabilisation willincrease opportunities for providing sup-port in the transformation of servicesthroughout other provincial health facili-ties. This will in turn throw up new chal-lenges, as what has worked for the KHCwill not necessarily be appropriate inother contexts.

Psychiatric and rehabilitation services,for example, will need to attend to differ-ent imperatives, given their emphasis on

providing long-term residential care.Another issue is the size of the province

in relation to the provision of health serv-ices. The big distances and thinly scat-tered population mean that there aremany areas where the number of peopledoes not justify the building of health carecentres. This flies in the face of the inten-tion to provide health services from fixedfacilities for all citizens of the province.

Also, the burden of disease is increasingin the province, with the spread ofHIV/AIDS, TB, malnutrition and otherpoverty-related diseases, so that there is aconstant battle to meet health needs effec-

tively and equitably. This is exacerbated bythe constraints that result from the healthrate of inflation being higher than generalinflation, and the trend to transfer govern-ment spending from secondary and terti-ary health services to primary health care.

ConclusionThe innovative and effective manner inwhich the Kimberley Hospital Complexhas managed to transform its services isheartening evidence of what can beachieved in public health service provi-sion. Its ability to respond creatively tonew challenges, to consolidate what hasbeen achieved, and expand the model inthe province bodes well for the future ofthe revitalisation process.

Hopefully this case study also providesvaluable indicators as to how innovationinvolves not only the development of newideas, but also the openness and commit-ment to continually respond to evolvingcircumstances. The wide-ranging impactof management’s investment in its staff,its most important asset human resources,is also a key feature of the innovativeorganisational transformation that thismodel demonstrates.

AcknowledgementsWe wish to acknowledge the valuable con-tributions of the following people andsources in the compiling of this case study:• Dr H Shabbir, CEO of Kimberley

Hospital Complex;• Dr D Madyo, previous CEO of KHC,

currently Deputy Director General,Northern Province Department ofHealth;

• Dr Olivier, Acting Medical Director,KHC;

• Sr Goeieman, Manager of WestendPsychiatric and TB Hospital;

• Dr Piotrowski, Psychiatrist, WestendHospital;

• KHC Strategic Themes and Objectives,2003;

• KHC Health Indicator Review, 2003;and

• Impumelelo Innovations Award Trustevaluation report, 2003.

Article courtesy of the Centre of PublicService Innovation •

As the revitalisationof the KHC was

initially intended toserve as a model for

the rest of theprovince, the extentto which the turn-

about here has beenreplicated elsewhereis a measure of itseffectiveness and

best practice status

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Our World of Policy Studies

For policy specialists there is much tocelebrate in South Africa. We are anopen, expressive society, prone to

deliberation and raucous debate. Such isthe style of our democracy. We gain com-fort from the stability of our constitution-al rule; and we measure ourselves accord-ing to precepts of social justice rooted in ahost of constitutional provisions. Still, ouroptimism is tempered by a profound senseof the poverty, inequality and sheerdespair that persist in South African life.

Allowing, indeed encouraging, suchconflicting emotions to infuse our under-standing of policy issues enables authenticanalysis in the South African context.Then we will not shy away from com-plexity and contradiction. If we do, wemiss the essence of policy learning.

How often do we hear fellow citizenssay, with a mixture of pride and frustra-tion, “We have great policies, but we arestruggling to carry them out”? Thus ourproblems lie in implementation, in deliv-ery, it would appear. Well, yes and no.Policy rhetoric is undeniably important.Government should voice people’s socialconcerns and aspirations. Policy frame-works should be bold and innovative.Expectations should be raised. After all,policies that address the core concerns ofpeople’s lives are not mere technicalitiesbut harbingers of comfort and sources ofself-esteem.

To our detriment, however, we fre-quently confuse rhetoric with design.“Free education for all”, say, a slogan

which can readily be translated into a pol-icy framework, has not been designedproperly as a policy unless and until wecan ascertain with some certainty how,when, and under what circumstances itcan be realised. Considerations of policyimplementation should be integral todesigning a policy. Hence it is a mistake totreat “implementation” as somehow dif-ferent from, or consequential, to “policy”.Put differently, the mantra “great policiesbut struggle to carry them out” amountsto bad policies.

In South Africa we fall into this traptime and time again. There are many rea-sons why, I believe. What is most relevanthere, though, is that, sadly, this kind ofinadequacy is perpetuated in learning atthe tertiary level, often unwittingly. Aconscious aim to crack the problemunderpins the postgraduate programmein Policy and Development Studies on thePietermaritzburg campus. We cannotclaim resounding success, but we aremaking headway.

The most important facet is simplyinvesting in people themselves. Thetheme of capacity-building often recurs indeveloping countries. Financial resourcesalways matter, of course, but in SouthAfrica they are trumped by institutionalweaknesses and the lack of appropriatelyendowed personnel. Many conversations Ihave had over the years with state officialsand NGOs suggest that a shortage ofskilled, imaginative, enterprising individ-uals rather than funds alone is thwarting

Ralph Lawrence, Professor

of Government and

Public Policy Director:

Programme in Policy and

Development Studies

School of Human and

Social Studies University

of KwaZulu-Natal -

Pietermaritzburg says

debates around policy

frameworks should be

tempered with a growing

sense of realism as we

forge ahead in rebuilding

South Africa into

a free society

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progress on many a policy front. Policypractitioners as a whole are scarce, letalone those properly equipped to conductcogently designed exercises.

What is needed, then? The centralattributes of a policy professional remainto identify, analyse and solve problems.This much is commonplace in policy edu-cation, where techniques in applied eco-nomics tend to be favoured. South Africanstudents lack confidence in quantitativemethods generally, let alone in analyticalreasoning of this persuasion. In compensa-tion, though, our acutely attuned politicalenvironment renders other advantages.

Having the ability to read a situation, toknow what is acceptable, and what not,coupled with a healthy feel for organisa-tional dynamics, is a tangible and invalu-able form of capital that a typical policypostgraduate possesses before he — andvery often, she — sidles into the openingclass. You forego at your peril sound tech-nique in some version of applied econom-ics; but focusing relentlessly on such tech-nique without due regard to political sen-sitivities or the desirability of fosteringinclusive social practices is foolhardy.

Policy endeavour is inherently a socialprocess. The ability to listen to others, tobecome empathetic to their issues, is cru-cial. Our prevailing participatory struc-tures in governance seldom serve this pur-pose, which is relegated to a formalrequirement in policy formulation.Listening meaningfully, immersing one-self in a variety of policy narratives, entailsacquiring information as an essentialpreparatory measure. A hallmark of ourdemocratic rule is the explosion of data.Using these sources thoroughly is a basicprofessional competency in policy educa-tion.

The sundry attributes and skills thatconstitute policy learning all depend onnurturing creativity, critical awarenessand flexibility. Policy design should not beformulaic. It has to be more than tossaround ideas, talk, consult, legislate, coor-dinate, delegate, report. Such simple lin-earity is a recipe for failure. And yet this isthe orthodox approach to policy analysis,which can work in a land of plenty, but isinappropriate in style and content in

African conditions. Our historical legacy,reflected in public administration, and ourregional and global position, setting con-straints but permitting room for manoeu-vre, have to pervade how we conceptualisea policy education and shape how we pur-sue policy learning.

As our programme in Policy andDevelopment Studies has evolved since itsinception in 2000 the thoughts I have justsketched help us to identify our role on theacademic stage and in the professionaldomain. We offer a ladder of qualifica-tions, from Postgraduate Diploma, toHonours and coursework Master of SocialScience degrees, to the Ph.D.Approximately 60 candidates are regis-tered with us in any given year. Theyrange from young graduates to mid-career professionals. Increasingly, we areattracting mature students from else-where in Africa, especially the southernand central regions, as well as the easternseaboard, who are particularly interestedin doctoral research directed at issues theyface in their home countries.

A significant number of the recentgraduates are emerging from the PublicPolicy Partnership (PPP), based in thisregion, in this university, and in theWestern Cape, with its headquarters inCape Town. The aim of PPP, an inde-pendent non-profit company funded byphilanthropic foundations, is to produceaccomplished graduates with Master’sdegrees in public policy for public servicein South Africa. Some 40 undergraduatesare chosen each year for two successivewinter programmes in policy education,followed by extensive postgraduate study,with an intervening 12 months spent in aninternship with an approved partner, typ-ically a government department or aNGO.

As academics, our curricula, pedagogyand areas of research have to be responsiveto this stimulating and variegated array ofpolicy learners. At the same time, the pro-gramme bears our imprint as to what webelieve is best for policy education in ourenvironment. While many features arenoteworthy, perhaps two are paramount.

First, our emphasis is on generic aspectsof policy studies, so that those who are

attracted to different policy arenas, forinstance, local government or education,are in constant discussion with one anoth-er. All the students oscillate between gen-eral explanation, drawn from the profes-sional literature worldwide, and localcases, which we compile in collaborationwith our classes. There is a dearth of suit-able theoretical material: we are nowseeking to remedy this by lending sub-stance to what we ourselves have learnt inrecent times.

Secondly, for nearly a decade now wehave led initiatives in service-learning as ameans of experiential education, both inpolitical science, and more latterly in poli-cy studies per se. Why? Internships, wefelt, properly devised, monitored, combin-ing self-reflection and collective delibera-tion, would enable students to learn in anintimate way about democracy as it isunfolding. This wider thrust has nar-rowed progressively into detailed scrutinyof policy areas associated with public andcivic organisations in the MsunduziMunicipality. Because policy endeavour isessentially an applied activity, would bepractitioners need to comprehend forthemselves the organisational complexitywithin which policy matters occur. Casestudies can replicate these circumstancesto some extent, but they obviously cannotconvey the rhythms and nuances of policylife. In fact, it is precisely the abstractnature of much policy education that lim-its its worth, both as scholarship and aspraxis.

Policy studies, interpreted as a multidis-ciplinary social science, is still in its infan-cy in South Africa. The South Africangovernment, recognising the urgency ofquality policy research and management,relies on us in the universities to grasp thenettle. We have at the University ofKwaZulu-Natal. We can be proud thatwe have been at the forefront in develop-ing this form of professional education,just as we blazed a path in service-learn-ing directed at the social sciences. Ourchallenge in the programme in Policy andDevelopment Studies is to augment ourefforts in the South African quest for goodgovernance and for a better quality of lifefor all. •

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In this paper, I would like to argue infavour of citizen-centred integratedplanning as a hallmark for develop-

ment in a developmental state. I will drawfrom my experiences in parastatal organi-sations to better illustrate how lack of col-laboration and subsequent duplicationcan result in non-delivery and wastage ofresources. This would serve as a founda-tion for my subsequent reflections onforming partnerships across the sectoraldivide.

An anecdoteComing from Limpopo we had anunveiling of the tombstones of my ances-tors and amongst the people that I invitedwere some friends from Johannesburg.The directions were clear until they hadto turn left into Van Riebeeck fromThabo Mbeki Mokopane after which theywould have to drive 50 kilometres toMoletlane village where I originally comefrom.

That was when the going got tough. Tostart with, there are about 23 villages inMoletlane and most of the people thereshare the surname Kekana and are relat-ed. To complicate matters, there hap-pened to be three events during thatweekend, a wedding, a funeral and of

course the unveiling of the tombstones towhich the Johannesburgers were invited.Instead, after enquiring they ended up atthe wedding, a wrong event, which right-fully was hosted by people who, like me,were Kekana and secondly my relatives.Of great significance, true to African cul-ture based on our relationship with thehosting family, the wedding was takingplace at my home.

The anecdote illustrates clearly why anaddress is key to integrated development.It further indicates how impossible it is totalk about bridging the divide between thefirst and the second economy without inte-grating rural people in particular, and eventownships. Does it make sense that todayin Gugulethu in Cape Town one still findslistings such as NY1 or Native Yard 1, orNU1 (Native Unit) in Mdantsane in theEastern Cape?

To me, after the birth certificate and theID document what determines citizen-ship and the rights of citizens is anaddress.

An individual’s address is key to devel-opment. We can talk about single locationas a way of dealing with development inthe rural areas. This, as far as I am con-cerned, is not enough as it simply origi-nates from a notion that narrowly associ-

Why an Address isKey to Integrated

Development

Nkenke Kekana,

Group Executive: Policy

and Regulatory Affairs

Telkom SA, points out

how the lack of

addresses can hamper

service delivery and/or

lead to the wastage

of resources

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ates and restricts people in rural areas to acommunal way of living. I would arguethat like in urban areas, people in ruralareas are naturally to some extent individ-ualistic with particular rights. As a result,they need government to talk directly tothem.

Telkom, for instance, talks about IPaddress. In the next 10 years we wouldconfidently talk about giving citizens anIP address for them to receive e-govern-ment services.

Mapping projectsIn the early 1990s, the South African PostOffice received a mandate from govern-ment to roll-out at least five millionaddresses in various locations throughout

the country, particularly in rural areas andtownship that were not properly demar-cated.

Eskom was also given another mandateto roll out electricity, particularly in ruralareas.

The third project was that of Telkom.Telkom had to expand its telephone net-work to cover mostly rural areas.

Another mapping operation was con-ducted by the Independent ElectoralCommission (IEC) to enable it to evenlydistribute polling stations throughout thecountry for voting purposes.

When the Post Office was given a man-date to map out five million addresses, thiswas hailed as by far the most importantproject that would for the first time put an

To me, after thebirth certificate andthe ID document,what determines

citizenship and therights of citizens is an address. An individual’s

address is key todevelopment

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identity in the form of home addresses toindividuals.

However, a brief analysis of the projectshighlights some fundamental challengesthat resulted either in a total failure, in thecase of the Post Office, to deliver on themandate or other similarly complicatedchallenges.

For starters, all the projects were char-acterised by silo planning and develop-ment. Although there was a shared out-come — that is, a properly demarcatedlandscape with clearly defined and well-addressed locations — each one of thempursued their own way of planning andimplementing.

Telkom has been using the global infor-mation system to identify and map up aplace. As a result, they have managed topool all the information about the entireplace where it has rolled out all its servic-es regardless of whether those services areworking or not.

On the other hand, using a differentsystem of coordinates, latitudes and longi-tudes, Eskom has on its databases detailedinformation about the locations that werefed with electricity.

The IEC, in rolling out the polling sta-tions, uses the same system that is based onthe American GPS system.

The second challenge is about a funda-mental planning flaw of not consideringthe prevailing material conditions. Threeyears after Telkom had successfully car-ried out its mandate to roll out services inthe rural areas in particular and even inschools and clinics during that period ofexclusivity there were disconnections.Amongst the many factors that wereadvanced as to why that was happeningwas affordability — after all people inrural areas are relatively poor.Unfortunately one fundamental factorwas overlooked, that of the system thatTelkom uses in generating billing.

Firstly, the system works on the basisthat every client has an address to which abill is to be sent. Each subscriber is obligedto pay or alternatively a disconnectiontakes place. The system is of course quiteinterestingly not mindful of the fact thatthe subscribers might not have receivedthe bill, which was probably the case in

many instances. Telkom could not inte-grate the delivery of telephone servicesand the need for them to have addresses.

Compare this with the experience ofEskom. Eskom introduced the prepaidsystem which in a way eliminating thewhole question of the addresses as peoplecould go and buy those particular services.

The DOA’s initiative to consolidatethe various databasesThe need for a detailed and comprehen-sive central dataset on spatial informationthat can be used by various institutions forplanning was long overdue. In 2004, theDepartment of Agriculture called for sub-missions from all the institutions that haddatasets on spatial information. Thesewere all collated and analysed to form theSpatial Data Infrastructure Act. This ini-tiative by Agriculture is very significant,firstly because it was an attempt to recon-cile confusing duplicated incoherentefforts by various government institutions.

Secondly, it was an attempt to finallygive identity and understand where thecitizens of South Africa live. It is of funda-mental importance that the public admin-istrative system knows the whereabouts ofthe citizens to be able to service and com-municate with them.

The imbizos are to some extent quiteinformative but they happen occasionally.They need to be supplemented with otherinnovative ways. For instance, using anaddress, which I would argue is at the cen-tre of integrated development, citizens cansimply be informed by letters about what-ever developments there are in the coun-try.

From a business point of view, we allknow that an address is important foranyone who wants to open an accountwith any bank so that they can receivetheir monthly bills and other correspon-dence. Thus one could boldly add that anaddress is indispensable to successfullyintegrating the first and second economy.

Strategic partnerships When Telkom and the Post Office brokeup in 1991, Telkom came out the richerwith most skilled workers. Subsequently,the Post Office needed help in the form of

sound management, hence its entry into astrategic partnership with the NewZealand Post Office Services.

The Strategic Management Partnership(SMP) modelThe strategic partnership model uponwhich this partnership between the SouthAfrican Post Office (SAPO) and the NewZealand Post Office Services was basedcalled for an initial rigorous process ofidentifying a suitable partner for the PostOffice. According to the model, the part-ner joins the Post Office not on equitybasis but solely to inject managementskills and experience.

The SMP model failed because, firstly,the cultures of the two organisations hadvery little in common. Secondly, the lead-ership of the South African Post Officewas scarcely prepared to relate to anyother form of intervention. They wereused to their own tried and tested hierar-chical system of management and thuswere less receptive to any alternative. As aresult, the SMP could not work, thus forc-ing government to intervene to save thePost Office

Only last year after many years of strug-gle, to the credit of the new leadership ofthe Post Office, the organisations regis-tered a profit.

The Strategic Equity Partnership (SEP)modelThis involves Telkom in partnership withthe Malaysians and the Americans. It wastime-bound, destined to run over a certainnumber of years after which the partnerswould leave.

Has the partnership with themworked? First off, it has to be borne inmind that the failure of Telkom to sustainthe telephone services in the rural areasand other townships cannot be laid at thepartner’s doorstep as it was more of aninternal matter. As regards the partner-ship model, Telkom benefited greatly interms of technology with one of the bestknocks (central control system) in theworld, skills transfer and capital injection.

In terms of foreign direct investmentthe Tintana consortium is by far still thesingle biggest injection that our economy

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has had in the last 10 years. The SEPmodel as used in Telkom has left a hugelaudable legacy of fundamental lessons tobe learnt and applied.

The SAA modelWhen SAA, like many other airlines suchas Swiss Air, was in a downward spiral,government had to swiftly step in to savethe national carrier by taking control of it.This was in defiance of the popular notionthat governments in themselves are ineffi-cient and that the private sector is the onethat is more efficient and delivers a betterservice. There are a number of majorworld crises that clearly show how biasedthis perception is. One of them is the UKrail disaster where the handing over of avery essential service by government tothe private sector led to its collapse.

This, however, should not be perceivedas a downright discouragement of publicentities to partner with the private sector.If anything some of the partnerships that Ihave highlighted in this paper prove thatif pursued correctly partnerships do work.

The European Commission also hasnumerous guidelines on partnerships thatenable development. In short one can pur-sue partial privatisation as a form of part-nership, contracting out and what is calleda deliberate regulatory intervention thatpromotes entrepreneurship and smallenterprise and, in my sector especially, inthe rural areas with what are calledunder-serviced area licenses

Five pillars of partnershipsNumerous factors, which I call pillars,exist that if properly considered canensure a vibrant and beneficial partner-ship. Of these only five that are regardedas most fundamental are discussed.

Political leadership: Political leadershipis not made up only of those that have beenelected but also people that are in publicservice administration. The success of anystrategic partnership is contingent upon theavailability of some kind of commitmentfrom those who are in important seniorpositions. The assumption is that thoughthe private sector and the public sector havea contribution to make they are equal part-ners. As a result, they need some kind of

political leadership to give direction. Monitoring: Partnerships need to be

monitored. The public sector has to makeit its fundamental responsibility to con-stantly monitor partnerships lest thewhole arrangement is tipped over by theweight of one partner over another.

Intensive and extensive planning:There must be a clear mandate that setsout dates of completion. This has to bereviewed on a continuous basis.

Communicating with stakeholders:Stakeholders, whether insignificant interms of material gains and investments,are all strategic in a partnership. Whilekeeping the strategic partners informedabout proceedings, a conscious effortshould also be made to obtain buy-in fromthe rest, particularly citizens.

Getting the right partner on board:Partners are identified in terms of theirability to fulfil their role in the partner-ships. The underlying motives for part-ners to join a partnership are also signifi-cant. The private sector, for instance, isprofit driven and will stay in a partnershipas long as it satisfies that inclination. On

the other hand, the public sector is byvirtue of its mandate a public servicedeliverer. This profound difference islargely responsible for the significant ten-sion faced by some partially privatisedstate-owned enterprises. They are tornbetween delivering shareholder value,serving public interest or delivering a par-ticular service. This impasse needs to beresolved.

Conclusion In this article we discussed the importanceof an address as the single most basic ele-ment that is fundamental to integrateddevelopment, particularly as regards theindividual citizen’s ability to access servic-es. Following that, we also discussed part-nerships, their fundamental role asregards the ability of state-owned enter-prises to successfully carry out their man-date. We concluded by looking at impor-tant factors as well as pitfalls that shouldbe considered in building partnerships.These have all been discussed within thecontext of the developmental state.

In conclusion, therefore, it is importantto bear in mind the importance of alwayspromoting and protecting the legitimacyof the developmental state. The legitima-cy of the developmental state rests onthree fundamental factors.

Firstly, the developmental state has tobe able to earn its leadership by actingresponsively to the needs and require-ments of communities or stakeholders.

Secondly, a developmental state must beable to intervene where necessary. Againstthe popular perception held around PPPsin favour of less interference by the state infavour of the private sector, I would arguethat it is the precise responsibility of thedevelopmental state to intervene and dealwith problems of its citizens.

Lastly, the developmental state musthave the capacity at an administrativelevel, institutional level and technical levelto intervene. It should always maintain itsstature of being strong and resolute,enjoying legitimacy, and most important-ly being able to deliver and enter intostrategic partnerships without compro-mising and being unduly influenced by astrong private sector. •

From a business pointof view, we all knowthat an address is

important for anyonewho wants to open anaccount with any bank

so that they canreceive their monthly

bills and other correspondence. Thus

one could boldly addthat an address isindispensable to

successfully integrating the first

and second economy

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Last year our country hosted numer-ous activities and events in celebra-tion of 10 years of democracy and

freedom. Among these was the Ten YearReview coordinated by the Presidency.The Review made a number of veryimportant findings and recommenda-tions, which all of us in government andother sectors must grapple very seriouslywith.

It argues that in a space of 10 years thecountry has undertaken some importantmeasures to reverse the legacy of its colo-nial and apartheid past. However, muchof the socio-economic content of this lega-cy is still very much with us, and consti-tutes a vexing challenge for the new dem-ocratic state. An important conclusion Iwish to emphasise from the Review is thatthe advances of the past decade far super-sede the weaknesses.

However, “if all the indicators [ofprogress] were to continue along the sametrajectory, especially in respect of thedynamic of economic inclusion and exclu-sion, we could reach a point where thenegatives start to overwhelm the positives.This could precipitate a vicious cycle ofdecline in all spheres” (Towards a Ten Year

Review, GoSA, p102). I regard this as a portent and a call to

action by the Review. The challenge thatthe Review thrusts on us is that not onlymust we urgently and drastically improvein the areas in which we are not doingwell, but also even in the areas where weare deemed successful, as it is simply notenough!

As we embark on these conversationswe must always remind ourselves of thefamous saying by Albert Einstein that“one definition of insanity is to do thesame things we have always done, butexpect a different result”.

The other point I want to emphasisefrom the Review is the observation that“the government’s successes occur moreoften in areas where it has significant con-trol and its lack of immediate successoccurs more often in those areas where itmay only have indirect influence” (ibid,p75).

This the Review characterises as thedichotomy between power and influence.This observation is made across the sec-tors, but applies differently per sector.With respect to the Governance andAdministration sector, this dichotomy

Revitalising Public Service

Delivery

This is an abridged

version of a speech

delivered by

Khaya Ngema, of the

DPSA, at the recent

Gauteng Dialogue on

Service Delivery

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applies in the sense that the areas overwhich government has control/power (theinstitutions, practices, and procedures)have shown significant progress, while theareas where government has less directinfluence, such as the behaviour of thecivil servants in interaction with the pub-lic and civil society, have shown muchslower progress.

I propose that we all need to reflect onthe implications of this observed dichoto-my between power and influence. This isa complexity we must grapple with. Wemust continue to focus on the outcomeswe want in society and in public adminis-tration, even though many of the elementsthat go into making outcomes happen falloutside our control. Especially so if wecharacterise ourselves as a developmentalstate, since development is about integrat-ed outcomes, not simply (departmental)outputs.

If we simply focus on outputs, it willtend to have the effect of killing the linkbetween the problems we are attemptingto solve in society and in public adminis-tration, and the strategies we choose toemploy. It is in this sense that many arguethat in large bureaucracies “structure

drives strategy”, rather than the other wayround.

The change management literatureconfirms the observation of the Review, ina sense that changing structures and pro-cedures (or sending people for training!) isusually easier and frequent, whereaschanging organisational culture (orbehaviour at the coalface) and building

deep, reliable and repeatable organisation-al capabilities is much, much more diffi-cult. How often have we seen transforma-tion efforts divert themselves from theneed to change organisational culture andbuild institutionalised capabilities tobecoming “measurable, time-bound andcosted” projects focusing on “restructur-ing” and “training”?

The public service: the challengeof reform and transformationAt inception the democratic state in 1994inherited 18 different administrationswith disparate systems, processes, regula-tions, cultures, and with no deliberatefocus on providing equitable, quality serv-ices to all South Africans. Accordingly,since 1994 the public service has witnessedan unprecedented process of rationalisa-tion, amalgamation and restructuring.

This is more so with respect to the man-agement of people in the public service,our most important resource. Importantchanges have taken place with respect tothe management of people in the publicservice, including the extension of collec-tive bargaining rights, the creation of acommon payroll with a common grading

If we simply focus onoutputs, it will tendtoo have the effect

of killing the linkbetween the

problems we areattempting to solve

in society and inpublic administration,

and the strategies that wechoose to employ

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system, backed by a standard job evalua-tion system, introducing a performancemanagement culture and systems, build-ing representivity, providing a special dis-pensation for senior managers and profes-sionals, soon to be extended to middlemanagers, etc.

We sometimes make the mistake of rel-egating issues of managing people toHRM units, and somehow believe we canraise service delivery performance with-out people management. Well, it beginswith raising the performance of individu-als and teams, with proper supervision ofthese individuals and teams, with per-formance development and management,rewarding excellent performance, punish-ing poor performance, dealing swiftly anddecisively with misconduct and ill-disci-pline, giving clear direction and leader-ship, recruiting and promoting on merit(which includes demonstrable potential),retaining and growing talented individu-als, clear job descriptions and role defini-tions, proper management of leave, etc.

All these normal, boring people man-agement functions are indispensable toraising the level of team and organisation-al performance in the public service.Doing these functions does not, in itself,guarantee excellent service delivery per-formance. But it is impossible to achieveservice delivery excellence without them.

There have been other changes as wellthat have also been very important.Abolishing the very prescriptive StaffCode by the much more flexible PublicService Regulations was a major step for-ward. The Public Finance ManagementAct and the accompanying TreasuryRegulations later complemented this.

The combined impact of both thesechanges in the culture and practice ofmanagement, planning and reporting inthe public service can never be over-esti-mated. They were not just importantreforms in the way the public service ismanaged, when fully and properly imple-mented they can be said to amount to arevolution in the management culture ofthe public service. This does not meanthere are no further improvements to bemade, especially in terms of removal of“red tape” in various processes.

We have also made important changesto the way IT is utilised and managed inthe public service. It is easy to forget thatwe have just now emerged from the cul-ture of typing pools as standard, to thecurrent pervasiveness of desktops, laptops,internet, e-mail across the public service.The possibilities that IT offers in informa-tion and records management, as well asin the speed of internal communicationsand transactions, are massive indeed.

The manner in which service delivery isplanned, monitored and reported stillrequires major improvements. A numberof sectors have made major steps in settingnorms and standards on the quality ofservices and products.

However, many of the set standards andnorms simply do not get adhered to bysome provinces, districts, or service deliv-ery institutions. There are also, however,instances where such norms and standardssimply do not take into account what ispossible and affordable at the coalface.

Institutional instability, including atleadership level, also creates problems,resulting in what the Review refers to as“... the danger of [formal institutions ofstate] being in a permanent and debilitat-ing state of flux” (ibid, p107). The sayingthat “a fish rots from the head” has beenproven correct in almost every interven-tion we have undertaken. That is why thequality and attitude of the SMS and otheroperational managers is so important ifwe are to successfully transform the publicservice.

Also important here is how we manageservice delivery institutions as criticallinks with the citizens, not just as dots inour organograms. Virtually all of theexperience that citizens experience of gov-ernment is through these service deliveryinstitutions, be they hospitals, schools,social grants paypoints, police stations,home affairs service points, etc. Yet inmany departments some of these servicepoints are run-down, visibly dirty, havemajor shortages of staff, have shortages ofequipment and vehicles, do not haveproper signage and seating areas for citi-zens, have no rest areas for staff, struggleto provide clean reliable water, etc. Insome instances these service points are not

only poorly managed by their own man-agers, they are also unsupported by theirdistrict managers.

It is quite clear that as a public servicewe have not fully internalised the criticalrole that these service points play in theservice delivery value chain. These servicepoints are the “moment of truth” as far ascitizens are concerned. Everything thathappens at head offices, premier’s offices,DPSA etc. is irrelevant as far as the citizenis concerned, unless it contributes to mak-ing their experience at the service pointmore pleasant.

Unless what we do contributes directlyor indirectly to the quality of the “momentof truth” of the citizens, as part of the serv-ice delivery value chain, the value we addwill always be questioned. In what waysdo the programmes and campaigns werun as DPSA, as premier’s offices, actual-ly contribute to improving the experienceof citizens at service points?

The difficult but very important issue oforganisational culture has to be tackleddirectly if the citizen experience is toimprove. We must here remind ourselvesof the dichotomy of power and influencereferred to earlier. A lot that becomes partof the culture of the organisation isembedded in the formal policies and pro-cedures of the organisation, and how theseget implemented.

A lot that becomes part of the culture isshaped by the vision and values articulat-ed by the leadership of the organisationover time, and the extent to which theirown behaviour supports the vision andvalues.

One of the big problems in the publicservice today, for instance, is that theretends to be no clear standards of the qual-ity of service that is required, and no con-sequence to the failure to achieve thatstandard. This we must change, andchange very quickly. A lot that becomesculture is shaped by the kinds of peoplethe organisation recruits and promotes,how it relates to its stakeholders, and howit defines itself in relation to its peers andthe rest of society.

The point we are making here is thatwhile it is true that culture is difficult to“manage”, there are leverage points that

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we can impact on, that can assist us tobuild an organisation where employeescan say “we belong, we care, we serve”!

As we conclude ...I have so far not mentioned the wordBatho Pele directly. But I would hope thatwe could agree that all of the above hasbeen about it. That is the logic that under-lies the new Batho Pele RevitalisationStrategy. We propose that we must keepthe big issues in focus and continue to actto change them, but at the same time wemust identify the smaller issues that can beresolved here and now, and show visibleprogress to the citizens.

We also propose that we should main-tain a balance between front officeimprovements and back office improve-ments. To improve the “moment of truth”of the citizens at the front office requiresan optimally functioning value chain inwhich the back office and the front officeare both effective and in alignment. Soimproving the back office is critical forBatho Pele, whether it entails improvingprocurement, fleet management, facilitiesmanagement, records management, etc.

Lastly we propose that we should main-tain a balance between “hard” systems andprocess changes with “soft” culture andcapability changes. Again these changesshould be in alignment with each other.

My whole argument is that Batho Peleis a living set of values, reforms and prac-tices that cut across the whole organisa-tion. Accordingly we should treat it as aliving campaign. If it is a living campaignit will thrive most in an organisationwhere learning and growth is intrinsic.Thus we must intensify our effort to turnthe public service into a learning organisa-tion.

We must build a culture and practice ofproject management in the public service,to improve the efficiency and reliabilitywith which we run service delivery opera-tions. Related to this, we must deploycapable operational/project managers,including SMS members, to be responsi-ble for service delivery operations and themanagement of service delivery institu-tions. Having deployed them, we mustgive them the necessary authority and

resources to run these institutions effec-tively.

We must fill the critical administrative,technical and professional vacancies atservice points. We cannot expect qualityservices where service delivery institutionsare heavily under-staffed and under-equipped, as happens now in many places.

All departments should be required toassign a senior manager who will beaccountable to the HoD for the quality ofservice that our citizens get at every serv-ice point. The HoD in turn will beaccountable for the quality of service ofthe institutions of his/her department.

Among the key measures by which weevaluate our HoD’s must be the assessedquality of service experienced by citizensat each service point. The HoD mustensure that across the service deliveryvalue chain they have deployed managersof sufficient quality such that they will infact deliver on service quality.

In this regard the quality of managerswe deploy to run districts and servicedelivery institutions becomes important,much more valuable than simply thosemaking quiet appearances at our variousEXCOs or MANCOs at head office, orforever on study visits and at conferences.

We must consciously induct, train and

re-orient all our staff that interfaces withthe citizens, so that they treat such citizensas the centre of their work, and end theculture of arrogance to citizens in manyplaces. We must reinforce this with ourperformance management and coachingpractices at all levels. We must have betterpeople management practices at serviceinstitutions, since we cannot expect atti-tudes that exhibit caring and service frompeople who do not feel they belong to thatorganisation, and identify with what it istrying to achieve in the broader society.

The service institutions themselvesshould be well maintained, such that theyprovide adequate workplaces for staff,and adequate service points for the citizen.Some of the service points you find do noteven appear to comply with theOccupational Health and Safety Act. Yetwe expect people who work there to servewith a smile, and citizens to be satisfied.The facilities where citizens are servedmust have proper sitting areas, with prop-er queue arrangements, with access toclean water and ablutions in our servicepoints. They must protect people from theelements, and keep them safe fromunsavoury characters.

As a rule we must have help desks andproper signage in all the major languagesin our service points.

These are just some of the practical sug-gestions we make in the Batho PeleRevitalisation Strategy that departmentscan implement immediately to kick-startor accelerate the Batho Pele process intheir organisations.

In the end Batho Pele should be thoughtof as a set of mutually reinforcing inter-ventions to transform all levels of theorganisation, with a view to becoming apublic service that puts people first. Wecannot become that which we need tobecome unless we do that which needs tobe done. Charles Darwin makes a tellingobservation when dealing with the matterof evolution of species at a much earlierage. He points out that “it is not thestrongest nor the most intelligent speciesthat survives, but rather the one mostadaptable to change”. For the sake of thecountry, we hope that our public service issuch a species.•

Everything that happens at headoffices, premier’soffices, DPSA etc. is irrelevant as faras the citizen is

concerned, unless it contributes to

making their experience at theservice point more

pleasant

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The challengeThe government introduced the BathoPele Principles in 1997 as an initiative toimprove delivery in the public servicebased on the principle of putting people’sinterests first. But look at the photographsshown at right that were taken at a largeprovincial hospital during Public ServiceWeek in November 2004.

What has gone wrong here? Why can’twe keep a critical delivery facility like ahospital clean and properly maintained?

Is the problem a lack of money or a mis-allocated budget? Or is it that the organi-sation is so weak that nobody is account-able for cleaning and maintenance? Orare there restrictive work practices pre-venting efficient allocation of mainte-nance and cleaning staff? Or is it that themaintenance department is bogged downwith an inefficient procurement process?

It is likely to be a combination of all ofthe above, but Batho Pele becomes verydifficult to deliver when these basics arenot managed, e.g. maintaining and clean-ing the toilets in a hospital. In the wordsof one of the nursing sisters in this partic-ular facility, “How am I supposed to prac-tise Batho Pele in facilities like this?”

During her Budget Vote Speech (June2004), the Minister of Public Service andAdministration, Ms Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi said that, “... As a collective wewill have to ensure in the term ahead thatwe develop a public service that will con-

tinue to make us proud as a machinery ofstate that serves the interest of the people...This will demand that we extend our-selves from our traditional comfort zoneof policy formulation to active involve-ment in monitoring implementation ofour policy frameworks and providingassistance in creating capacity across thepublic service in order to overcome anyimpediments to successful implementa-tion.”

The solutionOur 10 years of successful democracyhave been characterised by transforma-tion issues and policy formulation. Thechallenge is now to reorient the leadershipof public service into translating these pol-icy frameworks into programmes, opera-tions and quality outputs for the citizensof our country. It is within this contextthat, as part of government’s effort toimplement and promote the spirit ofBatho Pele within the public service,Cabinet took a decision at its August 2004meeting that Senior Management Service(SMS) members should do a compulsorydeployment to service delivery points dur-ing every annual performance cycle.

However, it was realised that whenSMS managers are exposed to the coal-face, they may often not be fully equippedto identify, solve and prioritise the prob-lems that they encounter. For the deploy-ment to be successful, it is vital that each

Project Khaedu aims to keep Managers in touch with Delivery

Problems ... and Solutions The DPSA, after approval

by the Cabinet, has

launched a comprehensive

programme called Project

Khaedu, some of whose

objectives are to expose

senior public service

managers to service

delivery issues at the

coalface. Project Manager,

Lawrence Tsipane, of the

DPSA, explains how it works

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SMS member should go in equipped withthe correct skills. Therefore, in order togive full effect to the Cabinet decision, theDepartment of Public Service andAdministration (DPSA) has developed aprogramme, called Project Khaedu, withthe following objectives:• To expose Senior Managers from all

departments and provincial govern-ment to service delivery issues at the“coal face”.

• To equip all senior managers with apractical management tool-kit for prob-lem identification, analysis and resolu-tion.

• To monitor and evaluate the implemen-tation to ensure that the tool kit isunderstood and used in the managers’own departments.

A professional service provider, AfricaInternational Advisors, has been appoint-ed to assist with the programme. ProjectKhaedu is now in the final phase of a verysuccessful pilot. Thirty nine managersfrom a variety of national and provincialdepartments have completed the firstphase of the programme betweenNovember 2004 and January 2005.Twenty more are planned for February2005. Initial feedback from participants ishighly positive, with an average of 4.4 outof five being scored by participants for theprogramme. Some comments from par-ticipants follow:

“The programme provides hands-onexperience on how to fix service deliveryproblems.”

“A very good programme that shouldbe undertaken by all Senior Managers ...”

“This exercise has been very useful intranslating the principles of Batho Peleinto reality.”

“It is really empowering. I now under-stand how to identify and resolve criticalproblems.”

Project Khaedu takes an integratedapproach linking case study based class-room work (4-5 days) with actual workexperience at a service delivery point suchas a hospital or clinic, pay point, HomeAffairs office, charge office, magistrate’scourt, rehabilitation centre, or school,amongst others (two deployments of fivedays each). The last five days of deploy-

ment is expected to take place during thePublic Service Week in November of eachyear. Participants are coached in the fol-lowing key areas:• identifying and solving process prob-

lems• budgeting and financial management;• people management (how to recruit,

train, support, performance manageand deal decisively with disciplinarymatters);

• organisation design, decision makingand accountability; and

• communicating for results.It must, however, be pointed out thatProject Khaedu is not a training pro-

gramme per se. It is not attempting tomirror a “mini-MBA” or other executivemanagement courses. The classroomphase merely serves to assist in facilitatingthe deployment of SMS members to thecoalface in a more structured and mean-ingful way.

It ensures that managers understandthe toolkit prior to deployment so thatthey can make the necessary observationsand make well-informed interventionsduring deployment.

The programme is currently beingrefined for further roll-out to all SMSmanagers, nationally and provinciallyover a three-year period. Once managershave completed the initial programme,they will be assessed on their participationin the programme during each financialyear. During the deployment, managerswill be expected to report on their findingsof the situation, on issues that complicateor constrain service delivery and their pro-posed resolution on how to unblock serv-ice delivery logjams.

A Project Khaedu webpage within theBatho Pele site is will be established. Thiswill be an interactive site where SMSmembers will go online to book theirrespective skills development and deploy-ment weeks for the programme inadvance, much like one would do for ahotel or airline booking.

Note that managers will be expected tohonour their indicated schedule, havingcleared their time allocation with theirrespective managers.

During his State of the Nation Addressin May 2004, President Thabo Mbekicalled for a special focus “on raising skillslevels within the public sector, and ensurethat its managerial and technological mod-ernisation, is driven by a clear understand-ing of the developmental tasks of our dem-ocratic state”. It is hoped that ProjectKhaedu will go a long way towards con-tributing to the advancement of this vision.

It is now time for leadership in the pub-lic service, properly skilled, to lead byexample and show that We Care, WeBelong and We Serve.• A sereies on the Khaeda `Project willstart in the neext edition of the ServiceDelivery Review •

What has gonewrong here?

Why can’t we keepa critical delivery

facility like a hospital clean and properly maintained?

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Improving Service Delivery at Home Affairs

The Department of Home Affairs isemerging from a very difficult anddisruptive period. Prior to the

appointment of the present Director-General, Mr. Barry Gilder, two heads ofdepartment left in quick succession. Theinstability was aggravated by the contro-versy surrounding the appointment ofthe new DG and the delay before hisappointment was ratified.

Many of the department’s senior man-agers and professional staff left duringthis period of instability resulting in anorganisation with a very depleted leader-ship. Moreover, the tension at the mostsenior level took its toll on the rest of staffwith deep divisions running across theorganisation.

Added to that, the department literallyoperated on a skeleton staff based on anorganisational structure that was deter-mined in 1995. This structure did notanticipate the tremendous growth in thedemand for the department’s servicesthat was brought about by the birth ofdemocracy.

Both of the department’s core func-tions, Immigration Management andCivic Services, have felt the pressuresemanating from South Africa’s transitionto democracy and its acceptance backinto the family of nations.

Between 1994 and 2002 for example,

the number of visitors to South Africaincreased from about 3.8 million to 5.6million. The traffic volume at some ofthe land border posts such as Lebombogrew by 131% over the same period. Thenumber of asylum seekers has alsoincreased from about 5 843 in 1994 toover 20 000 in 2002. From about 9 000deportees, the department now has todeport about 150 000 illegal immigrantsper annum to their countries of birth.

The Civic Services Branch, which isresponsible for services to citizens, hasexperienced a similar increase in thedemand for their services.

What role does the Departmentof Home Affairs play?The Department of Home Affairs playsa central and indispensable role withinthe Public Service, impacting on the livesof all our citizens and the people whovisit us. To citizens, the department pro-vides essential documents such as birth,marriage and death certificates as well aspassports and identity books. These doc-uments allow them to access vital publicservices such as education, housing,healthcare, social grants and pensions.These documents also enable them toexercise their democratic rights, includ-ing their right to vote for the parties andcandidates of their choice.

Corrie Smit

highlights the

challenges facing

the Department of

Home Affairs and

the commendable

efforts that have

been made to

improve its ability

to deliver services

to the people of

South Africa

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To the private sector the departmenthelps to confirm the identity of citizensand foreigners thus contributing to thegrowth of our economy and the fightagainst fraudulent practices such asmoney laundering. In terms of its respon-sibility in regulating the movement ofpeople in and out of the country, thedepartment contributes significantly toeconomic development, investment,tourism and international relations. Post1994, South Africa emerged as a highlyfavoured destination globally, not only tolegal immigrants and tourists, but also tothousands of undocumented foreigners.

The Department of Home Affairs actsas a window to our country and to gov-ernment. To a foreigner, the HomeAffairs official behind the counter at aborder post or the airport is often her orhis first point of contact with a SouthAfrican. The attitude that this officialdisplays and the quality of her or his serv-ice often results in a lasting image of thecountry in terms of hospitality andfriendliness, not to mention our toleranceof corruption and fraud.

To the citizen, Home Affairs symbolis-es the compassion of government and itscommitment to the People’s Contract.Although there are many shining exam-ples of exemplary service within HomeAffairs and officials who are committedto the spirit of Batho Pele, the reality isthat clients are often confronted by longqueues, poor signage and shoddy service.This in turn tends to shape their percep-tions of the State as a whole.

The Home Affairs turnaroundprogrammeAlthough the vision of the Departmentof Home Affairs is to render a world-class service, the reality of chronic under-resourcing, coupled with poor infrastruc-ture, inefficient business processes andoutdated technology has meant that thedepartment has been unable to rendereven a basic, decent service.

Following the new DG’s brisk orienta-tion, senior management agreed that adecisive intervention was needed to res-cue the department. The various ele-ments of the turnaround strategy were

communicated widely to obtain buy-inand support both from within the depart-ment and outside, targeting key stake-holders such as Parliament, Cabinet,FOSAD clusters, National Treasury andthe media.

The turnaround programme is intend-ed to address the department’s capacityshortcomings in the key areas of people,technology and infrastructure.

People Following a review of the department’shuman resource requirements, a newHR establishment was put in place whichresulted in the department’s staff comple-ment growing from 7 500 positions to 11 700. This would increase further by anapproximate 2 500 positions once thedepartment has finished its review of theCivic Services branch.

As opposed to its need for around 14 000 employees, the department cur-rently employs about 6 000 people. Thedepartment has taken immediate steps toadvertise the most critical of its vacancies,prioritising those at management leveland those at the coalface of service deliv-ery, some 1 000 in total. These initiativeshave resulted in the appointment of fivenew Deputy Directors-General and sev-eral Chief Directors and Directors.

The recruitment process will be inten-sified as more funding becomes availableover the next three to five years.

The recruitment project is being com-plemented by a number of other HR-related projects, including:• training and retraining of staff; • sport and cultural programmes to

improve morale and employee well-being;

• replacing volunteers with interns; • improving the management of per-

formance; and• inculcating a culture of “talking to

each other” to build team spirit and toprevent individual and collective dis-putes.

InfrastructureBecause many of the offices of HomeAffairs are in a bad state or are poorlylocated, a project was initiated to reviewthe condition and location of all offices.This project is complemented by initia-tives to improve the department’s officeequipment; its corporate identity includ-ing issues such as signage; and its servicestandards. The service standards willfocus on all the basics of client manage-ment such as queue management andutilisation of “floor walkers”.

The audit of all the department’s gov-ernment-owned properties has beencompleted. This has resulted in the intro-duction of a medium-term repair andmaintenance programme, in partnershipwith the Department of Public Works.As a “quick win” provincial managershave identified the worst of their officesfor emergency repairs. This included a“National Volunteer Campaign” involv-ing members of staff in partnership withlocal communities, traditional leadersand the private sector.

The Council for Scientific andIndustrial Research (CSIR) is assistingthe department in analysing where itsservice points should be located. Thistakes into account the demographics ofthe country, urban and rural patterns ofpoverty, and proximity to other publicservices and transport.

The department plans to capitalise onthe goodwill that exists elsewhere within

Although there are many shining

examples of exemplary service

within Home Affairsand officials who arecommitted to BathoPele, the reality is

that clients are oftenconfronted by long

queues, poor signage and shoddy

service

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government and the private sector inexpanding and improving its office infra-structure. This is likely to take the formof an “adopt an office” campaign.Moreover, the department will be inten-sifying its involvement in the roll-out ofMulti-Purpose Community Centres(MPCCs), while a tender has been issuedto procure fully equipped mobile units tobetter serve rural communities.

The department’s head office hasalready relocated. The new premises arein Waltloo, Pretoria with vastlyimproved office accommodation andsecurity. It has a campus style configura-tion, with open plan offices, state of theart conference facilities, a cafeteria forstaff members, and ample parking formembers of staff and visitors. This islikely to have many positive spin-offs interms of employee morale, client serviceand records management.

TechnologyWhile Home Affairs is the custodian of anumber of databases and records ofnational importance, it has until recentlyfunctioned largely in IT prehistory. Mostof its operations were and still are paperbased. Many of its systems are not inte-grated. All of this is changing as part ofthe turnaround strategy.

Prior to the relocation of head office toWaltloo, over 200 million pages of dataon birth, marriages and death werestashed away in shelves in Civitas.Records of the black population were theworst off. They were filed in about 19different locations in the Civitas build-ing. Locating these documents requiredprofound skills and a fundamentalknowledge of the history of South Africaand its geography as well as of the reg-istry itself. This knowledge was handeddown over the years, most of it verbally.As a result the organisation becamedependent on a few individuals who in asense were the institutional memory.

Reviewing and modernising thedepartment’s business processes and tech-nology required nothing short of an ITrevolution.

A new IT strategy has been revealedcalled ITingwe, after the place of its con-

ceptualisation, Mabalingwe. ITingweconsists of a number of complementaryprojects aimed at establishing an inte-grated biometric database of all theDepartment’s clients linked to fully com-puterised front-end client services.Itingwe will allow cross-referencing bydepartments and law enforcement agen-cies, and end the long, drawn-outprocesses facing clients when seekingservices. The integrated informationdatabase will incorporate the different“stand alone” systems of the departmentsuch as the population register, refugeesystem, visa system and movement con-trol system. This system will alsoimprove the capacity of the State to iden-tify illegal foreigners and to combat thefraudulent acquisition of IDs, passportsand other documents such as birth andmarriage certificates.

The department has put in place aninformation systems management boardto give guidance on the development ofits IT systems.

As ITingwe starts to bear fruit, thedepartment’s services will becomeincreasingly accessible and user-friendly.The benefits have recently been demon-strated in the “check your marital status”campaign. During women’s month(August 2004) citizens were invited tocheck their marital status on-line or byphoning a toll-free number. This gavecitizens direct access to the populationregister and allowed them to reportfaulty information. It also drew attentionto the abuse of South African womenthrough so-called “marriages of conven-ience”.

A Citizen Registration Campaign ispresently being rolled out to updateHome Affairs records and to draw atten-tion to the benefits of registration. Thisincludes a birth registration initiativewhereby women are able to register thebirth of their babies at the hospital orclinic where they have given birth. Thishappens on-line and certificates areissued on the spot, showing what can beaccomplished by combining moderntechnology with a determination to takeservices to the people.

In due course paper IDs and passports

will be replaced by smart cards. Old-stylecomputer terminals will make way forICSCs, short for Integrated ClientServices Consoles, which will enableclients to apply on-line for importantdocuments. This will include an assort-ment of gadgets such as fingerprint read-ers, digital signature pads, bar-code read-ers, digital cameras and document scan-ners.

Key to ITingwe is the “back scanning”of manual records. As part of Phase 1 ofthe roll out of the electronic documentmanagement system, some 37 millionbirth, deaths and marriage records havebeen digitised.

A tender has also recently been award-ed to back scan the 40 million odd manu-al fingerprint records that are housed inone of the department’s offices.

Plans to introduce an in-house clientservice centre are at an advanced stage.The operators in this centre will haveaccess to the department’s systems andwill be able to track and trace the statusof one’s application. This should result ina significant improvement in client satis-faction and help to improve the depart-ment’s image.

Apart from the interventions in thecross-cutting areas of people, infrastruc-ture and technology, there are numerousother projects under way, all of themaimed at improving service delivery inspecific areas of the department’s opera-tions. These projects are driven by inter-nal teams which positively impacts on thesense of ownership that staff membersexperience and their readiness to changeas new policies, procedures and systemsare introduced.

Transforming the immigrationbranchArguably one of the most critical of theseprojects is the transformation of theImmigration Branch. This has been sin-gled out as a priority area given the needto promote tourism, to facilitate the entryof scarce skills into the country and tocounter the influx of illegal immigrants.

The project is aimed at introducing aproper immigration capacity for SouthAfrica. It will be implemented in a

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phased way as funds become available. Itis likely to cost in excess of R500 millionover the medium term. A team has beenappointed to concentrate on this task fulltime, focussing in particular on process,personnel and logistical requirements.

The team will ensure that the depart-ment is able to live up to the ideals con-tained in the new immigration legalframework. This includes the changingof the mindset of hardened immigrationofficials who see their work as consistingonly of “catch and dispatch” activities asopposed to a more humane and holisticimmigration management strategy thatincludes the countering of xenophobia inall its different manifestations.

Other challenges include a general lackof skills among immigration practition-ers, poor language proficiency, and inap-propriate attitudes brought on by pastpolicies. These all require a massivechange programme.

Counter corruptionBecause of the nature of Home Affairs’services, the department is a prime targetof criminals and criminal syndicates.There is also the phenomenon of “con-venience corruption” whereby clients areprepared to grease the palms of officialsjust to receive a decent service.

To counter this the department hasdeveloped a holistic counter-corruptionstrategy. The challenge now lies in itsimplementation, which in turn requires asignificant expansion of internal capacity.

Client managementApart from the initiatives already allud-ed to such as the introduction of a clientservice centre, the adoption of effectivequeue management, proper signage anda corporate identity, the department hasinitiated “the client is always right” cam-paign. This is meant to change the atti-tude of the department’s staff towardstheir clients.

Together with the other interventionsto improve the working environmentand introduce better processes and sys-tems, this campaign is expected to makea major contribution to the improvementof service delivery.

Programme and projectmanagementWhen the turnaround programme wasinitiated in September 2003, a total of 64teams varying in size, scope and focuswere appointed. These teams were givenbasic guidance on how to develop projectplans and manage their projects. At thesame time a monthly reporting systemwas introduced and a forum created forthe sharing of experiences and for learn-ing to take place.

After an analysis of the progress of thevarious teams, and coinciding with theadoption of the new strategic plan, theturnaround interventions were organisedin 10 intervention areas with specificmanagers appointed for the differentwork streams. This means that thechange interventions are now part andparcel of the “deliverables” expected ofmanagers, with clear performance indi-cators identified for each output.

A monitoring and evaluation systemhas since been introduced with reports onprogress serving at monthly manage-ment meetings. This system allows thetracking of progress while also detectingrisks that could impact on the delivery offuture outputs.

The Minister, Deputy Minister andDirector-General take an active interest

in the turnaround programme, meaningthat there is visible and active leadershipin making it work.

Change managementThe review that was conducted of theturnaround strategy after its first sixmonths of implementation has con-firmed that the extent of change that isrequired has not been successfully com-municated to all provincial, regional anddistrict offices. Staff members and theirunion representatives have also not beenproperly briefed. This has resulted insome members of staff adopting an atti-tude of “seeing is believing” meaningthat they will only believe that thechanges are real if they experience thesefirst hand.

The challenge is getting all staff mem-bers to understand that they themselvescan make a difference. Integral to this isa commitment to contribute to the newvision and to adapt to the new attitudesand behaviours that are required.

To facilitate the transformationprocess, a comprehensive change plan isbeing put in place focusing, among oth-ers, on effective internal communication,learning and information sharing.

ConclusionHome Affairs has publicly acknowl-edged that it lags behind in the transfor-mation journey. The turnaround strategyembodies a commitment to set the recordstraight. As such it is deserving of ouractive support and encouragement. Anumber of sister departments and organ-isations have already extended a helpinghand.

These include the Department ofPublic Service and Administration,Centre for Public Service Innovation,Public Works, Social Development,StatsSA and National IntelligenceAgency. Other partners include BusinessAgainst Crime, the CSIR, UmsobomvuYouth Fund, the International Office onMigration and the UN HighCommission of Refugees. The privatesector has also contributed. This isUbuntu and Batho Pele at work. Wethank all of you.•

The challenge is getting all staff

members to understand that

they themselves canmake a difference.Integral to this is a commitment tocontribute to the

vision and to adaptto the new attitudesand behaviours that

are required

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The inaugural Red Tape ReductionChallenge Awards attracted a totalof 83 proposals, 30 of which went

through an adjudication process usingthe following criteria:• Clear problem description as it relates

to red tape;• The proposed solution should be inno-

vative and stand a good chance inaddressing red tape;

• It should allow for speedy implemen-tation of less than three months;

• Consider the availability of resourcesneeded to roll out the solution; and

• The proposal should be sustainableand likely to yield long-term benefits.

Although the small number of proposalsentered (out of over a million public ser-vants) is certainly “not a deluge”, asGlenda White of the Centre for PublicService Innovation (CPSI) noted, theawards were nevertheless a step forwardin improving efficiencies in the publicservice machinery.

In her keynote address at the Red TapeAwards ceremony, Public ServiceMinister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi saidthat while the reduction of red tape inthe service should be encouraged, the

Red Tape awards initiative is not meantto remove essential government regula-tions.

Service delivery improvement execu-tive manager, Khaya Ngema, describedred tape as the “burden of regulationsthat inhibit service delivery”.

Ngema also emphasised the need tobalance between “respect for controls”and the need to “improve efficienciesthrough initiatives such the Red TapeReduction Challenge Awards”.

Red tape is one of the major servicedelivery barriers that contradict both thespirit and practice of Batho Pele. It is alsoassociated with huge social and econom-ic costs that are currently difficult toquantify as a reliable costing exercise hasyet to be conducted in South Africa.

However the burden exerted by redtape is likely to be substantial. Somestudies, including work by theOrganisation for Economic Cooperationand Development (OECD), suggest thaton average the equivalent of 4% of anation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)is lost due to red tape-related costs.

The awards are an outcome of the redtape impact assessment report entitled

Winning the War against

Red TapeIn November last year 11

civil servants from across

the country and different

departments received

Red Tape Reduction

Challenge Awards for

innovative project

proposals on reducing

red tape in the public

service, with the view to

speeding up service

delivery. We profile the

winners and their

proposals

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“From Red Tape to Smart-tape”, whichwas launched in March 2004. It was dur-ing the launch of the report that Fraser-Moleketi officially called for red tapeproposals from government employees atnational, provincial and local levels.CPSI, DPSA and the State InformationTechnology Agency (SITA) would over-see the post awards process.

The 11 winning proposals would beclosely scrutinised to determine their fea-sibility as potential pilot projects. Beloware biographical sketches and commentsfrom the winners of the inaugural RedTape Reduction Challenge Awards.

Taking paper work out of job applicationsTherese Davelis Deputy-Director ofAdminis t ra-tion in theOffice of theMinister ofPublic Serviceand Admini-stration inPretoria in the Gauteng Pro-vince. Shehas been in her current position for thepast two and a half years. She previouslyworked for the Department of SocialServices. Theresa is a bona fide residentof Pretoria:

“Red tape informs and determineseverything in the endeavour to provideservices. It is an essential element of anycivil servant’s job but is perceived as neg-

ative when it hampers the provision ofservices. The current system for process-ing public service job applications is bothtime-consuming and physically stressfulfor human resources personnel. Theyhave to handle large stacks of paper.Transferring the Z83 public service jobapplications and the attendant documen-tation to the electronic realm would notonly open up time for personnel to focuson the quality of the job applications, it isalso likely to make things easier for appli-cants.”

Speedy clothing allowances for cops Captain TheoSteyn has forthe past 18years occupiedvarious posi-tions within theSouth AfricanPolice Service(SAPS). He iscurrently thecommander of the Mafikeng SAPSVehicle Identification Unit in the North-West Province. Managing people is an

E-government is also about, moreimportantly, the

intertactionbetween the government

and its broaderenvironment in the networking

economy

MinisterGeraldineFraser-Moleketi with the Red TapeAward winners

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important aspect of his responsibilitieswithin the unit. Steyn is married, withtwo children, and lives in Lichtenburg,about 64 kilometres from his workplace.

“Police not wearing uniforms are enti-tled to an annual clothing allowance forbuying a suit and a tie. The only problemis that it is a drag to access the R1 200allowance. It takes as long as six weeksafter handing in requests before peoplereceive the money. Directly depositingclothing allowances into salaries wouldresult in less administration and a reduc-tion in paperwork.

This would also reduce the strain onpolice’s small salaries. Plainclothes policeare required to buy clothes out of theirown pockets and submit receipts forreimbursement at the beginning of eachfinancial year.”

Speedy clothing allowances for copsM o h a m e dWahab wasdirector ofSAPS provin-cial manage-ment servicesin the Lim-popo Provinceat the time hesubmitted hisRed Tape Reduction Challenge Awardsproposal. He is currently section head forsupport services at the SAPS Head Officesin Pretoria in the Gauteng Province.Wahab was born in Durban and now livesin Pretoria with his wife and two children:“The awards are extremely important.The recognition of innovative public ser-vants is an encouraging gesture from thegovernment.”

Cutting red tape, going online Janine Gibbons is secretary to the head-master of Greenside High School inJohannes-burg in the Gauteng Province.She has been in that position for nearly 10years. Gibbons previously held similarpositions in private schools and also had astint in the private sector as a public rela-tions practitioner. Born in Durban, shenow lives in Johannesburg:

“Red tape isall the stepsthat one takesto get to a deci-sion or takeaction. It isnormally neg-ative and ardu-ous. The thrustof my proposalwas about shortening the steps betweenaccessing and submitting various govern-ment forms.

“This could be achieved by creating amechanism that would make access andsubmission of forms online possible.”

Standardised police servicesdeclarations and statementsC a p t a i nRulene Kuhnof the SouthAfrican PoliceService in theFree State Pro-vince lives inBloemfonteinwith her hus-band and twochildren. Sheworks in what she describes as “strategicprocesses” in the provincial police serviceand has been in the SAPS for about 12years:

“I have been carrying the idea of devel-oping standardised templates for affi-davits, declarations and the certificationof documents in my head for nearly nineyears until I found out about the call forproposals on cutting down on red tape.Apart from repetitiveness and duplica-tion, the illegibility of some of the hand-written documents, such as statements,constantly run the risk of undermininginvestigations on reported criminal cases.It was for these reasons that I suggestedthe station move to the 21st century andstart working from computerised for-mats ...

“The award was a surprise, as I havenever won anything in my life. It is alsogood for the image of the police and willenhance service delivery.”

Revamping the supply chainDaisy Kgosi isD e p u t y - D i -rector, manu-facturing, atthe Depart-ment of Scienceand Technolo-gy in Pretoria,in the GautengProvince. Shehas been in that position for about a yearand previously worked in the planningand logistics sector. She holds an indus-trial engineering degree from WitsUniversity and a second degree fromPretoria University. Kgosi, who is mar-ried with two children, is originally fromthe rural Siyabuswa village in theMpumalanga province:

“Government procurement proce-dures are riddled with inefficiencies andbottlenecks that make the performanceof the system slower. Suppliers generallytake too long to deliver goods. In someinstances the delays are due to incompleteorders or delivery of wrong goods. Thetime between placing an order for aprinter, for example, could take as long asfive and a half weeks and even longer forsome commodities. The biggest chal-lenge lies in the realignment of the entireprocurement and supply chain. Thiswould include easing the difficulties insecuring signatures for purchases as wellas detailing clear delivery timeframes fordifferent commodities. An order for a setof pens should not take more than a dayto be delivered, and a desk should takeabout a week.”

Performance management made easy SuperintendentHerman vanZyl of theSouth AfricanPolice Servicein the WesternCape Provincehas been associ-ated with theservice for thepast 24 years.

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Van Zyl is currently commander of theVehicle Identification Unit in CapeTown and says finding new ways oforganising work for effectiveness is hisgreatest interest. He lives in Cape Townwith his wife and two children:

“When I was appointed to the positionof line function manager in 1992, I hadno clue how to measure the performanceof my subordinates. And the sameapplied to other managers. It was for thisreason that I began developing my ownversion of a performance managementsystem.

“The initial efforts were based on trialand error, and driven by my instincts.But those efforts have over the yearsresulted in the development of a per-formance management software tailoredto suit the conditions in the police servic-es ... There are a lot of people with inno-vative ideas. The problem is that thereare often no official channels to carrythrough some of the ideas ...

“The awards have opened up space forparticipation and have a potential tomake government a leader in innovation,instead of always trailing behind the pri-vate sector.”

Streamlining procurement Savithree Moodley works for the Depart-ment of Correc-tional Services (DCS) inPre-toria, Gauteng Province. She is cur-

rently the DCSDeputy Direc-tor and is incharge of theH I V / A I D Sp r o g r a m m e .Moodley hasbeen with thepublic servicefor 21 years andpreviously worked for the departments ofHealth and Social Services. Born inDurban, she now lives in Pretoria with herfamily, including two children:

“The proposal suggests that govern-ment forms a central bureau for manag-ing the tender processes of the entirepublic service. The bureau would pro-vide a database of service providers andhave procurement procedures that aresuited to meet the needs of programmemanagers.

“Currently, units within departmenthave their own tender processes, whichmakes the whole business of tenderingmessy and irritating. The bureau couldbe located in the national department offinance.”

Seamless flow of customs goods B e r n a d i n eWilliamson is ac o l l e c t i o n sclerk at theSouth AfricanRevenue Ser-vices (SARS) inEast Londonin the EasternCape Province.Wi l l i a m s o n ,who is married and has two children, hasbeen working for SARS for the past 10years:

“The proposal is basically about find-ing solutions and procedures that wouldassist SARS to save time. At the momentpersonnel handling goods kept by SARS[pending payment of customs and duties]waste a lot of time manually putting tagson each item passing through customs.The idea is that instead of repetitivelywriting down information on each item,the goods tracking system could be

improved by developing standard tagswith item numbers and dates.”

Real time access to financialinformationAnnette My-burgh worksfor StatisticsSouth Africa inPretoria in theGauteng Pro-vince:

“ A l t h o u g hthe informa-tion alreadyexists in the system, accessing it is often atedious and time wasting exercise.Managers requiring information forplanning purposes have to go through allkinds of channels for access approval.The idea, which was a team effort, pro-poses an integrated information manage-ment system that would ensure real timeaccess to information.”

Printing police forms on demandVeronica Mool-man was bornin Vereenigingin the GautengProvince. She isc u r r e n t l yPrincipal Typistin the familyviolence, childprotection andsexual offences unit of SAPS inVereeniging. Moolman is married withtwo children:

“The work culture in the public serviceis such that people always get top-downinstructions. There is little considerationof input from the ground ... the awardsstimulate ideas and recognise that peopleon the ground also have ideas that needto be heard.” • For further information and copies ofthe From Red Tape to Smart Tapereport, please contact:Yvonne van Dyk at (012) 314-7170

[email protected] Fakazile Myeza at (012) 672-2855 or (012)

672-2867/ [email protected]@dpsa.gov.za •

The awards haveopened up spacefor participationand have the

potential to makegovernment |a leader in

innovation, insteadof always trailing

behind the privatesector

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Building a UnifiedSystem of Public

Administration

Building an effective developmentalstate is a central objective of the cur-rent government in South Africa. A

developmental state is pro-poor and mustintervene decisively and coherently in theeconomy and society to address social andeconomic developmental goals. Thesefundamentally include bridging the his-torical racial-based divide between thedeveloped first economy and the under-developed second economy.

The ANC’s 2004 Election Manifesto,The People’s Contract, calls for the estab-lishment of a common system of publicservices. This common system, a unifiedsystem of public administration, is a keygoal of the South African developmentalstate. This paper seeks to demonstratethat the imperatives of integrated servicedelivery and mobility between the spheresunderpin the impetus for the evolution ofa unified system of public administration.

Initially the development of this systemrequires the harmonisation of conditionsof service between the public service andlocal government, but it will ultimatelyfind expression in overarching frame-work legislation that will establish com-

mon norms and standards for publicadministration.

The paper also questions whether thecreation of a public administration systembased on the new public managementframework is able to deliver on the imper-atives of the developmental state. This isbecause this framework emphasises theneed for particular reforms includingdecentralisation and deregulation. Theserun counter to the central tenets of devel-opmental statism, which are based oncoordinated planning from a central leveland greater regulation to ensure thatresources are allocated to areas of speci-fied needs.

Integrated service deliveryResearch has shown that many peoplehave difficulty accessing governmentservices, often because transport costs areprohibitive. Some people are not evenaware of the benefits and services towhich they are entitled. To respond tothese challenges, it is necessary that gov-ernment organises itself in such a way thatas many government services are concen-trated in a single location, and that the

In this speech delivered at

the SA Public Management

Conversation recently at

Gordon’s Bay, Richard Levin

Director-General:

Department of Public Service

and Administration explains

how the harmonisation of

conditions of service

between the public service

and local government can

help establish common

norms and standards for

public administration

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single location be as close to the people aspossible.

A recent initiative aimed at bringinggovernment closer to the people is theCommunity Development Worker(CDW) Programme. Currently 500 learn-er CDWs are enrolled in a learnership andare deployed to municipalities. Once theyhave completed their learnership they willapply for posts on the establishments ofprovincial government. At ward level theCDWs will interact with Mayor’s Offices,ward committees and will establish tieswith other government community work-ers such as community health workersand agricultural extension workers.CDWs will be required to interact with allspheres of government, reporting on chal-lenges and needs faced on the ground.Institutional integration will improvegovernment’s responsiveness to CDWs,and CDWs’ service to communities.

A further example of integrated servicedelivery is the Multi-Purpose CommunityCentre (MPCC). MPCCs deliver servicesof all the spheres of government, from asingle location. They are located in town-ships and rural areas, close to communi-

ties that have previously been margin-alised in society.

The establishment of MPCCs gives riseto the need for cooperative institutionalarrangements. For instance, officialsstaffing these centres will in time need totake responsibility for delivering servicesother than those of their immediatedepartment. Another important require-ment is a financing system for jointly run

service delivery institutions.Plans have been mooted to establish

urban government service delivery mallsto complement the MPCC initiative.Integrated service delivery centres such asthese have been established in the state ofBahia in Brazil. They offer a one-stopservice in a pleasant environment withflexible hours of business and well-trainedstaff. Such innovations in service deliverywill be facilitated by institutional integra-tion, especially between the spheres ofgovernment.

One of the most pressing problems ineffective service delivery to marginalisedareas is a lack of information on govern-ment services. As a first step in the e-Government project, a Batho PeleGateway portal has been developed,which offers information on governmentservices from the Government website. Acall centre operating in six languages isalso operational. The portal and the callcentre offer information on seven keyquestions on each service, including thecost of the service, the nearest location etc.The portal has been made available atpilot MPCCs and 55 Post Offices throughthe Public Information Terminals.

Given the potential for integrationoffered by information and communica-tion technologies, it may in future be pos-sible to apply for an ID book at a clinic, forexample, or to pay your traffic fine at asupermarket. The technology alreadyexists for many of these innovations andthere have been isolated breakthroughs inthe public and private sectors. The aim, asalready mentioned, is to provide as manyservices as possible in one place, and thento locate the service delivery point close tothe people.

Transactional capability for the portalwill certainly be a big step forward, ifprogress is also made in expanding theaccess channels to the portal.

Cooperative governanceIn the light of this vision of future servicedelivery, it is necessary to take stock of theconstitutional framework in terms ofwhich we currently deliver services.Underpinning our system of governanceis the concept of cooperative governance,

Research has shownthat many people have

difficulty accessing government services,

often because transportcosts are prohibitive.Some people are not

even aware of the benefits and services towhich they are entitled

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which is enshrined in the Constitution.As a function of cooperative governance,the spheres are required to coordinatetheir actions so as to provide coherent gov-ernment for the country as a whole.1 Thismandate provides the backdrop for bothintegrated service delivery and institution-al integration.

One of the key principles contained inthe Constitution is that the spheres of gov-ernment are “distinctive, interdependentand interrelated”. A system of unifiedpublic administration would not seek toundermine the distinctiveness of localgovernment as a sphere; rather, it seeks toimprove the manner in which the spheresinterrelate. The recently publishedIntergovernmental Framework Bill willassist by formalising the intergovernmen-tal forums and regulating dispute resolu-tion. However, it is necessary to do morethan this in order to facilitate seamlessservice delivery.

Mobility of staffOne of the strongest arguments for a uni-fied public administration is the facilita-tion of mobility between the institutions ofgovernment. Greater mobility facilitatesthe transfer of functions between spheres,to allow services to be delivered at themost appropriate level, and also enablesthe deployment of managers to wherethey are most needed in government.

The Constitution provides that nationaland provincial governments must assignfunctions to a municipality, by agreement,functions that would be more effectivelybe administered locally, in cases where themunicipality has the capacity to adminis-ter the functions. The Constitution andlegislation also require the transfer of spe-cific functions, as in the cases of theDepartments of Health and Water Affairsand Forestry.

One of the implications of a transfer offunctions between the spheres is that thepersonnel who perform that functionmust also be transferred. In terms of theLabour Relations Act, the function andthe personnel must be transferred as “agoing concern”. In addition, the condi-tions of service of transferring staff maynot be reduced in the process.

Numerous complications have arisen intransferring personnel between thespheres. The conditions of service in thepublic service and local government aresignificantly different. In the public serv-ice, a job is evaluated and calculated tohave a certain job weight, which corre-sponds to a salary grade. The job weightdetermines the salary, and the salarygrades are uniform throughout the publicservice, with some sectoral exceptions.

In a municipality, remuneration isdetermined in line with the revenue col-lected by the municipality. Affordabilityto a large extent determines the salarylevel. In practice this means that there area multiplicity of pay scales in local govern-ment.

This makes the transfer of staff verycomplex, given that overall conditions ofservice must be retained. Add to this thefact that transferring employees are likelyto have to resign from their pension funds,to their detriment, and may have to join adifferent medical aid. Their union mightnot be represented in the bargaining coun-cil of the sphere to which they havemoved. Two strategies must be employed.Firstly, mechanisms must be found in theshort term to make the transfers easierwithin the existing constraints. Secondly,conditions of service must be harmonisedas far as possible to ensure mobility.

The harmonisation of conditions ofservice requires initially that local govern-ment rationalise its conditions of service.This is already happening, and there havebeen many positive developments. Localgovernment is now working towards asingle medical aid and a single pensionfund. In the public service there is a singlepension fund and the intention is to createa single medical aid fund. SALGA hasinstituted 10 categories of municipality,limiting the number of pay scales, and hasinstituted job evaluation systems. Despitethese efforts, public service and local gov-ernment conditions are still very far apart.

Harmonisation versus alignmentThere is no blueprint to guide how localgovernment conditions of service shouldbe rationalised. In 1994, when the variouspublic administrations were being inte-

grated, the “generally prevailing” condi-tions of service were adopted. In terms ofnumbers, the public service conditions ofservice are generally prevailing. And yetSALGA’s efforts at rationalisation are notalways working towards alignment withthe public service. Envisaged legislation toregulate employment matters in local gov-ernment will certainly promote the har-monisation of conditions of service withinlocal government, but will not result infull alignment.

It is easy to become pre-occupied withconditions of service and to forget the endgoal of the exercise. Mobility between thespheres is just one aspect of strengtheningthe integration of government. To achieveseamless service delivery is the ultimategoal. Yet the difficulties with conditions ofservice do give rise to questions regardingthe nature of a future unified publicadministration. It seems that uniformconditions of service across the sphereswill be unlikely, although this cannot beexcluded as a possibility in the long term.It may be possible comprehensively toalign other conditions of service such aspensions and medical aid.

Public entitiesWhile local government is taking steps torationalise its conditions of service andlegislation is being developed to regulatemunicipal employment matters, theNational Treasury and DPSA are con-ducting a review of public entities. Theprocess will lead to the development oflegislation regulating public entities’ cor-porate governance and human resourcematters. For the present, the NationalTreasury and DPSA are focusing only onaddressing Schedule 3A and 3B publicentities. The Department of PublicEnterprises is undertaking a similarreview exercise on Schedule 2 public enti-ties.

Public entities are essentially instru-ments of the state that should assist thestate in delivering on its developmentgoals. If they are not sufficiently under thecontrol and guidance of the state, theymay not be delivering on those goals. Inrecent years there has been a proliferationof public entities, which were created for

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various reasons, often to avoid the stric-tures of the public service pay scales orprocurement procedures.

It was frequently argued that publicentities would be better placed than nor-mal line departments to procure the serv-ices of hire particular experts required. Insome instances, the nature of the functionperformed, such as an advisory function,requiring independence from govern-ment, provided the rationale for the estab-lishment of a public entity. Public entitiesenjoy a measure of freedom in the waythey operate, and the question waswhether that freedom was necessary orbeing abused.

The review developed a new classifica-tion system for public entities based on theprinciple that form follows function.Work was done on the corporate forms ofpublic entities and a new category of “gov-ernment agency” was developed. Propos-als were also made on corporate gover-nance and human resource practices. Thereview has developed a set of tools thatwill enable departments critically toexamine the public entities they control, toevaluate whether they should be publicentities, whether they should become partof the department again, or whether theyshould become a departmental agency.The work done so far has also providedinformation for the development of a leg-islative framework that will bind all pub-lic entities.

Framework legislation for a unifiedpublic administrationThe Constitution provides for certainbasic values and principles governing pub-lic administration2:• A high standard of professional ethics

must be promoted and maintained;• Efficient, economic and effective use of

resources must be promoted;• Public administration must be develop-

ment-orientated;• Services must be provided impartially,

fairly, equitably and without bias;• People’s needs must be responded to,

and the public must be encouraged toparticipate in policy-making;

• Public administration must be account-able;

• Transparency must be fostered by pro-viding the public with timely, accessibleand accurate information;

• Good human-resource managementand career-development practices, tomaximise human potential, must becultivated; and

• Public administration must be broadlyrepresentative of the South African peo-ple, with employment and personnelmanagement based on objectivity, fair-ness and the need to redress the imbal-ances of the past to achieve broad repre-sentation.

These principles form the basis for overar-ching framework legislation for publicadministration. The Constitution alsoprovides that legislation regulating publicadministration may differentiate betweendifferent sectors, administrations andinstitutions. The nature and functions ofthe different sectors, administrations orinstitutions of public administration arerelevant factors to be taken into account inlegislation regulating public administra-tion.3 These provisions provide the consti-tutional basis for a unified system of pub-lic administration.

The objectives of the proposed newPublic Administration legislation are: • to ensure effective, efficient and seam-

less service delivery; • to create a broad framework of norms

and standards for public administra-tion;

• to allow for a degree of autonomy anddifferentiation within public adminis-tration; and

• to provide for mobility within publicadministration.

The legislation will outline the organisa-tion of government, including national,provincial and local governments, as wellas public entities and the categories withinpublic entities. Mechanisms will berequired to create public entities and forpublic entities to change their corporateform. There will also be mechanisms forthe transfer of functions and personnelwithin the spheres and between spheresand public entities. The roles and respon-sibilities of heads of institutions will beaddressed, and the establishment of a sen-ior management service for public admin-istration. Employment and other person-nel practices for all employees and condi-tions of service and labour relations will beregulated, allowing for deviations whereappropriate.

A unified Public Service, new public management and the developmental stateIt would seem logical to suggest that aunified public service is consistent withthe goals and objectives of the develop-mental state. This is because the centralobjective of a unified public service as hasbeen argued is improved and integratedservice delivery, which in turn is a centralgoal of the developmental state. The con-stitutional principles of good governancefocus largely on improved citizen-centredservice delivery. The principles also res-onate with the paradigm that dominatedpublic administration at the time theywere written: new public management(NPM).

The term NPM is often used to describea public management culture that puts cit-izens and the delivery of services to themat the centre and which emphasisesaccountability for results and outcomes.Decentralisation and the use of agenciesfor the delivery of services are often pro-moted to ensure that things get done bet-ter. Typical features of NPM and the relat-ed approach to governance include thefollowing:

A system of unifiedpublic administration

would not seek to undermine the

distinctiveness of localgovernment as a

sphere; rather, it seeksto improve the mannerin which the spheres

interrelate

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• freeing markets from state intervention;• downsizing the state; • privatisation of state assets;• transparency and accountability;• elections;• public participation;• impartiality in service delivery;• efficient and effective use of state

resources;• sound human resource management;• performance management; and• customer orientated service delivery.This would indicate that while the goalsof NPM and the developmental state ofcitizen-centred service delivery coincide,the route to attaining these diverge. WhileNPM emphasises free markets and aweak state, the developmental state ispremised on a strong interventionist“activist” state.

Public management and public servicereform in the democratic South Africa hasbeen shaped by the tenets of NPM, includ-ing a strong focus on decentralised man-agement of human resources and finance.Decentralisation in the context of astreamlined, relatively “weak” state hasnot really empowered managers, whohave been granted delegations withoutbeing equipped with the necessaryresources to utilise these delegations effec-tively. The management of leave, sickleave, discipline, recruitment and reten-tion have disappointed4. Decentralisedapproaches have also led to weaknesses inhuman resource development, and in theabsence of coordinated planning, the pub-lic service continues to be plagued by seri-ous skills gaps.

NPM is also often associated with theneo-liberal advocacy of a slimmer state inwhich fewer services are delivered. Thisclearly contradicts the central goals of thedevelopmental state with its focus ondelivering more services in order to bridgethe divide between the developed firsteconomy and the underdeveloped secondeconomy.

The developmental state has taken avariety of historical forms, and is clearlyhistorically contingent and not ideal typi-cal. Post World War construction inGermany under the Marshall Plan, Japan,Taiwan, Korea and Malaysia are all cited

as successful examples of the developmen-tal state. Planning and central coordina-tion have to greater and lesser degreesbeen characteristics of all of these develop-mental states.

South Africa is in the process of build-ing its own model of developmentalism,in which greater alignment of planning aswell as central coordination is beingsought. This approach does not of necessi-ty exclude decentralisation. Nevertheless,in a context where skills and managerialcapacity are scarce, decentralisation canundermine effectiveness by giving respon-sibilities to managers and systems that aresimply not ready for them, leading tobreakdowns in service delivery.

The time has come for us to seek a bet-ter balance between centralised anddecentralised approaches in order tostrengthen public administration and laythe basis for a common unified systemthat will support our social and economicdevelopment goals.

This may require the revoking of cer-tain delegations and/or the creation ofnew systems of accreditation.

ConclusionIntegrated service delivery, especially deliv-ery aimed at bringing services closer to thepeople, is an undisputed goal for govern-ment. Innovative modes of service delivery,especially at integrated service deliverysites, are creating an impetus for institu-tional integration. At the same time theneed for services to be delivered at the mostappropriate level requires that functions

and staff be transferred from one sphere toanother, or to or from public entities. Theharmonisation of conditions of service, sys-tems and norms will facilitate these trans-fers. Government’s broad vision of a uni-fied system of public administration seeksto respond to these practical needs.

A unified system of public administra-tion does not seek to undermine the dis-tinctiveness of local government, nor doesit seek to inhibit the freedoms that publicentities legitimately require to be effective.Achieving greater harmony between thespheres of government and public entitieswill enable the South African develop-mental state to increase the effectivenessand impact of its service delivery. While ithas been necessary to spend time on tech-nical work relating to conditions of serv-ice, it is important not to lose of sight ofthe ultimate goal, which is the attainmentof seamless and convenient delivery ofpublic services to the citizens of this coun-try in support of our social and economicdevelopment objectives.

In seeking to achieve our developmen-tal goals we will need to ensure that pub-lic administration remains coordinatedand planned.

This will require a better balancebetween centralised and decentralisedmodes of internal and external servicedelivery in order to optimise the use anddeployment of resources. New publicmanagement should increasingly be seenas a toolbox of progressive managementpractices and innovations (popular partic-ipation, citizen-oriented service delivery,management empowerment) rather thanas a paradigm linked to the weakening ofthe state to allow markets to operate morefreely and efficiently.

References1 Section 41(1)(h)(iv) of the Constitution

read with section 41 (1)(c).2 Section 195(1) of the Constitution.3 Sections 195(5) and 195(6).4 This has emerged out of several human

resource reviews and evaluations con-ducted by the Public Service Commis-sion. See Public Service Commission,State of the Public Service Report,(2004) •

South Africa is in theprocess of building its own model of

developmentalism, in which greater

alignment of planningas well as central

coordination is beingsought

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The current government’s vision of “ABetter Life for All”, can be viewed asits strategic intent or overarching

strategic goal for the country that must berealised in the long-term, say the next 20or 30 years. This long-term goal is beingpursued through various policies, namelyeconomic, education, health, infrastruc-ture, social development etc. TheMedium-Term Strategic Framework andthe Medium-Term Strategic ExpenditureFramework, which, inter alia, includesthe alignment of strategic planning andbudgeting, have come into being in theSA Public Service in 1999 when thePublic Finance Management Act, 1999(Act No 1 of 1999), as amended came intoforce.

Government departments and institu-tions are still in the process of fine-tuningthe alignment of strategic planning andstrategy implementation with resourceallocation. This was followed by theCluster approach, in terms of whichnational ministries and departments aregrouped into five clusters, namelyEconomic, Investment & Employment,Governance & Administration, Inter-national Relations, Peace and Security,Justice, Crime Prevention & Security, andSocial Sector, in order to coordinate andintegrate government activities and pro-grammes.

The cluster approach is complementedby similar structures in provincial admin-istrations and integrated developmentplanning (IDP) at municipal level. The

Policy Coordination & Advisory Service(PCAS) Branch was established in thePresidency to ensure macro policy coordi-nation and integration at the nationallevel. In some of the provincial premiers’and executive mayors or municipal man-agers’ offices a similar structure has beencreated.

The Ten Year Review and Planningapproach was introduced in 2001, but theconcept of a 10-year planning horizon wasonly effectively operationalised last year.The National Spatial DevelopmentPerspective is by its nature (of dealingwith one aspect of development, namelyspace) not geared to be such an overalldevelopment framework of plan.

The strategic framework or plan, somemay even call the “National DevelopmentPlan”, the country requires will to mymind from this point onwards make formore effective management of the PublicService. Such a framework will help thePCAS Branch in the Presidency toachieve more effective policy and pro-gramme coordination and integration at amacro national level.

I think we should consider aProgramme Office as part of the PCASBranch in the Presidency. Similar struc-tures at provincial and municipal levelmust also be put in place to coordinateand integrate crosscutting programmesand projects. The Programme Officeshould have its own operational budget,programme leaders/managers and shouldemploy a matrix or so-called project man-

The Need for a Strategically Managed

Developmental StateGreg MacMaster, of

the Department of

Public Works,

explores an array of

strategies that

government can

employ in bringing

to fruition a “better

life for all” as spelt

out in its long-term

vision to improve the

quality of life of all

South Africans

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agement structure. All of this has laid or will lay the basis

and made or will make it possible for gov-ernment to use a strategic managementapproach in which policy, programme,project, operations and resource manage-ment, together with the intergovernmen-tal relations concept, are employed as anintegrated management methodology toachieve enhanced service delivery and“value for money”.

However, all public managers at seniorand middle levels need to be trained inthese disciplines to clearly understandwhat they entail and how to integratethem, so that the South African State canmore efficiently meet the challenge of a“developmental state”, and deliver qualitypublic goods and services to the millionsof historically disadvantaged and poorSouth Africans in the second decade ofour democracy and freedom.

Why is strategic managementimportant for the Public Service?I will attempt to answer this question byexploring the definitions of strategy andstrategic management, and explainingwhy every government department andinstitution should be a strategy-focusedorganisation.

StrategyManagement scholars now think thatstrategy serves as an overriding guidethroughout an organisation and that inte-grated strategic thinking is therefore criti-cal. Strategy is the direction and scope ofan organisation over the long term: whichachieves advantage for the organisationthrough its configuration of resourceswithin a changing environment, to meetthe needs of markets and to fulfil stake-holder expectations.

One definition of strategy suggests thatit is an effort or deliberate action that anorganisation implements to out-performits rivals. Michael Porter describes thefoundation of strategy as the activities inwhich an organization elects to excel ...The essence of strategy is choosing to per-form activities differently from competi-tors so as to provide a unique value propo-sition. A sustainable strategic position, in

Porter’s view, comes from a system ofactivities, each of which reinforces theothers. Kaplan and Norton state that intheir experience nonprofits and govern-ment agencies have considerable difficultyin defining clearly their strategy. Theseorganisations must understand Porter’sadmonition that strategy is not only whatan organisation intends to do, but alsowhat it decides not to do.

Strategies exist at a number of levels inan organisation, and three or four differ-ent levels of strategy can be distinguished.Corporate (organisational) strategy is con-cerned with the overall purpose and scopeof the organisation to meet the expecta-tions of owners or major stakeholders andadd value to the different parts (oftenindividual businesses) of the enterprise.

The second level of strategy is businessunit strategy, and is about how to competesuccessfully in a particular market. Astrategic business unit (SBU) is part of theorganisation for which there is a distinctexternal market for goods or services (i.e.distinct from another SBU). In public sec-tor organisations a corresponding defini-tion of a SBU might be part of an organi-sation or service for which there is a dis-tinct client group.

The third level of strategy is at the oper-ational level of the organisation.

These operational strategies are con-cerned with how the component parts ofthe organisation in terms of resources,processes, people and their skills effective-ly deliver the corporate- and business-level strategic direction. A distinction issometimes made between functional andoperational policies; with finance, humanresource, marketing, production, etc seenas functional strategies, and operatingstrategy is narrower strategy for basicoperating units — plant, sales districts andregions, and departments within func-tional areas.

Societal strategy focuses on the relation-ship between an organisation and itsexternal environment, as well as the broadissues of corporate citizenship, societalresponsibility and accountability, andbusiness ethics. Four levels of strategieshave been identified for public and non-profit organisations, namely: “Grand”

strategies for the organisation as a whole;subunit strategies — subunits may bedivisions, departments, or units of largerorganizations; programme, service, orbusiness process strategies; and functionalstrategies (such as financial, staffing, facil-ities, information technology, and pro-curement strategies). All these strategiesmay be either long term or short term.

Strategies are different from tactics.Tactics are short-term, adaptive actionsand reactions used to accomplish limitedobjectives. But the distinction might attimes be academic. Tony Manning’sinsight needs sharing at this point:“Strategy is not rocket science. It’s com-mon sense and creativity combined. Theway you make strategy is as important asthe strategy you make. Strategic conversa-tion guides and inspires people to highpurpose. It also grows them as a resource.It is the missing link in what we knowabout knowledge work. Strategy is madeand implemented by human beings. Itworks when they work well together andfails when they don’t. Collaboration isvital.”

There is a distinct difference betweenpolicy and strategy; although some schol-ars say policy can be easily substituted forstrategy in the public sector. A policystatement is usually developed accordingto politicians’ interpretations of what citi-zens require, and what needs to be done toachieve the long-term aims of the society.Policies are therefore heuristic and broadin scope; they may set goals for organisa-tions, but do not state how these are to beachieved.

A strategy, however, describes themethods an organisation intends using toachieve policy aims. Strategy has to dowith how an organisation and its leader-ship are going to put policies into effect;the plans that need to be drawn up andput into action in order to achieve policyaims while working within the generalprinciples of that policy.

The distinction between policy andstrategy is important, as it underlines thenotion that the top management within agovernment department or institutionmust act within the broad policy frame-work. It is the task of politicians to devel-

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op policy; the duty of the strategic apex(top management) is to work out in otherwords, strategise) how this policy could beimplemented. Real strategising is clearly a“top-down” business.

The concepts strategy and strategicmanagement are just as important in thepublic sector as in commercial firms.However, unlike the private sector, thepublic sector is diverse. Overall, the role ofideology in the development of strategy inthe public sector is probably greater thanthat in commercial organisations. The cri-terion of acceptability to stakeholders instrategic choice (strategy development/-formulation) is probably of greater signif-icance in the public sector than in the com-mercial sector.

Strategic Management/StrategicPlanningIt is important to explain and clarify theconstructs strategic management andstrategic planning at this stage by lookingat available definitions first and then drawconclusions as to differences and similari-ties, if any, before the activities or elementsare discussed.

According to some authors of this sub-ject strategic management can have twoopposed definitions. The first entails acomprehensive term, which poses strate-gic management as the total managementof an institution, and refers to the overallprocess, which includes not only strategicplanning, but also organising, leading andcontrolling strategy-related decisions andactions in an institution. This implies thatstrategic planning is merely a tool or por-tion of strategic management.

Strategic planning enables public man-agers to evaluate, select and implementalternatives for rendering effective serv-ice. This school of thought argues thatstrategic planning is interwoven in thewhole management process. A more tra-ditional definition of strategic manage-ment states that it is the daily implementa-tion of strategic plans of an institution.Strategic planning is seen as a senior man-agement responsibility, and the strategicplanning process forms an important linkbetween comprehensive planning and theannual operating and capital budgets.

Another school of thought argues thatalthough strategic management is oftendiscussed as an extension of strategic plan-ning, and the two terms often are confusedand used interchangeably, they are by nomeans synonymous. Strategic planning isdefined as a disciplined effort to producefundamental decisions and actions thatshape and guide what a organization is,what it does, and why it does it. It blendsfuturistic thinking, objective analysis, andsubjective evaluation of goals and prioritiesto chart future courses of action that willensure the long-run vitality and effective-ness of the organisation.

In contrast to the more closed-systemorientation of traditional long-range plan-ning and conventional programme plan-ning, strategic planning is a “big picture”approach. A word of caution: Creating astrategic plan is less important than creat-ing the ability or capacity to think and actstrategically.

Strategic management shares thesesame attributes, but it is a more encom-passing process that is concerned withmanaging an organisation in a strategicmanner on a continuing basis. Strategicmanagement is “an advanced and coher-ent form of strategic thinking, attemptingto extend strategic vision throughout allunits of the organisation, encompassingevery administrative system”.

Strategic management does not occur

when top management micromanageoperations to ensure uniformity; rather, itoccurs when decisions and actions at all lev-els are driven by a few fundamental strate-gies or policies that are strongly endorsed asbeing critical for improving an agency’sperformance over the long run.

A strategically managed public agencyis one in which budgeting, performancemanagement, human resource develop-ment, programme management, andother management processes are guidedby a strategic agenda that has been devel-oped with a buy-in from key actors andcommunicated widely within the organi-sation and among external constituencies.

Strategic management is concernedwith implementing strategies and meas-uring performance as well as monitoringtrends and identifying emerging issuesthat might require strategic responses.

Operational control is what managersare involved in for most of their time, andit is vital to the effective implementationof strategy, but it is not the same as strate-gic management. The scope of strategicmanagement is greater than that of anyone area of operational management.Whilst strategic management is involvedin all areas of management, it is not thesame as day-to-day management.

Successful implementation of strategicmanagement requires an assessment oforganisation capacities in such areas asmanagerial capability, power structure,culture, leadership, and organisationalstructure. Strategic management mustprovide a process for developing strategicplans and updating periodically, whichmay involve a “strategic planning sys-tems” approach layered down throughfunctional divisions and operating units,but it also must provide the means forensuring that strategic plans are imple-mented and monitored effectively.

The strategic management processcomprises strategic/organisational direc-tion and environmental analysis, strategyformulation, and strategy implementa-tion. Every organisation should have avision and mission statement to guide itinto the future. These give organisationaldirection and focus the employees andmanagers on how and why they are in

The distinctionbetween policy andstrategy is important,as it underlines the notion that the topmanagement within

a governmentdepartment or institution must

act within the broadpolicy framework

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business. This organisational direction isdeveloped on the basis of ethical behav-iour and corporate governance which isthe backbone of strategic management.

The environmental analysis of theorganisation consists of evaluating andanalysing the external environment forpossible opportunities and threats, and theinternal environment for possiblestrengths and weaknesses (SWOT analy-sis). The internal environment is alsoknown as the company profile — in themicroenvironment — and includesaspects/factors over which the organisa-tion has control, like its resources.

The external environment consists of amacro and market environment andincludes aspects/factors over which theorganisation has no control. This environ-mental analysis is critical to the strategicmanagement process and without it isimpossible to effectively move on to thenext phase in the process, namely strategyformulation.

Given the strategic direction and envi-ronmental analysis the organisation is in aposition to develop long-term goals,which are more quantifiable than the mis-sion statement developed in the previousstage, but which is derived from it. Afterthis stage the organisation decides whichis the appropriate way forward by meansof corporate and generic strategies. Thesegeneric strategies are very broadly definedin the form of grand strategies available toit, which can be divided into three majorgroups, growth and decline strategies andcorporate combinations.

To be able to implement the strategieschosen in the previous stage, certain driv-ers (driving forces) are available to suc-cessfully achieve the goals and mission.These include leadership, culture, rewardsystems, organisational structures andallocation of resources. These are supple-mented by strategic instruments likeshort-term objectives and policies.

Strategic evaluation and controlthrough continuous improvement is seenas the last step in the strategic manage-ment process and should not be neglected.Aspects like total quality managementand the balanced scorecard are toolswhich can help and improve the manag-

er’s task of successfully controlling thestrategic management process. The strate-gic management process applies to allkinds of organisations, not-for-profitorganisations, amongst other organisa-tions, have other options and strategies toconsider as well. It is, however, importantto first understand the process of strategicmanagement before trying to adapt it toone of these types of organisations.

It is necessary to explain the role of poli-cies in strategy implementation. Althoughfunctional tactics provide guidance on thekey routine activities that should be per-formed in the various functional areas,more detail is often required. Policies pro-vide this detail. Policies can be defined asthe specific guidelines, methods, proce-dures, forms, and administrative practicesthat direct thinking, decision and actionsof managers and employees in strategyimplementation.

Policies inform employees what isexpected of them and clarify what can andcannot be done in pursuit of the short-term objectives in the strategy implemen-tation process.

Policies, previously referred to as stan-dard operating procedures (SOPs), stan-dardise routine decisions, thus reducing thetime it takes to make decisions, and pro-vide a basis for control and promote coor-dination and consistency across organisa-tional units.

In order to be a valuable strategy imple-mentation instrument, policies need to sup-port the chosen strategy.

A change in strategy requires a changein policies. As strategic change does notoccur automatically, policies are needed toguide day-to-day activities and proceduresto ensure successful strategy implementa-tion. If existing policies are not changedwhen a new strategy is implemented, theycan become a barrier to strategic change.In order to support customer-focusedstrategies, for example, front-line employ-ees should be empowered through policiesto take decisions or act to fulfil customerneeds so as to deliver a high standard ofcustomer service.

From the above theoretical formula-tions or statements, one can conclude thatthere is a difference between policy and

strategy in the public and private sectors,which is borne out by current practice andreality in the public service. Strategy can,therefore, not easily be substituted for pol-icy in the public sector. The confusionaround policy and strategy is clarified, bydistinguishing between political, govern-ment, executive and operational policieson the one hand, and on the other corpo-rate, business and functional/operationalstrategies, as well as stating that strategiesare implemented through policies, onecan conclude that operational strategiesare implemented through operationalpolicies.

Government and executive policies areimplemented through corporate and busi-ness strategies. It is important to under-stand the symbiotic relationship betweenstrategy and policy. As said in the intro-duction, government has strategic intentor an overarching strategy or strategicgoal, which needs to be translated intovarious policies or policy frameworks suchas economic, education, health etc. Toimplement these policies, implementationstrategies embodied in programmes, proj-ects and “normal operations” have to bedeveloped.

A clear distinction also exists betweenthe concepts strategic management andstrategic planning. I endorse the view thatthe latter forms part of the former, butstrategic management is more compre-hensive and encompassing. One can fur-thermore distinguish clear activities, ele-ments or phases in the strategic manage-ment approach or process, although dif-ferent scholars call them by differentnames.

The three activities, elements or phasescan in effect be divided into four: strategicanalysis/planning/strategic direction andenvironmental analysis, strategic choice/strategy development/formulation, strate-gy implementation, and performance eval-uation and monitoring.

For the purpose of this paper I supportthis four activity, element or phase break-down or process, and call them strategicanalysis/direction/planning, strategydevelopment/ formulation, strategy imple-mentation, and performance monitoringand evaluation.

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ConclusionStrategic management is a broad conceptthat “embraces the entire set of manageri-al decisions and actions that determine thelong-run performance of an organisa-tion”, and is “an advanced and coherentform of strategic thinking, attempting toextend strategic vision throughout allunits of the organisation, encompassingevery administrative system”.

Strategic management occurs whendecisions and actions at all levels are driv-en by a few fundamental strategies or poli-cies that are strongly endorsed as beingcritical for improving an agency’s per-formance over the long run. A strategical-ly managed public service or a publicagency is one in which budgeting, per-formance management, human resourcedevelopment, program management, andother management processes are guidedby a strategic agenda that has been devel-oped with a buy-in from key actors andcommunicated widely within the organi-zation and among external constituencies.Strategic management is concerned withimplementing strategies and measuringperformance as well as monitoring trendsand identifying emerging issues thatmight require strategic responses.

An integrated governance framework issuggested so that both strategies and poli-cies are more effectively implementedthrough programmes and projects, as wellas through “normal operations” in govern-ment departments or institutions. Theeffective management of availableresources, including assets, finance, humanand technological resources, in order torealise improved service delivery across thethree spheres of government and depart-ments and institutions at national, provin-cial and local levels requires a strategicmanagement approach.

The matrix which has been presentedon the interrelatedness or overlap of theactivities, component parts or elements ofthe six management competencies, disci-plines or functions and programme man-agement roles and capacities, helps one tosee that interrelatedness or overlap at oneglance. Like a picture, it says more than athousand words. However, a word of cau-tion would be appropriate at this point:

All these management tools or aids arejust that; they should never replace com-mon sense, creativity and collective wis-dom.

It is therefore argued that in the publicsector strategic management as the all-encompassing and overarching manage-ment competency, discipline or function,embraces all the other management com-petencies or functions such as public poli-cy, project, operations and resource man-agement; in other words all of them con-stitute a continuum or value chain, andthat effective overall governance andmanagement in the public sector requiresan integrated approach, if real “value formoney” or “public value” and enhancedservice delivery is to be achieved.

The Balanced Scorecard is the strategicmanagement tool that helps to achieve therequired integration of budgets (and otherresources), organisational culture and per-formance management, and goes hand inglove with regular strategic conversations.But in addition to using this managementtool, national and provincial departmentsand municipalities should establishStrategic Management Units within theOffice of the Director-General or ChiefExecutive Officer to provide her/him andthe Top Management Team with therequired strategic support. A ProgrammeOffice has to be created in such a unit tocoordinate and facilitate strategy imple-mentation and monitoring & evaluationthrough (strategic) programmes and proj-ects/operations.

In conclusion I wish to return to thepoint I made in the introduction; the cur-rent government’s vision of “a better lifefor all”, can be viewed as its strategicintent or overarching strategic goal for thecountry that must be realised in the long-term, say the next twenty or thirty. Thisvision or long-term goal is being pursuedthrough various policies, namely econom-ic, education, health, social developmentetc.

These policy frameworks requireimplementation strategies embodied inprogrammes, projects and on-going oper-ations, sometimes called activities, whichare made possible and underpinned by thenecessary resources e.g. financial, human,

physical and so forth. The government’svision, strategic intent or overarchingstrategic goal should further be elaboratedthrough a strategic planning and imple-mentation framework, which involves allsix management competencies, disciplinesor functions.

The RDP has been this strategic frame-work to date, but the synthesis report,“Towards a Ten Year Review”, expressesthe need for an overarching encompassingnational development framework to coor-dinate, guide and integrate governmentinitiatives and programmes. I am of theopinion that in addition to that aProgramme Office in the Presidencyshould be established to coordinate andintegrate cross-cutting programmes andprojects, with its own operational budget,programme leaders/managers andemploying a matrix or so-called projectmanagement structure should be seriouslyconsidered.

The basis has been laid or is being laidfor strategic management in the publicservice, and will make it possible for gov-ernment to use a such an approach inwhich policy, programme, project, opera-tions and resource management, togetherwith the intergovernmental relations con-cept, are employed as an integrated gover-nance/management methodology toachieve enhanced service delivery and“value for money”. In fact I would be sobold as to say that this entails what Iwould call the “revised new public man-agement” approach.

However, all public managers at seniorand middle levels need to be trained inthese disciplines to clearly understandwhat they entail and how to integratethem, so that the South African State canmore effectively and efficiently meet thechallenge of a “developmental state” anddeliver quality public goods and servicesto the millions of historically disadvan-taged and poor South Africans in the sec-ond decade of our freedom.

Due to space constraints policy/policymanagement, programmes/programmemanagement, projects/project manage-ment and operations/operations manage-ment will be examined in subsequent arti-cles. •

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One only has to think of the num-ber of broken marriages orfriendships to know that part-

nerships are difficult. Indeed, there wouldsurely be many lessons from marriagecounselling that would have applicabilityfor partnerships within government. Yetit is obvious that partnerships are pivotalfor the Public Service’s management anddelivery, and co-operative governance isstrongly emphasised in government’spolicies.

This essay reflects on 10 years’ of run-ning partnership programmes within ournew democracy. The immediate chal-lenge in writing such an essay is to ques-tion what the opportunity costs of can-dour will be. Although problems arealmost always a “two-way street”, some-times it can be more the other partner’sfault. But is public exposure the mosteffective in addressing the problems?That said, I shall give my perspectives onthese partnerships, and accept that theremay be others.

This essay will focus on the Workingfor Water programme, and will also referto the Working on Fire programme, theWorking for Wetlands programme, andthe Santam/Cape Argus UkuvukaCampaign. These are all among the mostsuccessful programmes that have been

launched since democracy, and aresteeped in a partnership approach. Theessay ends with some suggestions in set-ting up and managing partnerships.

The Working for WaterProgrammeOne of government’s flagship pro-grammes, Working for Water (WfW)grew from a programme with a budget ofR27 million in 1995/6 to one that nowcommands a direct budget of R440 mil-lion in 2004/5. This excludes the budgetsfor Working on Fire (R35m) andWorking for Wetlands (R40m).

WfW clears invasive alien plants in alabour-intensive manner, because of theimpact that these plants have on watersecurity, biological diversity, the integrityof natural systems, the productive poten-tial of land, soil erosion and the intensityof wild fires, amongst other impacts. It issaid to be the biggest conservation pro-gramme in Africa.

There would be many reasons for thehigh profile and success of WfW.

It has had strong political champions.Professor Kader Asmal made WfW pos-sible, and was able to win the support ofthe then President Nelson Mandela as thePatron in Chief. Ministers Ronnie Kasrilsand Buyelwa Sonjica have continued to

Making IntegratedProgrammes Work

In this paper delivered at the

2nd Annual South African Public

Management Conversation,

Dr Guy Preston, Chairperson of

the Working for Water

Programme and co-chair of the

Working on Fire Programme,

highlights the efficacy of

partnerships in government that

have made the Working for

Water Programme the success

that it is. From this, he

extrapolates a number of lessons

to be learned in the concerted

effort of ensuring that

partnerships in government are

sustainable and produce results

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champion from within DWAF, with sig-nificant support from the Ministers ofEnvironmental Affairs and Tourism(Ministers Valli Moosa and Pallo Jordan,and now Marthinus van Schalkwyk) andAgriculture (Ministers Thoko Didiza andDerek Hanekom).

The programme was principally fund-ed initially through the Reconstructionand Development Programme (thanks tothen Minister Jay Naidoo), and later thePoverty Relief allocation (thanks toMinister Trevor Manuel and DeputyMinister Gill Marcus, and NationalTreasury officials). This enabled the pro-gramme to take a broader perspective,arguing that this was government’smoney, and that it should not focus solelyon the needs of DWAF.

This included arguing that we shouldnot focus only on those plants that impacton water security (ie, the trees that use farmore water than the plants they displace),but should look to deal with the full spec-trum of invasive alien plants.

If that battle was won, we did not suc-ceed in persuading DWAF and our part-ners that we should be part of an integrat-ed programme dealing with all invasivespecies, and focusing on their preventionas much as their control. (Many interna-tional experts could not fathom how we

could spend so much on control, and solittle on prevention, when the returns oninvestment from the latter are so muchhigher.) This failure has cost South Africadearly.

A more difficult aspect for some of theofficials was the focus that WfW placedon its social responsibilities. Once againwe argued that we are an integrated pro-gramme, and could not merely focus on

the technical aspects if there was not thecapacity to deal with the social challengesof our beneficiaries. This led to a strongsocial development focus, not only in thetargeting of the marginalised (by race,gender, disability, age, geographic localityand poverty status, including single-par-ent households), but also in providing sup-port in terms of social development needslike life skills, sexual and reproductivehealth support, child-care and even theprovision of crèches in the early years ofthe programme. More on this later.

A third major reason for the pro-gramme’s initial success was its institu-tional organisation, being led by a SpecialAdvisor, and based in Cape Town.Although this happened by default ratherthan design, it did enable more decisivedecision-making and action, operatingmore as a public entity. However, thislater turned into almost a liability, asaccounting officers sought to take controlover the operations of the programme,and refused to delegate authority.

The direct links to political decision-making, and the fluidity of the operationsin the early years, led to quick successes.The programme has spent an average of98% of its budget over the past nine years,never slipping below 90% of its budgetwithin a financial year (easily the best per-

The Working forWater programme

created work opportunities in theearly years when

there was so muchpressure on

government to deliveron employment, and

was one of the highest profile

programmes in thisrespect

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formance of any major programme ofgovernment since democracy).

WfW was able to respond to broadergovernment needs, such as establishingprojects in flashpoints like Bulwer,Richmond and the Dukuduku Forestarea, to defuse tensions. It created workopportunities in the early years whenthere was so much pressure on govern-ment to deliver on employment, and wasone of the highest profile programmes inthis respect.

However, experience has also shownthat the early flexibility of the programmehad a significant opportunity cost in thefailure to focus on long-term planning(and particularly long-term clearing plansfor invasive alien plants).

WfW enjoyed very good press, largelythrough its very committed and visibleministers. It has won or been part of 38national and international awards — thisdespite never trying to win an award for asecond time (other than for health andsafety). It got to a point where WfW wasgetting so much credit that we were con-cerned about jealousy from other pro-grammes, and effectively withdrew fromentering for any awards. (Interestingly,Ms Cheryl Carolus was aghast that weshould have done so.)

We also stood back in terms of interna-tional funding, where it became clear thatpushing for such funding put one in com-petition with other programmes. We tookthe view that we needed the good rela-tions within DWAF and with otherdepartments more than we needed theadditional funding (especially given thewonderful support WfW enjoyed fromthe National Treasury).

Aligned to this “good press” has been astrong focus on branding. The yellow T-shirts and paraphernalia have all beenstrong in branding WfW as a programmethat enjoyed easy recognition. It has alsobeen important in communities where theprogramme has worked well. A notableexample was the high altitude teams whoabseil down cliffs to clear difficult-to-reach invasive alien plants. Such has beenthe status of these workers that theywould saunter down the streets on marketdays, wearing their climbing kit as a status

symbol. (This is also being seen nowamong the fire-fighters in the Working onFire programme.)

The programme has produced its ownannual report, has had the authority torespond directly to issues in the media,and has been quick to engage the supportof national experts to argue its case intimes of need. It has also had very goodinternational branding, being hailed as arole-model programme by a variety ofprestigious organisations, institutions andindividuals.

What also sets WfW apart is the extentto which it has endeavoured to add valuethrough its activities. It has had its ownnatural focus on value-added industries(trying to use the accessible cleared bio-mass for charcoal, firewood, woodchips,building materials, crafts, toys, furniture,etc), but in addition has looked for ways inwhich it can help to meet broader govern-ment needs.

A pertinent example has been its effortsto provide work opportunities for warveterans, through its Operation Vuselelapartnership with the Department ofDefence. It remains a mystery why so fewother programmes have deliberately tar-geted this marginalised group.

It has worked with the correctionalservices authorities and NGOs to provideopportunities for former inmates, givingthem employment opportunities to reinte-grate them into society.

It worked with the Department ofLand Affairs to endeavour to facilitate thelevel of success in the redistribution ofland (ensuring that the land was cleared,and that the beneficiaries gained the workopportunities in doing so).

It has sought to focus opportunities fordisabled people, through a Working onAbilities partnership. While the pro-gramme certainly continues to providework and training opportunities for thismarginalised group, the partnership itselfhas somewhat floundered.

One of its most successful partnershipswas the Greater Hermanus WaterConservation Campaign. This enabledWfW and the coastal town of Hermanusto combine resources, where WfW wasone of a 12-point plan for water conserva-

tion. In the early years of the campaign,water use dropped by 32%, revenue fromwater sales went up by over 20%, waterwas more affordable for the poor (the freebasic water and electricity policy had itsroots in the arguments being developed intariff campaigns in Hermanus andDurban), and those who drove the mar-ginal cost paid the marginal price.

One of the off-shoots was that WfWreceived matching funding fromHermanus for its work, thereby providingadditional employment in the area. Sadly,this successful model was also not builtupon.

There are many other examples thatcould be cited, where WfW has tried touse its existing capacity to add value toother initiatives of government. What hasoften been difficult has been to find thechampions for these partnerships, and tomaintain the added focus within ourworkload.

The social development partnershipwarrants special mention, for this has beenat the heart of the programme. There is nodoubt that the ability of WfW to createjobs in areas of poverty was a prime reasonfor its rapid growth, more than a fullappreciation of the massive threat of inva-sives. (Indeed, we have had to stress tostaff that we are WfW, and not some otherprogramme, because we clear invasivealien plants, and this remains the maingoal of the programme.)

The programme leadership has arguedthat it has had to address the well-being ofits employees, rather than demand thatthe responsible authorities do so.Although this has covered a number ofissues, perhaps the most contentious with-in DWAF has been the continued supportfor child-care. WfW argued that it couldnot ask its workers (many of whom aresingle parents) to go off up the mountainsif there was not child-care for their chil-dren.

DWAF agreed that this was a concern,but felt that the Department of SocialDevelopment should provide this service.DSD did not disagree, but argued that itcould not simply focus on certain peoplein a community who happened to getwork through WfW, and therefore had to

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develop its capacity to provide this service.WfW therefore felt that it should contin-ue to provide this service.

There is still not a satisfactory resolu-tion to this problem. This is a problem forthe workers. (It should be noted that thefocus was on the younger children, butexperience has shown that it is the olderchildren who are probably even more inneed of support.)

All of the above would count for littlewithout the passion of staff. There is littledoubt that WfW professional staff put inmany more hours than the average civilservant.

This could be partially ascribed to aprogramme having a relatively small staff.Many identify strongly with what the pro-gramme is trying to achieve, and how weare trying to do so (eg, transformation) —despite perhaps inadequate rewards fortheir commitment.

They can see so readily the differencethat WfW has made, both ecologicallyand socially.

The work is technically relatively easy(although insufficient technical capacity isa problem).

What is certainly important has beenbeing a ring-fenced programme — hav-

ing a focus that is tangible, and wherecleaners, administrators and other supportstaff have a sense of being part of theaccomplishments of the programme (farmore difficult in general departments).

They have been made to feel special by thestrong engagement of political leadership.

It is important to state that these bene-fits have been eroding, both because ofcontinuing uncertainty over the futureinstitutional arrangement of the pro-gramme, and because of the difficultiesthat occur the growth into being a largeprogramme. Management difficulties,and an insufficient attention to team-building and professional development ofstaff members, have also been growingchallenges.

Integrity is vital for any programme.We have attempted to respect the poverty-alleviation nature of the programme,avoiding unnecessary costs (eg, havingmodest office rentals, by staying in inex-pensive accommodation, by reducing thecost-per-head for luncheons to as low asR6,50). Corruption and maladministra-tion are a challenge for any programme,and while WfW has been rather fortunatein escaping serious censure, there areproblems.

It is noticeable that the slowness, andsometimes failure, to deal with discipli-nary problems is increasingly undermin-ing Batho Pele in the programme. Oneaspect is the ability of those facing discipli-nary action to resign before sentencing,and escape any work-related censure fortheir actions. This loophole must beclosed.

That is not to say that the programmehas not had its problems. An evaluationfound significant weaknesses in the pro-gramme’s planning, institutional arrange-ments, management and other aspects, aswas reported in an earlier article in thismagazine.

There is no doubt, nevertheless, thatpartnerships have been pivotal in whatWfW has been able to achieve. And yet itis also true to say that the partnerships thatWfW has attempted to forge have beensub-optimal. In too many cases, WfW hasdone most of the work, leaving the part-nership a somewhat one-sided affair.Some of the reasons for this could be thefollowing:• The failure to cement formal memo-

randums of agreement that commitpartners to specific aspects.

A more difficult aspectfor some of the officials

was the focus thatWfW placed on its

social responsibilities.Once again we

argued that we are anintegrated programme,and could not merelyfocus on the technicalaspects if there wasnot the capacity todeal with the socialchallenges of our

beneficiaries

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• The massive challenges in transformingthe civil service, and many partnersbeing overwhelmed by the variety ofdemand on their time (as opposed, per-haps, to our more focused area of work).

• A lack of appreciation of or commit-ment to the value of the work of WfW(coupled perhaps with a view that otherissues in which they are engaged war-rant some of the resources that WfWhas enjoyed).

• A lack of technical competence amongsome partners, making real engage-ment difficult.

• Disproportionate power relations, giventhe strong political engagement inWfW.

• The housing of the programme withinDWAF, which may have led to lesscommitted ownership by DEAT andDoA, and their provincial competencies.

• Insufficient effort in managing the part-nerships. Like any relationship, it takestime and effort, and it is easier to beginpartnerships than to sustain them.

• Sometimes the lack of a champion todrive specific partnerships (exacerbatedby the general high turnover of staff,both within WfW and especially someof its partners).

• The on-going problems over the insti-tutional arrangement for WfW, and thelack of real decision-making powersthat can lead to a failure to deliver onwhat partners expect.

• The bureaucracy in both partner organ-isations, as well as demands that areoften not contained within the workplans of staff, and lead to failure todeliver, and growing disillusionmentand reduction in the effort to make thepartnership work.

• One of the most damaging failures hasbeen the lack of delegated powers,enabling WfW to enforce the legislationthat would compel land-owners to cleartheir land. WfW’s policy was to use leg-islation to create an enabling environ-ment for the exiting of its workers,where private land-owners would pro-vide work opportunities for trained andcapacitated teams to clear invasive alienplants on their land. Many millions ofRands will have to be spent because of

this lack of a true partnership.Despite the comments above, it is impor-tant to stress that so much has beenachieved through taking a partnershipapproach — and particularly “on theground” where operatives have simplygotten on with working together, in spiteof some high-level problems. If “gestalt”(1+1=3) has eluded us somewhat, it is clos-er to being achieved. Working for Waterand its partners have a substantial plat-form upon which to build.

The Working on Fire ProgrammeIt has been most interesting to be strug-gling to make WfW work, and at the sametime to be part of the Working on Fire(WoF) programme. There cannot bemany better programmes that governmenthas initiated than WoF. It too wentthrough a process that saw political leader-ship (Ministers Ronnie Kasrils, SydneyMufamadi and Buyelwa Sonjica, SpeakerBaleka Mbete and Ms Gill Marcus) andthe National Treasury (notably theinspired management of Ms Julia deBruyn) provide the space for this pro-gramme.

WoF has built strongly on the capacitiesand experience of the forestry industry,which is particularly vulnerable to wildfires, and the National Disaster Manage-ment Centre (NDMC) in the Departmentof Provincial and Local Government.Here the partnership between principallyWfW, NDMC and the Forestry ChiefDirectorate in DWAF, supported byDEAT and DoA, has been more struc-tured. There is still no final agreementwith respect to the role of WoF in fire-pre-vention work and the application of laws,and a firm memorandum of agreementand strategic plan is still to be agreed upon.This could be a threat to WoF.

Operationally, WoF is exceptional. Ithas instilled discipline, dignity and deliv-ery as core attributes in the programme.This is vital in such dangerous work —indeed, it is a prerequisite for employmentthat workers be able to run 2.4 kilometresin 12 minutes. (The record, for both menand women, is under seven minutes.)

When trying to analyse why WoF is sosuccessful, among the possible explana-

tions are its relatively small size, the yearsof experience of the forestry industry man-agement, the clear authority that the insti-tutional arrangements allow the manage-ment (through Professional ServiceProvider agreements), and very goodworking relations between the core part-ners. It is also a young programme, andmost partnerships are usually easier in thebeginning, and when things are goingwell.

What has also happened is that the lead-ership has also respected the professionalexpertise of the management of the pro-gramme (through the PSP). They aredeeply experienced fire-fighting profes-sionals, and determine best practices. Ourrole has been more to guide the broaderExpanded Public Works Programme andother requirements, such as labour-inten-siveness, transformation (in a professionthat is still largely white and very male,and where the disabled hardly feature),training and exit strategies.

That is not to say that WoF does notface partnership challenges. There arevery good relations between WoF and theforestry industry, and a MoA has beendeveloped (but not yet signed) with WfW.The Fire Protection Associations underthe National Veld and Forest Fire Act willbe challenges (unless they work throughthe local authorities’ use of rates and theequitable share). And a clear alignmentwith the structural fire-fighting capacitiesstill needs to be worked through as well.

The Working for WetlandsProgrammeThe Working for Wetlands programme(WfWetlands) is also a relatively youngprogramme, and has also grown out ofWfW. It had its roots in the work beingdone by the then Rennies Wetland Trust(now Mondi Wetlands Project), and builtup as a partnership being driven fromWfW between middle-management staffin DEAT, DWAF and DoA.

Of all the government programmes inwhich the author has been involved,WfWetlands has had the most engagedand equitable departmental support. Ithas also enjoyed strong political support,with Minister Valli Moosa and Deputy

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Minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi, andrecently Minister Marthinus vanSchalkwyk, being particularly visible.

WfWetlands was initially driven fromwithin the WfW programme. It wasdecided to move it to a different institu-tional arrangement, owing to increasingfrustrations being expressed by partnersabout the WfW bureaucracy. It wasmoved to what is now the South AfricanNational Biodiversity Institute, a publicentity under DEAT. It is clear that theprogramme has attained a far strongeroperational platform, and is operating farmore smoothly than before.

WfWetlands still lacks the full delega-tions that such a programme must have(including to use disincentives in concert

with its use of incentives and advocacy),but is on its way to achieving a strategicplan that has full ownership by its princi-pal parent departments (DWAF, DEATand DoA). Its major partnership chal-lenge will be in working with the manyland-users who must conserve their wet-lands.

It is interesting that Working on Fireand Working for Wetlands have essential-ly “come of age” as programmes, whiletheir parent programme, Working forWater, is still grappling with what is need-ed to put it on a sure strategy for success.Part of this has been that the partners havebeen able to learn from the challenges thatWfW has had to face.

The Santam/Cape Argus UkuvukaCampaignAmong many other partnerships thathave been forged, the Santam/Cape ArgusUkuvuka Campaign is mentioned, as ithas had to address partnership challengesthat certainly address the topic of thisessay. Ukuvuka was initiated after thefires along the Table Mountain chain inJanuary 2000, as a four-year campaign.

It expanded its brief to include lookingat the problem of informal settlementfires, after the positive engagement of theCity of Cape Town. Ukuvuka was fortu-nate to receive substantial private sectorsponsorship, principally from Santam(R20m), Cape Argus (R5,4m), Nedbank(R5m) and Total (R4m), in addition to thefunding from the City of Cape Town(R30m) and collateral funding from thenational programmes (WfW, WoF,WfWetlands).

Ukuvuka operated as a Trust, and itwas instructive how easy it was to makedecisions in comparison with WfW inparticular.

That was not to say that the campaignwas significantly better for this, however.The partnerships were difficult, withstrained relations between the (then verydivided) local authorities and the SouthAfrican National Parks. SANParks alsohad additional funding from the GlobalEnvironment Facility, and insisted ontheir own norms and standards that con-flicted with those of WfW that were

Operationally, theWorking on Fire Pro-

gramme is exceptional. It hasinstilled discipline,

dignity and delivery as core attributes in

the programme. This is vital in such dangerous work

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adopted by Ukuvuka (and particularly inrespect to the daily-wage equivalent onwhich contracts were calculated).

Ukuvuka was an unusual institutionalform as it was short term, issue-focussed,nimble and with governance that allowedfairly short response times. Having such asmall, flexible body at arms length fromthe mandated authorities, enabled them tomanage any risk — perceived or real —from testing out innovative responses tomanaging the issue on which the partner-ship focussed (principally fire risk, inUkuvuka’s case).

Ukuvuka also created an environmentin which there could be time enough totest different approaches. This led to sig-nificant changes in the City of CapeTown’s Fire Services from the dominant150-year-old tradition of fire suppressionto formalising structures for fire preven-tion that had been tested, piloted anddemonstrated with Ukuvuka support andfunding. It also led to the innovation ofusing helicopters as tools in fighting thedevastating fires in informal settlements.

Another lesson was that the private sec-tor partnerships were not as well managedas they should have been. It is clear thatthere should have been formal agreementsthat stipulated the agreed outcomes thatwere being sought, and how the privatesector could claim its victories.

Santam and the Ukuvuka Trust (nowworking primarily through WoF) are stillengaged in negotiations, and there is alooming dispute between Ukuvuka andTotal, over monies still owing to the cam-paign. One also has to invest in partner-ship management capacity and use thegrowing body of insight and skill relatedto optimising sponsorships.

The City of Cape Town has withdrawnits financial support from a mooted exten-sion of the Ukuvuka Campaign, seekingrather to build the necessary capacity with-in its own organisation. The timing of thisis not considered to be optimal, and thisindicates that the partnership with the citywas not as strong as it should have been.The many political changes within the cityduring the period of the campaign werecertainly a major factor in this respect,although the city officials have been largely

a consistent support. It is doubtful that thecity can deliver the outcomes possiblethrough an institution like Ukuvuka.

That said, Ukuvuka made enormousprogress in taking control of wild fires inits area of operation; helped to build farbetter relationships between the City ofCape Town and SANParks; providedmuch-needed employment in the area;greatly enhanced progress in managinginvasive alien plants in its area of opera-tion — particularly by showing the politi-cal will and the commitment to enforcingrelevant legislation; left a citizenry withsignificant awareness of their responsibili-ties and the means of preventing fires; wasa major factor in SANParks’ efforts toconsolidate land into the Table MountainNational Park; and began an excitingengagement with informal settlementfires that WoF is now taking forward.

ConclusionIt is clear from the above that there havebeen many difficulties in building part-nerships through these four programmes.Were I to start another partnership pro-gramme, these are 21 steps that I wouldtry to take:• Secure political support, and try to

ensure that the partners commit theirtrue champions.

• Agree on policy and outcomes of thepartnership, as part of a Memorandumof Agreement.

• Agree on responsibilities and rights ofeach partner, as part of the MoA, butallow for some flexibility.

• Seek an institutional arrangement anddelegations that allow for optimal deliv-ery. It is my opinion that, for pro-grammes such as those described above,this is a public entity under the controlof the partner government depart-ments. No one department should haveeffective sole control.

• Form a Board where participation ofmembers is written into their depart-mental performance contracts, andensure representation by all core part-ners outside of the departments.

• Invest in a strategic planning process,and measure and report on key per-formance indicators on a regular basis

(including as they pertain to the inter-ests of partners). It is important to addthe rejoinder that good planning buildsin a capacity for flexibility. Ours is anunpredictable world.

• Ensure an adequate managementcapacity to deliver, and ensure that thisis not limited by some arbitrary percent-age of costs. Without proper manage-ment, everything else fails. Senior man-agers must have passion. They musthave a strong technical deep under-standing of the work to be done. Theymust be given full management author-ity and accountability. Without these,don’t even start.

• Invest in transformation. To be donesuccessfully, it takes resources and disci-pline. Work out a growth and retentionstrategy for star performers, and ensurepartnership buy-in of this strategy.

• Invest in good information manage-ment, and ensure that there are clear,understood and applied policies, proce-dures, norms and standards, researchprotocols and a pro-poor ethos — and,in the implementation of the partner-ship programme, have fair but veryfirm discipline.

• Ensure that the partnership is commit-ted to investing in management train-ing, linking this to career prospects. Ourduty is not only to the short-term out-comes of our programmes. In these daysof still-high job-hopping (it will slowdown), have contingency options forwhen key staff move on. And be cau-tious in poaching staff from other pro-grammes. Continuity, institutionalmemory and relationship-building areimportant for successful partnerships.

• Respect the role of political leadership.They deserve the accolades that mightbe forthcoming from a successful part-nership programme — not for syco-phantic reasons, but for enhancingdemocracy in our country. Officials arenot elected, and our role is to ensure thatpolitical leaders are put in a position tomake informed decisions, and then forus to implement them. It is also thenright to expect leaders to take reasonableaccountability when things go wrong.

• Confront problems in the partnership.

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These are inevitable, but can fester ifnot addressed. This also implies a will-ingness to compromise; a commitmentto treat partners’ interests with therespect that you would they respectyours; an acceptance that no-one has amonopoly on good ideas, and anacknowledgement that there are usual-ly several routes to achieve an outcome.But be tactical, and (if appropriate)ruthless, in exposing those driven byegos and inward-looking territoriality.

• The power of the individual is anincreasingly worrying aspect. Wholeinitiatives can change around the per-sonality and preferences of individuals.This heightens the importance of MoAsin partnerships. Where officials behaveas if government’s resources are theirown personal property, they must beexposed. Notwithstanding this, suchrisks must be recognised and addressed.

• Accept that not all marriages are made inheaven, and be prepared to challenge theviability of partnerships when they arenot working. Passive-aggressive “part-ners” can be more destructive than whengoing it alone. But such decisions mustbe taken by the political leadership.

• Make sure that the partnership is com-mitted to taking the broader stakehold-ers (ie, non-partners) with you in theprogramme, being reasonably sensitiveto differing opinions (this is very muchan issue in WfW and WoF, in particu-lar). Advocacy is essential. Governmentcannot govern without the support ofthe people.

• Be prepared to take calculated risks(within the mandate). There has to be abalance between process and outcome.If WfW had listened to its detractorswhen it was trying to get going, wewould still be arguing about process andalternatives, the country would havehundreds of millions of additional inva-sives wreaking havoc, and the conse-quences of not having the social benefitsof one of the country’s most successfulpublic works’ initiatives would surelybe serious as well.

• Partnerships are not a one-way street,although many of us fall into the trap oflooking at the world from our own per-

spective. Be prepared for partners toexpect reciprocity in helping them withtheir own partnership plans, and buildthis into the capacity and flexibility ofstaff work-plans.

• Start a parallel independent evaluationprocess (a longitudinal assessment thatcan be supplemented by periodic cross-sectional evaluations), and ensure thatthose who evaluate the programmehave had experience in managing suchprogrammes.

• Create a climate that accepts that youwill make mistakes. Obviously onewants to limit these, not repeat them,and have the successes outweigh themistakes. But those who make few mis-takes rarely achieve anything. Makesure that the partners buy into this phi-losophy. And be humble when youmake your mistakes. A frank acknowl-edgement and focus on doing better, isusually appreciated. In WfW, we haveadmitted to things when they have gonewrong, and have been well treated fordoing so.

• Look after the workers. They are keyintended beneficiaries, and the partner-ship must invest in their health, safety,training, potential exploitation,prospects for exiting successfully, andgeneral well-being. The authority overimplementing agents of the workbecomes a critical consideration here.There must be clear lines of reporting,

with authority to censure erring imple-menting agents.

• Finally, bite off what you can chew.Things always seem easier in the firstflush of a partnership.

Having said all that, it should be borne inmind that WfW, in particular, did not havethe luxury of forward planning. The situ-ation was such, and was reinforced bypolitical leadership, that employment out-comes were demanded, and planning hadto be done “on the hoof”. Under the cir-cumstances, these partnership programmeshave been honest efforts to address seriousissues confronting our country.

Every now and then a partnershipemerges that is exceptional. A recent casefor WfW has been the approach to theproblem of invasive alien plants and otherspecies being adopted by the provincialgovernment in KwaZulu-Natal, driven bythe Premier, Cabinet, and the MEC andHead of Department for the Departmentof Agriculture and EnvironmentalAffairs. They are approaching the part-nership with a strong, outcomes-basedfocus, a commitment to best practices anda disdain for territoriality. Even thoughthese are early days in the partnership, butit illustrates that President Thabo Mbeki’sdemand for co-operative governance canbe made to work. It is up to us all.

I would like to end by paying genuinetribute to all those who have put so muchinto these partnership programmes, andat all levels. Much has been achieved, andI remain optimistic that logic and fairnessin seeking optimal outcomes, win throughin the end. • Dr Guy Preston is the National Leader-/Chairperson of the Working for Water pro-gramme. He co-chairs the Working on Fireprogramme and the Working for Wetlandsprogramme. He is the immediate past chair ofthe Ukuvuka Campaign and the GlobalInvasive Species Programme. He was SpecialAdvisor to Professor Kader Asmal (1995-1999) and Minister Ronnie Kasrils (1999-2001), during their terms as Minister of WaterAffairs and Forestry. This article is written inhis personal capacity. His contact details are:(021) 441-2700 (tel), (021) 441-2768 (fax),[email protected] (e-mail), and PrivateBag X4390, Cape Town 8000, South Africa.•

Look after the workers.They are key intendedbeneficiaries, and the

partnership mustinvest in their health,

safety, training, potential exploitation,prospects for exiting

successfully, and general well-being

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Over the last few years NGOs andother special interest organisa-tions have been working closely

with government to find innovative andeffective ways of improving the deliveryof services to South Africans.

This move towards creating partner-ships was the result of an honest assess-ment of the challenges facing servicedelivery in a country as vast as SouthAfrica: many parts of the service deliveryprocess are complex and dynamic; and theshortage of skills and capacity is a perva-sive problem.

To encourage and support such part-nerships, the Centre for Public ServiceInnovation (CPSI) introduced the catego-ry “Innovative Partnerships For ServiceDelivery” within its innovation awardsprogramme. The Sustainable Energy forEnvironment and Development (SEED)programme received an award in 2004 inthis category. The programme also wonan Impumelelo Innovations award in2003.

SEED focuses on the challenges ofenergy provision, particularly for poorhouseholds in urban areas. The govern-ment has consistently called for govern-ment-civil society partnerships that con-tribute towards sustainable developmentand poverty alleviation in disadvantaged

communities. On 21 May 2004, in hisState of the Nation address, the Presidentof South Africa noted the importance ofco-operation between civil society andgovernment and the government’s com-mitment to consolidating the practice ofpartnerships between its structures andcivil bodies.

This case study of SEED documentsthe partnership experience between localgovernment structures, an NGO calledSustainable Energy Africa (SEA), andother non-governmental organisations. Itis an example of a development partner-ship aimed at enhancing the functioningof local governments. The programme istargeted at municipalities and contributesto policies and practices on sustainabledevelopment and efficient energy use atvarious levels. It is hoped that the lessonspresented in this case study will assist indeveloping new partnerships betweengovernment and NGOs, as well asstrengthening existing ones.

This case study does more than showhow partnerships work; it also shows howinnovation can facilitate the sustainableuse of scarce and expensive energy sources— a key issue for the majority of munici-palities in South Africa.

The SEED programme had an urbanand a rural component. Rural SEED was

Planting a SEED for the Better

Provision of Energy

This case study compiled

by Nokuthula Shabalala

documents the

partnership experience

between local

government structures, an

NGO called ‘Sustainable

Energy Africa’ (SEA), and

other non-governmental

organisations in setting

up infrastructure to

enhance the innovative

provision of energy

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coordinated by the Energy andDevelopment Research Unit (EDRC) ofthe University of Cape Town (to 2001) andurban SEED has been coordinated bySEA, and is ongoing (since 1998).

This case study covers only the urbancomponent of the programme and there-fore the term “SEED” in this document,refers only to urban SEED.

Local and global concerns about energyThe democratic government that tookpower in 1994 faced two major tasks:addressing the poverty faced by themajority of black people and reducing thehuge disparities in the way white andblack South Africans lived. An importantway in which these disparities were to betackled was through providing housingand efficient energy. However, at the sametime that the supply of energy to SouthAfricans needed to widen, the concernsabout energy and the environment werewidening on a global scale. The first ofthese concerns is the earth’s diminishingenergy resources, and the second is theglobal warming created by the indiscrim-inate burning of fossil fuels and the defor-estation of the earth.

As South Africa is a signatory to theUnited Nations Framework Convention

on Climate Change and is committed toglobal efforts aimed at protecting theenvironment from damage, the big chal-lenge for the government is to strike a bal-ance between providing affordable servic-es to poor households and complying withinternational and local obligations aboutprotecting the environment.

In line with its commitment to redress,the government has put in place policiesaimed at improving access to appropriateenergy sources, promoting energy effi-ciency, and managing energy-relatedenvironmental and health effects. The2002 White Paper on Renewable Energyhighlights the need for developing renew-able energy technologies, and theIntegrated Energy Plan advocates the pro-motion of renewable energy as part of thecountry’s energy supply.

The need to provide energy to the pooris a priority as part of sustainable develop-ment and poverty alleviation. Despite pro-gressive energy policies, supply-drivenimplementation programmes have gener-ally overlooked the developmental needsand priorities of the users. For example, ithas been found that among low-incomehouseholds, many electrified householdscontinue to use a range of energy sourcesto meet their needs. In addition, inefficientenergy use compounds poverty: housing

without ceilings and a complete lack ofaccessible information to users on appro-priate and efficient energy use condemnpoor households to a future of high energycosts (a poor household will typically usebetween 20% and 25% of its income onlyjust meeting its home energy costs).

The implementation of energy policiesrequires creative thinking and innovativestrategies to ensure delivery of services topoor households. Sustainable EnergyAfrica (SEA), a non-governmental organ-isation that previously worked under thename Energy & Development Group(EDG), conceptualised, developed andstill coordinates the SEED programmepartnerships.

The SEED ProgrammeSEED’s primary task is to promote theintegration of sustainable energy policiesand practices into urban development inSouth Africa. The programme’s establish-ment began as part of the HouseholdEnergy Action Training (HEAT) strategyon capacity building around rural andurban energy provision that was devel-oped for and funded by the Departmentof Minerals and Energy (DME).

SEED is a national capacity-buildingprogramme that aims to integrate sustain-able energy approaches and practices inurban development, through partnershipswith local government and non-govern-mental organisations. Because of its strongemphasis on sustainability, the pro-gramme promotes an active awareness ofthe way in which various energy practicesimpact on the environment, the use ofrenewable and cleaner energy, as well asenergy efficiency

SEED is also focused on changing thedynamics and processes of energy-relatedwork, moving away from a supply-ledmode of provision by white male engi-neers to black development work that isdemand-led. Energy-related work nowhas a clear and explicit focus on the devel-opmental needs of users, and involvesmen and women from various back-grounds.

The programme’s key intervention isthe placement of SEED advisors in thedifferent partner organisations. SEED

SEED Advisor Monwabisi Booi outside Kuyasa low cost housing project in Khayelitsha, Cape Town

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advisors are young black professionals andare identified by SEA and its municipaland NGO counterparts. Importantly, themunicipal partners employ the advisorsfrom the outset.

SEA provides a salary for a period oftime that varies according to the needs of,and agreements with, the different part-ners and offers training, ongoing supportand advice to both the SEED advisors andtheir organisations, as well as providingfunding to do demonstrations for commu-nities on appropriate and efficient energyuse.

According to one of the SEED advisors,a major strength of SEED’s partnershipsis that SEA makes a substantial financialcontribution to the partnerships and doesnot expect government and NGO part-ners to provide all the finances.

Because the programme represents aparadigm shift in service provision, resist-ance to SEED work occurs, but this ismanaged with the support and mentor-ship of the SEEC supervisors. Since theSEED programme cuts across depart-ments and portfolios, advisors require alot of support in working within the struc-tures of the organisation.

The different partnershipsThe cornerstone of the SEED programmeis the partnerships it forges between SEA,local government, and NGOs involved indevelopment work. Because of the pio-neering nature of the work, the centralissue of sustainability, and the need forcreativity and innovativeness for the pro-gramme to be implemented successfully,all partners selected have to be strong inthemselves and have solid administrativesystems.

In the local government-SEEd partner-ship, a senior supervisor to act as a mentorfor the SEED advisor was identified. Thisperson would champion the advisor’swork, and provide effective leadership.The role of champions was threefold,therefore: to support the SEED advisors;to teach them how to work within the sys-tem in ways that would maximise theireffectiveness; and to promote the infusionof SEED ideas into the advisors’ organisa-tions.

While champions generally are keyleaders within organisations and in thecommunity, they also have high levels ofcommitment to communities and to thepreservation of the environment in termsof delivering on promises. Ideally, eachmunicipal partner is partnered with asuitable NGO and the SEED advisorsplaced in these structures support and par-ticipate closely in one another’s work.

Phase One of the SEED programmewas implemented in three municipalities(metros), which were identified as havinga strong drive to provide houses and elec-trification as part of their poverty-allevia-tion strategy. The use of three metros inPhase One allowed for a cross-fertilisationof ideas and strategies and provided usefullessons on working with partners whohave different needs and resources.

The three metros selected were the Cityof Cape Town and the DevelopmentAction Group (DAG); Durban MetroHousing and the Built EnvironmentSupport Group (BESG); and MidrandEco-City (which subsequently becamepart of the Johannesburg metro) and theGreenhouse Project. The partners’ taskwas to provide a post that could be locatedwithin an appropriate department (thiswas different for each partner) for aSEED advisor. The advisors’ job descrip-tions, developed by SEA and the partner

together, allowed them to focus on SEEDwork.

Since then, more partnerships havebeen established. Phase Two of the pro-gramme includes ongoing partnershipswith the City of Cape Town, DAG, theCity of Joburg, the South African LocalGovernment Association, the nationaldepartments of Housing, Minerals andEnergy, and Environment and Tourism,as well as new partnerships with the Cityof Tshwane, Sol Plaatjie Municipality,and the Ekurhuleni Metro.

While SEA pays the salary of advisorsfor the agreed-upon period, as well astraining and support costs, the metro andNGO partners pay for the running costsof the posts themselves. SEA also suppliesdemonstration funds for the advisors. Thepartners commit themselves to taking onthe full costs of the SEED post after anagreed-upon interval and, where possible,converting the post into a permanent onewithin their organisation. As an example,Durban’s eThekwini Housing Unit con-tinues to employ its advisor from PhaseOne.

Because of changes and career mobilitywithin organisations, SEA is also commit-ted to developing and nurturing relation-ships in various departments withinmunicipalities and metros and NGO part-ner organisations. The demonstrated use-fulness and practicability of the pro-gramme during Phase One has securedongoing support for SEED ideas and hasallowed these ideas to become a centralfactor of the organisation’s functioning.

Functions of the SEED advisorsThe advisors represent the face of SEED inthe places where they are located. They areresponsible for implementing the variousaspects of the programme. According toone of these advisors, understanding howlocal authorities function is necessary foradvisors to work effectively, and, withoutthe support and mentorship of political andtechnical champions, his own work wouldhave been much more difficult.

SEED advisors work with the organisa-tion, training officials in the housing andenergy departments about efficient energyuse, as well as the community each one

SEED is also focusedon changing thedynamics andprocesses of

energy-related work,moving away from a supply-led mode

of provision by whitemale engineers toblack development

work that is demand-led

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serves. To this end, SEA provides eachadvisor with funds for demonstrationprojects. This can take many forms:demonstration houses, exhibits, ordemonstration centres where people canbe taught about appropriate and efficientenergy use. In this way, advisors are ableto reach poor communities and communi-cate their message to those who are noteasily reached through the usual channels.

Innovative programmeimplementationRecognising that poor households spend ahigh percentage of their income on energy,Phase One of the SEED Programme(1998-2001) focused on poverty alleviationby promoting more efficient energy usewithin these communities, as well as accessto better energy sources. The Reconstruc-tion and Development Programme

(RDP), with a strong drive towards pro-viding housing for low-income earners,provided an excellent opportunity toimplement SEED work around housing.

The programme has implemented anumber of innovative strategies to raiseawareness about energy and energy-relat-ed issues. SEED uses an interactive andmulti-pronged approach to training andlearning. Apart from the demonstrationprojects and centres that are funded by theprogramme and undertaken by the SEEDpartners, advisors also work with commu-nities. Youth groups — with SEED advi-sors promoting and supporting their activ-ities — are mobilised as energy activiststasked with raising awareness in the com-munity on energy and related issues.

The SEED advisor working in DAGbuilt a demonstration house in one of theorganisation’s community projects.

Subsequently, 75% of micro loans for newhouse owners were for ceilings and forweatherproofing. SEED has, through thefoundations it built in Phase One, beenable to move on in its second phase, toworking on whole city energy strategies:Cape Town has committed to 10% renew-able energy supply by 2020 and 10% solarwater heaters by 2010.

Funding for SEEDPhase One of the SEED programme wasfunded by DANCED, the Danish envi-ronmental funding agency whose primaryfocus was environmental sustainabilityand the development of poor communi-ties. DANCED was closed down by theDanish Government in 2001 and all itsprojects incorporated under DANIDA(Danish International DevelopmentAgency), which funds Phase Two ofSEED. Through partnership agreements,the SEED partners are required to pro-vide complementary support funding tothe funds provided by SEED. The fundsare spent on training the SEED advisors,on advocacy, and on the payment of theSEED advisors’ salaries.

Distinguishing features of SEEDpartnershipsA holistic approach: Development isviewed in a holistic way. Energy provisionbegins with an understanding of theearth’s energy system and how energy useaffects this. The SEED programme, as aresult, promotes a demand-led approachthat begins with understanding user needsand fitting supply to these needs, ratherthan the other way around.

Solid understanding of sustainabledevelopment: This not only relates toenvironmental concerns, but is also explic-it in the way both the partnerships withmetros and the programme are conceptu-alised and structured. SEA does notencourage dependency, but providesongoing support that ensures that partnerstake full ownership of projects and contin-ue the work on their own. The partner-ship is adapted or terminated as the needsof the organisation evolve.

Enhancing the work of partner organi-sations: SEA offers both its government

Solar water heating, cfls and ceiling installation in low cost pilot sustainable house, Kuyasa,Khayelitsha

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and NGO partners an intervention that isdesigned to enhance their work andenable them to reach their objectives.Partnerships work best where there is aclear understanding of the objectives, poli-cies, and functions of all parties. For thisreason, SEA offers a partnership interven-tion that does not clash with day-to-dayorganisational functioning. The value ofthe SEED programme will becomeincreasingly evident when partnersinvolved in Phase One start taking muchgreater responsibility for funding PhaseTwo of the programme (2001-2005) andintegrating SEED into their organisation-al structures.

Technical expertise: SEA has soundtechnical knowledge in the area of energyprovision and development, as well as theresources and skills that enable it to man-age emerging issues on the intervention.SEA staff members, collectively and indi-vidually, have been engaged in energywork and political activism for decadesand are able to use their experiences toenrich the programme.

What is more, networks developed dur-ing the years of struggle against apartheidhave contributed significantly to the suc-cess of the programme. For example,SEED advisors are able to call on expertsfrom other organisations, when they needto, to support their presentations toParliament’s portfolio committees.

Capacity building and trainingwithin partnership structuresA big issue in energy and developmentwork is the lack of expertise in translatingthe ideals of sustainable energy policies intopractical implementation strategies. This iswhy a significant aspect of the SEED pro-gramme is training, in which all the part-ners are involved both as learners andteachers. The most beneficial part of thetraining is the content and the methodolo-gy of the training. Because of the genderinequalities that show up frequently in var-ious aspects of energy work, for example,both the primary SEA staff members aswell as the trainers were included in thetraining on gender-related issues.

The training situates the SEED pro-gramme firmly within a comprehensive

framework of development work. GivingSEED a developmental context meansthere is a solid base from which innovativeand creative work can emerge.

The content of the training and themutual learning honour and respect allforms of knowledge. Because SEED workis informed by an understanding of thedynamics of different communities, anyresistances to the programme can beunderstood contextually and worked within appropriate ways.

Experiential training methods, based onscientifically sound principles, are used.There is a strong focus on developingadvisors’ critical thinking skills so thatthey are able to analyse and resolve emerg-ing problems more efficiently. SEEDadvisors use these techniques to capacitateand pass on skills to the various groupsthey train.

The training is ongoing, with partnershaving bi-annual, one-week training/net-working sessions. Feedback from thework is used creatively to inform the pro-gramme and make adjustments wherethese are required.

In addition to training, SEA has pub-lished a very user-friendly book thatexplains energy-related issues in simpleterms that are accessible to ordinary people.

SEED advisors also develop the presen-tation and communication skills of theircolleagues in their partner organisations.

SEED’s achievementsSEED has contributed significantly toenergy policies and practices at both localand national government level. • SEED often makes presentations to

parliamentary portfolio committeesand, as part of capacity building, SEEDadvisors often perform this task.

• SEED ideas are implicit and explicit inthe White Paper on Renewable Energy.

• SEED has been instrumental in assist-ing local governments develop theirenergy strategy plans; for example, thedraft Cape Town Energy Strategy(2003), as well as information and train-ing manuals such as Energising SouthAfrican Cities & Towns: A LocalGovernment Guide to SustainableEnergy Planning (2003).

• The City of Cape Town’s EnergyStrategy received accolades at the BonnRenewables Conference in 2004, as alead example for South countries.

• All South African cities are now com-mitted to sustainable energy. This hasalso been facilitated by the increasedglobal focus on energy issues, as well asthe twinning of South African citieswith northern cities that are invested insustainable energy.

• SEED has enhanced the work of localgovernments and helped partners todeliver on their mandate, and be seen tobe doing so.

• SEED ideas have become infused intothe functioning of the partners involvedin Phase One and now constitute a corefunction of the organisation. The CapeTown Metro, for example, now has anenergy post on their organogram and iscommitted to managing and usingenergy resources more efficiently and tointroducing renewable energy into theirown operations.

• The infusion of SEED into institutionalpractices has resulted in the programmesurviving beyond personalities. Thismeans that the loss of champions inpartner organisations has not resulted inthe programme collapsing.

• Because of the success of Phase One,more local authorities have come onboard in Phase Two, with most of thesebecoming more proactive andapproaching SEED for partnership.Local governments involved in PhaseTwo include Tshwane, Ekurhuleni,South Africa Local GovernmentAssociation, Sol Plaatjie, with strongrelationships being built with the SouthAfrican Cities Network, Buffalo City,Saldahna, and Potchefstroom.

• New SEED projects are developing allthe time and, in each one, local partner-ships and conditions inform the shapeof the project. For example, a majornew project is to develop Sol Plaatje asthe first solar city in Africa.

• All SEED advisors and champions whohave moved to new and often more sen-ior positions in other organisations con-tinue to promote SEED ideas in theirnew jobs and are often in charge of peo-

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ple who have taken over the on-the-ground implementation work.

• SEED has contributed significantly todelivery being measured not only byquantity, but by quality and sustainabil-ity, as well.

• SEED has contributed to a number ofpublications that make energy workand related issues more accessible to laypeople. SEA co-hosted the City EnergyStrategies Conference in November2003 and is planning a follow-up con-ference in 2006. Two business and ener-gy conferences will be held in 2005 topromote business partnering with localgovernment in promoting a sustainableenergy future. SEED has also produceda number of its own publications.

The challenges facing SEED• Because of the importance of having a

champion in local government forSEED work to proceed more construc-tively and smoothly, institutionalchanges such as the loss of championswhen they move and the task of nurtur-ing new relationships are ongoing chal-lenges, but they have not resulted in theprogramme being disrupted.

• Because SEED is new and represents an

innovative approach to energy andrelated services, management support iscrucial. Poor management has resultedin contracts with one NGO and onelocal authority not being renewed.

• The junior level at which SEED advi-sors are placed within organisationsmakes it difficult for them to participateat a strategic level in the organisation. Asenior supervisor champion makes allthe difference. However, while the jun-ior position makes work difficult, it alsoenables the advisor to learn the work-ings of the organisation from the bot-tom up, and to interface more easilywith officials and community.

• There needs to be a change in the gen-der and racial profile of energy workers— all the SEED advisors are black and,over they years, about 40% have beenwomen.

Lessons learntThere is a need to garner an in-depthunderstanding of the functioning of thepartner organisation, so as to be able todetermine the best entry point for anintervention. It is also important to build arelationship of mutual trust with govern-ment partners.

Building capacity within the partner-ships is essential so that the partner organ-isations can take ownership of processesand carry on the work themselves. Whilepartnership with the government is usefulfor getting sponsors for non-governmen-tal organisations, independence must bepromoted. By building strong foundationsadvisors are always able to hand over andmove on to the next challenge. There isalways another challenge to be taken up.

It is crucial to build and support cham-pions who believe in and are committed tothe ideals and objectives of the interven-tion being offered, particularly withingovernment bureaucracies.

There is a need for ongoing criticalengagement with partners and sufficientflexibility to allow for growth and integra-tion of new material into the programme.Knowing when to terminate a partner-ship that is not working is essential.

AcknowledgementsThe compilers acknowledge the time andcontribution of the following people andsources in providing the content for thiscase study:• Sara Ward of Sustainable Energy Africa• Monwabisi Booi, former SEED Advisor

in the City of Cape Town Municipality.• Ward, S. (2002). The Energy Book for

Urban Development in South Africa.Cape Town: Sustainable Energy Africa.

• Ward, S. and Mahomed, L. (2003).Energising South African Cities: A LocalGovernment Guide to Sustainable EnergyPlanning.

• Cape Town State of Energy Report(2003).

• Cape Town Energy Strategy — draft(2003).

• SEED Updates — biannual magazinesince 1999.

• Regular eSEED Newsletter.• Energy Use in the Home — Soul City

booklet (distribution of one millioncopies).

• SEA (2001). The urban SEED (Phase 1)project — November 1998 to October2001) — Completion Report. Sustain-able Energy Africa.

Article courtesy of the Centre of PublicService Innovation •

Sandbag demonstration house built by the Development Action Group for a community créchein Cape Town

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Creating Job Opportunities in a

Developmental StateOne of the dramatic moments in

the creation of the dual economyin South Africa was in the 17th

century when the Dutch East IndiaCompany directors contemplated digginga canal from False Bay to Table Mountainto make the Cape Peninsula an island tochannel the wealth of the Cape Colony tothe colonial motherland. While the ideaof the canal did not materialise Jan vanRiebeeck succeeded in planting a hedgethat covered a good 6 000 acres1.

Fourteen countries in the SADC regionlabour under a heavy burden of a colo-nially imposed dual economy charac-terised by exclusion of the majority frommeaningful participation in the formaleconomy. “All countries in the regionhave evolved dual economies, with formalsector enclaves that account for most ofthe GDP but relatively little formalemployment, and a large non-formal sec-tor where most of the labour force ekesout a living from smallholder, near-sub-sistence agriculture, or informal urbanactivities. Colonial economies grew byexploiting primary production for exportmarkets without providing any socio-eco-nomic infrastructure for the majority liv-ing and working outside of theseenclaves.” (ILO GPE)

The majority living and working out-side these enclaves hustle a living in theinformal economy characterised often bypoverty, limited access to assets of liveli-hood, limited access to advanced technol-

ogy, low levels of skills, a narrow windowto global markets, little or no social secu-rity and workers often not well protectedby labour legislation

In short this majority is condemned toliving on the periphery of the goodenjoyed within the enclaves — a situationthat no responsible government canignore.

Intra-nationally the divide is in theform of dual economies while interna-tionally it can be seen in terms of devel-oped and developing countries. To reme-dy the historic injustices of both sides ofthe divide calls for an integrated inward-and outward-looking strategic interven-tion.

This paper argues for the strategicintervention of the state that upholds“inclusivity”, links growth with develop-ment and ultimately improves the qualityof life for all.

Why developmental state?“Thou shall not tamper with the hard-earned equilibrium”, is the stern warningoften pronounced by the advocates of thestatus quo. In essence this is a prematurecall for the withering away of the statewhile the majority of the people arelocked out in limbo, especially in thedeveloping countries

Globalisation has opened up opportuni-ties on the one hand and at the same timeit has silently unleashed the civilised lawof the jungle. We live in this era of dimen-

Dr V Mkosana, Acting

Director-General in the

Department of Labour,

argues that the informal

economy should be

encouraged and nurtured

as one element in the

over-arching strategy of

creating jobs in a

developmental state

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sioning nation states socio-economicboundaries, dimensioning capacity to pro-tect national markets, unbridled trade lib-eralisation, the changing nature of workorganisation and the changing nature ofemployment relations, the era of theadvent of the virtual workplace and thedeath of the distance.

These circumstances stand to occasionthe survival of the fittest. The fittest are inthe developed countries and nationallythey are in the enclaves. In both instancesthere is no fair distribution or access to themeans of livelihood. Instead of narrowingthe gap it is getting bigger.

The gaps and imbalances betweenindustrialised and developing countries ina number of economic and social spheresare vast and increasing. In 1960, per capi-ta GDP in the richest 20 countries was 14times that in the poorest 20 countries. By1998, the gap has widened to 34 times.The gap in the employment opportunitiesbetween the industrialised and developingcountries also continued to remain wideover the past five years.

Of the world’s 137 million unemployed

in 1995, 29 million were to be found in theindustrialised countries. By the end of2000, the global unemployment level hadincreased to 160 million persons, 50 mil-lion of whom were in the industrialisedcountries. In addition to providingemployment for this huge number of

unemployed workers the global economyneeds to generate jobs for 500 million newentrants to the labour force over the next10 years.

The gap between the North and theSouth is also widening in respect of globalresource flows, which provide the invest-ments vital for reducing disparities inincomers and job creation between capi-tal-rich industrialised countries andlabour-abundant developing countries.During the period 1973-93, 38% of theworld’s total foreign direct investmentwent to developing countries. In 1999 thisshare dropped to 24% 2.

Coupled with this gloomy picture is yetanother matter of great concern — thelocation of the world’s best brains. Thebest researchers and other knowledgeworker experts are concentrated in thedeveloped world. These include thosewhose origin is in the South. While someaccuse these “Southerners” of havingallowed their patriotic commitment to beprice-tagged, the reality is that in the eraof globalisation it is hard to keep anybodyto their locality. This is more so with the

Fourteen countries inthe SADC region

labour under a heavyburden of colonially

imposed dual economy characterised

by exclusion of the majority from

meaningful participation in the formal economy

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experts with high levels of skills. Theseexperts are gradually assuming a postureof the citizens of the world. The misfor-tune of going where money is is that “hewho pays the piper chooses the tune”.These experts help policy makers both ingovernment and in the global institutions,which influence the direction the worldtrends take. There can be no human dig-nity where poverty, joblessness andinequality prevail.

There are those who maintain that eco-nomic growth is the ultimate solution tothese problems. “Supplies of labour” out-lines his theoretical model of economicdevelopment based on two assumptionsnamely that “there was unlimited supplyof labour in the developing countries andthat, as the modern industrial sector inthese countries grew, this vast pool of sur-plus labour would be absorbed.”3

This theory was reinforced by the fastgrowth in Europe, Japan and NorthAmerica after the Second World War.However, in the main, the opposite holdstrue especially under the conditions ofglobalisation. There is a tendency to pur-sue the route of developing policies thatput the developing countries on a growthpath yet they fail to create jobs. Joblessgrowth is pale and dry and in the fullnessof time fails to address the problems ofpoverty, inequality and job creation.

“While there is much debate about theimpact of growth on poverty and inequal-ity, South Africa’s sluggish growth may berooted in its high and increasing inequali-ty. The new economies contend thatunequal income and wealth distributionbecome economically costly and growth-reducing when large numbers of a coun-try’s citizens unable or unwilling toengage in entrepreneurial activity, areunable to save and invest, and are unableto meet charges on the provision of essen-tial services.”4

May et al conclude that there is a need toembark on pro-poor microeconomic poli-cy development while sustaining macro-economics stability. The seeds of this arein the African National Congress’sReconstruction and DevelopmentProgramme (RDP), which in 1994 whenit was published sought to link growth,

development, reconstruction and redistri-bution into a unified programme.

The state intervention is a necessity atthis crucial stage where the majority of thepeople are vulnerable under globalisation.“We cannot leave people-focused develop-ment to the serendipity of market forces.Rather than retreat, the state must forgenew smart partnerships with the privatesector and the institutions of civil society.”

It is important that governments do notonly develop balanced policies, solid insti-tutions for implementation but firm polit-ical leadership is imperative. In this regardlessons can be drawn from Koreaarguably the best model of developmentalstate after second World War.

Referring to the Korean crisis,Adelman and Yeldan state: “The crisisalso demonstrates how unforgiving globalmarkets are to mistakes in economic poli-cy and to institutional inadequacies with-in countries and how severe the penaltiesfor mistakes are. One important lessonfrom the East Asian crisis is that interna-tional capital flows can pose seriousthreats to economic stability and that,iconoclastic as it may sound, some regula-tion or other impediments to short termcapital flows is required.”5

Adelman and Yeldan go further toidentify elements of the developmentalstate, indicating that economic develop-ment, as distinct from mere economicgrowth, must combine five elements:• self-sustaining growth;• structural change in patterns of produc-

tion;• technological upgrading; • social, political and institutional; and • widespread improvement in the human

condition.“Currently, the process of economic devel-opment is at risk because the nature ofglobal institutions for short-term capitalflows is robbing developing countries oftheir economic autonomy.”6

The Korean experience in the makingof the developmental state is instructive.President Park took over as President in1961 and immediately positioned his gov-ernment to guide the economy. Hechanged the corrupt and “soft” state into adevelopmental “hard” state, by transform-

ing bureaucracy and its incentives,embarked on industrial policy with tar-geted and untargeted interventions aimedat embracing the public good.

Thus emerged Korea’s export-ledindustrialisation as this primary develop-ment strategy. Central to this strategy isco-operative relationship between govern-ment and business in which governmentdirectives are adhered to. They embarkedon structured change, progressed fromagriculture to labour-intensive industries,followed by intermediate goods, capital-and-raw-material-intensive-products andfinally high-level-manpower-intensiveindustries. They promoted selectiveimport substitution.

In short, “One can classify the incen-tives used by the Korean State to influenceand direct economic activity into threemajor types: market and non-marketincentives; discretionary and non-discre-tionary bureaucratic interventions; andmoral suasion.”7

Growth with job creationThe biggest challenge facing South Africatoday is to address the problem of employ-ment creation, poverty and inequalityreduction. Like many developing coun-tries South Africa has abundance oflabour and therefore strategic interven-tion by the government and its social part-ners should prioritise wage employment.The role of partnerships of government,business, labour and communities is cru-cial in this regard.

“About 40% of the households regardedas poor in South Africa have a monthlyhousehold expenditure of R353 per adultequivalent. 72% of those people who arepoor live in the rural areas. The povertygap (which is the annual amount neededto uplift the poor to the poverty line bymeans of a perfectly-targeted transfer ofmoney, and which measures how deep orintense poverty is) was about R28 billionin 1995, and 76% if the rural areasaccounted this for.

The poverty rate among female-headedhouseholds is 60%, compared with 31%for male-headed households. This under-lines the importance of targeting women(especially rural women) in public works

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and training programmes, as well as pro-grammes to develop small, medium andmicro enterprises (SMMEs).8 Emphasis onpoverty and inequality are important in asituation like ours in South Africa in orderto develop policies and programmes thatare aimed at addressing past legacy distor-tions and go beyond to a stage whereopportunities will be accessed on equalbasis.

“There is sufficient evidence in theinternational literature that, contrary toneo-liberal economic orthodoxy, co-ordi-nated market economies (in which thestate plays a critical role in regulating eco-nomic development) are more successfulin the age of globalisation than free mar-ket economies. Effective human resourcedevelopment policies are a key require-ment of co-ordinated market econo-mies.”9

Employment and informal economyThe informal economy is often ignoredand even suppressed by government andyet it remains a big employment creator.“Over the past decade or so, informalwork is estimated to have accounted foralmost 80% of non-agricultural employ-ment, and over 90% of new jobs in Africa.In the Sub-Saharan Africa the informalsector accounts for three quarters of non-agricultural employment, having in-creased over the last decade from abouttwo thirds.

For women in Sub-Saharan Africa, theinformal sector represents 92% of total jobopportunities outside of agriculture(against 71% of men), and almost 95% ofthese jobs are performed as self-employedor own-account workers and 5% as paidemployees.

These figures indicate that informaleconomy should be a priority in develop-ing job strategies. Secondly within infor-mal economy women have added advan-tages. Income earned by a woman is morelikely to be shared in a household thanincome by a man. Furthermore women’sstatus is elevated in the community as theycease to depend on men thus, this focusconcurrently address the problem ofinequality. Thirdly, informal economy isdominated by the poor often outside the

enclaves. Focusing on creating employ-ment in the informal economy helps nar-row the gap between urban and ruralareas. The current Expanded PublicWorks Programme (EPWP) is in linewith this focus. It is however still early toassess it.

Skills and employment Technological advancement is sometimesviewed as a threat to jobs as a result ofautomation. On the other hand it bringsin new job opportunities. The challengefaced by all countries globally is to keepthe pace of human resources developmentwith the needs of the markets and even goahead for an all round development oftheir individual citizens.

South Africa has a problem of mis-match between job opportunities andavailable skills. Largely this is as a result ofthe bulk of South African workforce whowas excluded from accessing skills neededby the labour market on the basis of race.At the same time there are scare skillsneeded by the market in order for SouthAfrica to be globally competitive. Bothproblems are catered for by the SouthAfrican National Human ResourcesDevelopmental Strategy whose mission is“To maximise the acquisition of knowl-edge and skills, to work productively andcompetitively in order to achieve a risingquality of life for all, and to set in place anoperational plan, together with the neces-sary institutional arrangements to achievethis.”

The National Skills DevelopmentStrategy has been developed in line withthe HRD strategy. Its implementation hasseen the introduction of the concept oflearnerships which allows recognition oflearning in the workplace. However, forthe HRD strategy to be effective in meet-ing the demands of its times it is necessarythat an integrated learning system be inplace. This will enable realisation of theneeded synergy between supply anddemand. The Departments of Educationand Labour are currently finalising this.

Information and CommunicationTechnology (ICT)This creates opportunities for young peo-

ple whose curiosity is met with unlimitedlearning as they get exposed to the worldthrough for example internet. Equally sowomen are beginning to increase as ICTentrepreneurs. In USA 60% of new com-panies are owned by women thanks toICT. This poses a question whether - can’tdeveloping countries use ICT to addressthe problem of unemployment and pover-ty and leap frog and get to a higher stageof development. This calls for focussedpolicies and making the needed resourcesavailable.

In conclusion a developmental state’srole in employment creation calls for:• guidance and leadership of the govern-

ment;• policies that uphold inclusivity;• championing of programmes that link

growth with development such that wereduce possibility of growth without jobcreation or without reducing poverty.

References1 Lerumo Fifty Fighting Years.2 ILO, International Labour Review, Vol.

140, Number 2, Geneva 20013 Chen Martha Alter et al, ILO,

Supporting Workers in the InformalEconomy: A policy framework, Geneva2002

4 May Julian et al, Is poverty and inequal-ity leading to poor growth?, Vol 28,Number 2, April 2004

5 Adelman Irma and Yeldan A. Ernc, Theend of the developmental state? A gener-al Equilibrium investigation on thesources of the Asian crisis within a multi-region, later-temporal CGE Model,California Agricultural ExperimentStation, Giannin Foundation ofAgricultural Economics, May 1999

6 Ibid7 Ibid 8 Poverty and inequality in South Africa:

Report prepared for the Office of theExecutive Deputy President and Inter-Ministerial Committee for Poverty andInequality, Summary Report 13 May1998

9 Human Sciences Research Council,Human Resources DevelopmentalReview, Education, Employment andSkills in South Africa 2003 •

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From Rehabilitationto Revitalisation: The Successes of

Limpopo’s RESISProgramme

The South African government’sNational Guidelines on Agricul-turalWater Use describes government

policy to transfer the management ofsmallholder irrigation schemes to farmersand to broaden opportunities for multipleuses of agricultural water to rural com-munities.

Limpopo Department of Agriculture(LDA) has taken the lead in implementa-tion of this policy by launching a majorprogramme for the Revitalisation ofSmallholder Irrigation Schemes (RESIS).

This is a provincial and national flag-ship programme to combat poverty andjoblessness in the rural areas and the fol-lowing graph shows why. The Limpopoprovince has by far the largest number ofsmallholder irrigation schemes and theyare therefore of direct importance to theprovince’s rural economy.

If practical implementation methodolo-gies and approaches can be developedduring the course of this programme, thevalue for the rest of the country and

indeed, the continent, is significant.

Political visionary leadershipIn his acceptance speech of a major inter-national award in August 2000 for hisvisionary leadership in South Africa’sinternationally acclaimed Water LawReview, Professor Kader Asmal said thatevery major initiative requires a commit-ted political champion.

The smallholder irrigation sector foundits first-ever political champion in the for-mer MEC for Agriculture, Dr AaronMotsoaledi, in the early years of the 21stcentury. His vision and drive led to theestablishment of the very ambitiousRESIS programme — a major ruralinfrastructure and transformation pro-gramme with a budget of R1.08 billionover six years.

In the dying months of 2004, DrMotsoaledi’s vision survived a completechange of leadership at the Department ofAgriculture when both a new MEC and anew Head of Department were appointed

This article, put together by

Marna de Lange, coordinator

of the RESIS Programme-

Limpopo Department of

Agriculture, explains why it is

important to “revitalise”

existing irrigation schemes

instead of building new ones

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and established their own priorities.With the support of the new MEC, Ms

Dikeledi Magadzi, the new HoD, BigmanMaloa, has successfully integrated the pro-gramme into the departmental deliverysystem. He accomplished this by buildingbridges between the various units andprogrammes in the department andinstructing every official to measure theirpersonal contribution to the successfulimplementation of the RESIS Pro-gramme.

From ‘Rehabilitation’ to‘Revitalisation’Rehabilitating irrigation infrastructure isnowadays a more common practice thanbuilding new schemes. Revitalisation is anewer offspring of this global movement,but one rooted in a holistic developmentphilosophy more likely to achieve success-ful outcomes.

“Rehabilitation” is referred to here asthe engineering centred re-construction ofdilapidated infrastructure, while the con-cept of revitalisation is much broader in itsdevelopment focus. Revitalisation carrieswith it the expectation of a holistic

approach to rebuilding socially uplifting,profitable agri-business on existingschemes.

“Revitalisation” therefore implies amove away from pure infrastructure reha-bilitation to a comprehensive programmeto structure, train and capacitate thesmallholder farmers to run their schemeprofitably and sustainably.

The current RESIS Programmeevolved from a series of initiatives thatbegan in 1998 when this approach wasidentified as the preferred method tobreathe new life into the region’s manysmallholder irrigation schemes. TheRESIS Programme builds on the learningand experience from all the previous phas-es, such as the WaterCare Programmeand other departmental programmes,such as the “Participatory ExtensionApproach” (PEA) and the LimpopoAgriculture Development Programme(LADEP).

The way in which the RESISProgramme evolved from these previousphases, the lessons learnt, the experiencesthat moulded the current thinking andthe challenges that are still remaining, will

be the subject of a range of future articles.

Overall programme objectivesWhile the RESIS Programme targetssmallholder irrigation schemes and thesurrounding communties, it was recog-nised from the outset that the programmecannot succeed without stable and sustain-able support from government structures.The programme therefore has two focusareas:• The participating communities and all

the programme activities and method-ologies aimed at successful implementa-tion; and

• The government systems including per-sonnel and the support systemsrequired to support programme imple-mentation and aftercare.

The RESIS Programme is targeting 126smallholder irrigation schemes inLimpopo Province. RESIS strives fortransformation of rural society byenabling rural households to exercisemuch more control over their daily livesand especially their economic activity.

This is achieved by giving the farmersauthority over management and expendi-ture on their irrigation scheme infrastruc-ture and farming choices, supported bytraining, capacity building and mentor-ing. Simultaneously, the general lack ofaccess to farming inputs and services isaddressed, as well as the upgrading andredesign of infrastructure to enable man-agement-by-the-farmers.

Further, RESIS strives to maximisebenefits to the broader community byaddressing community agricultural waterneeds, water for homestead gardening,animal watering and dipping tanks, andtraining and support for dryland cropproduction.

Local organisational development,namely the establishment and strengthen-ing of enterprise management structures,underpins the economic transformation inthe rural areas.

A key parallel objective of the RESISProgramme is the “transformation of gov-ernment service”, as reflected in theIntegrated Provincial Support Pro-gramme (IPSP). In order to support thecommunity participants in a programme

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RESIS strives to maximise benefits

to the broader community by

addressing community

agricultural waterneeds, water for

homestead gardening, animal

watering and dippingtanks, and training

and support for dryland crop production

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of this size, government must not onlyhave efficient service delivery systems thatwork in practice, but it must also havepersonnel and managers who are suffi-ciently experienced to enable the systemsto function efficiently.

Outline of some of the specificRESIS goalsTo raise and sustain incomes of farm fam-ilies in Limpopo Province on irrigationschemes and in the villages surroundingthem by a substantial percentage withinthe programme period from 2004-2010.

This goal will be achieved through thefollowing activities:• Deep and thorough consultation of

farmers and their communities abouttheir problems, needs, fears and aspira-tions, leading to an agreedDevelopment Plan between the farm-ers, communities and the departmentfor each RESIS scheme.

• Establishment and/or strengthening offarmer management committees tomanage the irrigation schemes.

• Farmer training in crop production,scheme management, entrepreneurshipand water management, dovetailedwith implementation activities.

• Implementation of profitable agricul-tural production with stable access to allthe factors required for successful farm-ing enterprises (market and transportarrangements, credit, access to inputs,and functioning institutional arrange-ments).

• Infrastructure rehabilitation, and re-design where necessary to enable man-agement by the farmers.

• Follow-up advisory and mentoringservices to farmers and their manage-ment committees.

• Monitoring and evaluation of all activi-ties to provide data for refinement ofapproaches as the rollout moves to addi-tional irrigation schemes.

RESIS rollout and scopeThe RESIS rollout programme involves126 irrigation schemes, each requiring afull four-year period of intervention tocomplete the RESIS project cycle. All 126schemes need to be completed within a

six-year term. This implies that activitiesneed to run in parallel on all schemes for acouple of years.Rollout and RESIS impact: 126 schemes in six years± 20 000 hectares± 16 000 farmers± 60 000 householdsThe table indicates a summary of theactivities and planning budget for theRESIS Programme

Programme structureThe RESIS Programme is of key impor-tance to the department and the province.Therefore, all departmental staff mem-

bers have been instructed to detail theircontribution to the successful implemen-tation of RESIS in their PerformanceAgreements. Further, specific managersand staff have been assigned key roles inthe Programme Management Unit, theMulti-Disciplinary Team and its compo-nents, as described below.

The following is an organogram typerepresentation of how the RESISProgramme structure is currently organ-ised. It is not a formally correct presenta-tion as the lines shown does not necessari-ly imply line function authority in all therelationships.

RESIS financial summary of activities

Activity Description Total (R)

Facilitation Scheme revitaliSation facilitation 80 016 000

Training Scheme & water management, 41 022 000crop and entrepreneurship training

Aftercare Aftercare on training 61 533 000

WUAs/institutions Facilitation and legal establishment 41 022 000of WUAs

Water supply Bulk water infrastructure 236 760 000

Infield irrigation Infield irrigation equipment 98 650 000

Access roads 4 km road per village 184 250 000

Rainwater harvesting 100 tanks per village 92 125 000

Stock dam & watering system 1 dam or system per village 36 850 000

Dip tanks 1 tank per village 4 606 000

Dryland Support for 100 hectare per village 210 045 000

Total for Planning Budget 1 086 880 000

Programme Coordination and SupportRESIS Programme Coordinator

Programme Administration and Logistical Support

Discipline Private sector services Departmental responsibilities

Procurement, financial and As required LDA Chief Financial Officercontracts management

Legal Services As required LDA Legal Services

MIS & GIS As required LDA GIS unit to be established

Media & communication As required LDA Communications Manag-er services

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Programme Management UnitOverall management of the programmerests with the Programme ManagementUnit (PMU), chaired by the LDA GeneralManager: Projects & Infrastructure. ThePMU is a sub-structure of the LDASenior Management Team (SMT).Programme Management UnitChair: LDA General Manager: Projectsand InfrastructureGeneral Managers, District Heads

Chief Financial OfficerNdzalo Managing DirectorRESIS Programme CoordinatorIPSP awarded a tender to a BEE compa-ny, Ndzalo Agri-Business Solutions andInvestments, through which the RESISoffice has been established to provide lead-ership and support to the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) and adminis-trative and logistical support for pro-gramme implementation. Communi-

cation services, accounting and procure-ment services, and legal services are theresponsibility of existing Departmentalunits. The establishment of a newManagement Information and GIS unitin the department will be supported.

The Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT)A key feature of the project structure forthe implementation of the RESISProgramme is a Multi-Disciplinary Teamconsisting of government and private sec-tor staff responsible for the provision andmanagement of key specialist services tothe Programme. It was previously high-lighted that the two main objectives of theProgramme are transformation of ruralsociety and transformation of governmentservice. The composition and functioningof the MDT aim to achieve these twoobjectives simultaneously.

The Multi-Disciplinary Team has beenestablished through assignment of keystaff by the department and soliciting ofprivate sector participation in the RESIS-MDT.Multi-Disciplinary Team• Consists of government and private sec-

tor staff;• Provides and manages key specialist

services to the programme;• Builds capacity of LDA staff; and• Facilitates transformation of govern-

Multi-Disciplinary TeamProgramme Coordinator

Discipline Team members Team members fromfrom private sector the department

Social & Institutional Provincial Facilitator Extension officers assignedDevelopment District Facilitators to RESIS schemes

Scheme Facilitators

Agricultural & Rural Senior Engineering Manager Engineering Team CoordinatorEngineering Engineering consulting services Technicians

Engineers

Agricultural Economics, Specialists as required Lead EconomistMarketing & Credit Agricultural Economists

Farm Systems Support Specialists as required Farming Systems Coordinator

Farmer Training Team From the community: Farmer Training CoordinatorFarmer Trainers Farmer TrainersAssistant Trainers Understudy Trainers

Monitoring and Evaluation Farmer Management Extension staffCommitteesSpecialists as required

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ment services to improve deliverymechanisms.

The diagram summarises the compositionof the MDT. The lead position for eachcomponent is indicated in bold text.TheRESIS programme and the MDT in par-ticular, acts within LDA policy and proce-dures. The overall objectives of the MDT are:• To provide specialist services for the

revitalisation of smallholder irrigationschemes in Limpopo Province.

• To promote rural development and jobcreation on the irrigation schemes andin adjacent communities.

• To build the capacity of LDA staff toensure a phased withdrawal of externalspecialists.

• To investigate feasible options for therevitalisation of individual irrigationschemes, and recommend how to pro-ceed to ensure economic and financialviability.

• To do business modelling for variouscommodities.

• To solicit support for proposed inter-ventions among political and otherstakeholders.

• To conduct communitymobilisation/information gatheringexercises with a view to maximisingbeneficiary participation in planningand implementation.

• To ensure election of management rep-resentatives from among beneficiariesto represent people from across thespectrum of poverty within the village.

• To facilitate transformation of govern-ment services as needed to improveservice delivery mechanisms.

• To obtain or provide other professionalservices as may be required.

The Facilitation TeamThe Provincial Facilitator is a member ofthe MDT and leads the Facilitation Teamthrough District Facilitators. The SchemeFacilitators are the crux of the pro-gramme, facing and solving the daily chal-lenges associated with programme imple-mentation at the coalface. All interactionswith the scheme of the MDT units andother role players are communicatedthrough them to ensure proper coordina-

tion. Scheme Facilitators are deliberately not

called “Scheme Leaders”, as the leader-ship role needs to be fulfilled from theoutset by the farmers’ ManagementCommittees, with temporary (maximumfour years) support by the Facilitators.

The Implementation CycleThe four-year implementation cycle oneach scheme consists of the followinggeneric steps:• Go/ No Go assessment;• RESIS Introduction: Awareness and

buy-in of local leadership and commu-nities;

• Pre-Development Survey: Communitymobilisation, vision-building and base-line information gathering;

• Local Organisational Development:Establishment/confirmation of Manage-ment Committee and joint developmentand agreement on Development Plan;

• Farmers and Management CommitteeTraining and Capacity-Building

• Implementation: Market development,agricultural production, infrastructurerehabilitation;

• Monitoring and Aftercare;• Evaluation and RefinementEach of these steps is addressed morecomprehensively in the following discus-sion.

Go/No Go assessmentInitial reconnaissance investigation toassess the current status of a scheme interms of political, economic, social, techni-cal and environmental aspects to identify“fatal flaw” elements, such as unavailabil-ity of water, lack of local political support,major existing social conflicts or impossi-bly high infrastructure operation andmaintenance costs.

Awareness and buy-inOnce a decision has been taken to “go”,the RESIS programme is formally intro-duced to the local leadership, includingthe local departmental management andstaff, tribal authority, municipal council-lors and staff, and existing farmer man-agement committees and other relevantlocal organisations, such as umbrella com-

mittees. When buy-in of the leadership struc-

tures has been established, the RESIS pro-gramme is introduced to the whole com-munity — both farming and non-farminghouseholds — through an awarenesscampaign. The scheme is depicted as anoverloaded wagon stuck in the mud. The“overload” of problems each needs to beoffloaded and assigned to an appropriatemanagement structure to get the wagonmoving again.

Pre-Development Survey: vision-building, community mobilisationand baseline information gatheringThe awareness campaign is followed by aPre-Development Survey, which engagesthe community in group discussions andindividual house-to-house interviews toestablish problems, needs, fears and aspi-rations regarding agriculture and life ingeneral. Women, youth, agriculture andtechnical aspects are addressed in separategroup discussions.

The outcome of the Pre-DevelopmentSurvey is captured in a report which ispresented back to the community and dis-cussed and adapted to their satisfaction.When the community confirms that thereport accurately and comprehensivelyreflects their situation and developmentneeds, it is formally signed by the commu-nity leadership in a public meeting, andthus becomes the recognised DevelopmentPlan for RESIS interventions.

Local organisational development:Management Committees and otherstructuresThe wagon’s “overload” are problemswhich each needs to be off-loaded anddealt with by the most appropriate bodyfor the particular problem. A properlyconstituted, elected and recognisedManagement Committee is essential totake on particular problems, while thedepartment of Agriculture, Health, inputsuppliers or even joint venture partnersmay need to take on others.

The Pre-Development Survey is fol-lowed by a “scheme management struc-tures workshop” to lay the foundation forthe off-loading of the wagon. At the same

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time, the appropriate relationshipsbetween the Management Committee andexisting community leadership structuresare discussed and agreed.

TrainingPractical hands-on training in crop pro-duction, irrigation scheme management,water management and entrepreneurshipare cornerstones of the programme.Training needs are established in consul-tation with the communities during thePre-Development Survey and recon-firmed as time goes.

Training is tailored to illiterate learners,since approximately 60% of smallholderfarmers are functionally illiterate(Departmental Survey, 2002).

The Limpopo Farmer Training Teamhas been established in the departmentand is based at the two agricultural col-leges and in specific districts. The teamconsists of college lecturers, extension offi-cers and successful smallholder farmerstrained as Farmer Trainers. Trainingdemands in excess of the capacity and/orskills of the Limpopo Farmer TrainingTeam can be outsourced from time totime for provision by the private sector.

ImplementationImplementation activities can only startonce the Pre-Development Survey processhas culminated in an agreed DevelopmentPlan and the Management Committeesare in place. Implementation encompassesa range of actions in support of sustainableproduction and marketing.

The first phase is aimed at re-establish-ing or improving crop production in thefirst season of engagement with eachscheme.

Secure market access is a starting pointand access to inputs, mechanisation andproduction credit is facilitated. Emergencyinfrastructure repairs are done to addressparticular bottlenecks. Crop and schememanagement training commences imme-diately and runs parallel to the implemen-tation activities in preparation for theplanting season.

After the first production season moreadvanced training is offered and a moredetailed infrastructure rehabilitation plan

is developed in collaboration with thefarmers and their ManagementCommittees. New policy enables theredesign of infrastructure where necessaryto enable management-by-the-farmers.

Detailed economic and sustainabilityanalysis is done on the farmers’ infrastruc-ture choices.

Construction is labour-intensive wherepossible and maximises the use of localcontractors and labour. Farmers areencouraged to help build their schemeinfrastructure to develop familiarity andownership so that they can operate, main-tain and repair their own infrastructure infuture.

The farmers’ Scheme Manage-mentCommittee supervises and approves allpayment certificates of contractors work-ing on the scheme infrastructure.

Scheme infrastructure must be fullycommissioned (including user trainingand full testing) and the infrastructurehanded over to the farmers according toan agreed Hand-over Protocol.

Monitoring and AftercareAn important component of the pro-gramme is monitoring and the establish-ment of an “aftercare” system, which mustenable the smallholder irrigation schemesto continue producing at least at the levelsattained during the programme and to

continue to improve and adapt to chang-ing economic circumstances.

The programme cycle of four years pro-vides opportunity to gradually withdrawexternal support. During this period,farmers establish long-term relationshipswith suppliers and advisors and the ongo-ing role of departmental staff is definedand implemented.

Evaluation and RefinementRegular evaluation of programme activi-ties and outcomes provides input for therefinement of approaches and methodolo-gies used in the programme. It is envis-aged that self-evaluation of all RESISteam members will be further supportedand underpinned by the services of a mon-itoring and evaluation specialist.

RESIS in 2005: current status and challengesThrough the visionary leadership of theMEC for Agriculture and the new Headof Department of Limpopo Departmentof Agriculture, Bigman Maloa, the RESISProgramme is being fully integrated intothe Department. The RESIS Multi-Disciplinary Team was established inJanuary 2005 and the ProgrammeManagement Unit is expected to be func-tional from February 2005.

Forty-six irrigation schemes completedthe Pre-Development process in 2004 anda further 35 schemes will be introduced inthe course of 2005. The balance of 31schemes will be introduced early in 2006.

As soon as the department confirmsappointment of engineering serviceproviders, infrastructure rehabilitationand redesign can start on the first 46 irri-gation schemes immediately, and then as afollow-up on new schemes as and whenthey complete their Pre-DevelopmentSurveys.

The single most important challengefor RESIS implementation is the timelyprocurement of goods and servicesthrough the departmental system.Without the supply of specialist services,material and equipment, a programme ismerely hollow words.

The procurement options and chal-lenges will be discussed in more detail in a

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Farmers areencouraged to helpbuild their scheme

infrastructure todevelop familiarity

and ownership so that they can

operate, maintainand repair their

own infrastructure in future

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Alvin Rapea, who recently left theDPSA to explore new professionalchallenges, cites the period he was

appointed acting director general in theDPSA as the most challenging andequally rewarding time of his career, notonly with the government but in histotality of experience as an employed pro-fessional.

“I was at the helm for almost 18months during the DG’s absence,”recalls Rapea who joined the DPSA atDDG level in 2001.

His primary responsibility when hewas appointed was to look at the man-agement and development of humancapital of the public service — ensuringthat the public service had the right staffat the right place who were well trainedand appropriately rewarded. This meansthat he had to lead a team that reviewedthe public service Human Resourcespolicies and practices through consulta-tion and negotiation with the then 12public service trade unions (the numberhas gone down to eight).

He was still enjoying himself in his pri-mary job when the now legendaryEastern Cape scenario necessitated that atleast 30% of senior managers from theDPSA be seconded down to the EasternCape.

Obviously, one of these senior man-agers within the DPSA was RobinsonRamaite, the then DG who was headingthe management contingent that went tothe Eastern Cape with the view to put-ting the public service in that province on

a healthy footing again. “It’s an experience that I will savour for

a long time. I am truly grateful that theminister thought I had the ability andcapacity to run the organisation, manag-ing ±250 people many of whom areinvolved in intricate and complex proj-ects that range from information andcommunication technology to manage-ment of human capital and organisation-al development supporting the entirepublic service.”

“During the period I have been withthe department, a number of flagshipprograms were initiated and implement-ed to give effect to the culture of BathoPele which, guides everything we do inthe public service.

“The Polokwane public service jobsummit agreement gave impetus to reso-lution 7 of 2002 that defined the frame-work for restructuring of the public serv-ice. The implementation of this resolutioncompelled managers to develop strategicand human resources plans and had topresent these to the unions to justifyexcess employees in their departments.

“The process put to rest the perceptionthat the public service is overstaffed(bloated). Only 13 000 employees werefound to be in excess at the end of the lifeof the resolution and after redeployment,the number has reduced to about 5 000.Not a single employee was retrenched,and a programme has been designed tore-skill the remaining 5 000.

“The Batho Pele e-gateway projectwas launched and implemented to give

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Fred Khumalo speaks

to Alvin Rapea who’s just

left the DPSA having

performed sterling work in

contributing to the

transformation of a public

service that was saddled

with the apartheid legacy

of a lack of professionalism

Rapea Rises to the Occasion

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the people of South Africa and the worlda single window of access to governmentservices. To ensure access to those whodon’t have computers, a call centre wasestablished to respond to enquiries 24/7.

“Through the Inter-Provincial SupportProgramme (IPSP), a number of innova-tive service platforms were designed, e.g.the mobile police station which won theUN award in 2004, and the mobile socialgrant pay point.

“Also the establishment of the Centrefor Public Service Innovation (CPSI) toassist government with the developmentof innovative ideas and incubate the proj-ects before roll out throughout the public

service.“The drive to reduce personnel expen-

diture required a lot of innovation. Theautomatic promotion called rank-and-leg was abolished and replaced by theperformance-based pay progression, theemployer contribution to medical aid wascapped to mitigate the impact of medicalaid inflation, and the multi-term salarynegotiations was introduced to alignsalary increases to the medium termexpenditure framework.

“The Senior Management Service wasintroduced to attract and retain highlyskilled senior managers. The remunera-tion of senior managers was changed to a

flexible total cost to employer whichmade their salaries more comparable tothe private sector. A uniform perform-ance management system was intro-duced which included pay progressionand performance bonus for excellent per-formers. A competency profile and acompetency assessment tool was devel-oped to assist with the selection anddevelopment of senior managers.

“That’s the only way we thought wecould attract suitably qualified people tothe public service and, to some extent,even compete with the private sector.The competency system and our per-formance management system meant theappropriately qualified people, perform-ing at their optimal level in a profession-ally run organisation were duly reward-ed, says Rapea.

Having achieved so much in such ashort period within the DPSA why is heleaving all of a sudden?

“When I arrived here, my ambition wasto make my contribution to the transfor-mation of the public service for threeyears, but I stayed for two more yearsbecause I wanted to ensure that all theprojects I started are completed. I alsocame to realise that you cannot achievemuch in three years, but also enjoyed whatI was doing. I joined the public service asa DDG and I never saw myself as a careerpublic servant who aspired to become aDG. I believe that I have set up a properfoundation on which others can build.”

Rapea, 40, holds a B Com from theUniversity of the North, a post-graduatediploma in management from WitsUniversity and a Diploma in LabourLaw from the Graduate Institute ofManagement and Technology (GIMT).

After university he had a healthy runin the private sector (Parastatals) wherehe served variously as Group HR manag-er at the Development Bank of SouthernAfrica and Organisational DevelopmentManager at Eskom.

“I am leaving the public service with aclear conscience that the commitments Imade when the minister interviewed mein 2000 have been fulfilled, and I leave avery strong team in my branch who willtake the baton forward with ease.”

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Ten years into democracy the people ofSouth Africa will judge their govern-ment on its effectiveness to deliver

high quality public services to all. In thisregard, the White Paper onTransforming Public Service Delivery,published on 18 September 1997, statesthat “public services are not a privilege ina civilised and democratic society: they area legitimate expectation”.

Indeed, much has been done over thepast decade to meet the basic needs of ourpeople. On the other hand, there are alsostill a lot of service delivery gaps thatrequire urgent attention. In an effort torevitalise the Batho Pele campaign manygovernment departments have decided toinitiate new creative steps to remove anyblockages to service delivery.

One example is a unique initiative of thePublic Service Commission (PSC) and theGerman Agency for TechnicalCooperation (GTZ). They have em-barked on a project to develop proceduremanuals for the most essential services ingovernment.

The aim is to provide frontline govern-ment officials with step-by-step guides

explaining the process of how a particularservice is to be delivered in terms of cus-tomer-orientation, policy and law. Thesemanuals will also be available for non-governmental organisations and otherinterested people assisting the communityin accessing government services. Bymaking the procedures transparent toeveryone the public service becomes moreaccountable to the citizens it serves. Butalso other Batho Pele principles areenhanced such as “consultation”, “access”,“information” and “redress”.

First manual on Social ServicesThe first partner in this initiative is theDepartment of Social Development. Itsmandate extends to issuing social grants,which include the Old Age, ChildSupport, Disability, Foster Child, CareDependency and War Veterans Grants,grants in Aid and Social Relief of Distress.All these departmental services target thepoor, vulnerable and marginalised peoplein our society. Improving access to themassists to fight poverty and underdevelop-ment thereby helping to bring dignity tothe lives of many people living in dire cir-

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Illustrated Procedure Manuals:

A Batho Pele Initiative

By Johann Weusmann

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cumstances. This is one of the main prior-ities the President has stressed in his Stateof the Nation address. Hence, socialdevelopment was considered to be themost appropriate government institutionto launch this important project.

The project team did not have to startfrom scratch. In fact, the Department ofSocial Development may be considered asone of the best practice examples in gov-ernment as it had already produced a pro-cedure manual on its own accord.However, four areas of improvementwere identified when reviewing the doc-ument.

First of all, the manual did not makeany reference to the specific provisions ofthe enabling legislation such as the SocialAssistance Act (SAA) and its Regulationsas well as law of general application suchas the Promotion of AdministrativeJustice Act (AJA) dealing with issues ofprocedural fairness.

As a result, an administrator makinguse of the manual would still not be ableto take informed decisions in terms of theapplicable law.

Secondly, the need for plain languagethroughout the manual was considered tobe very critical because the final productshould not only serve as a reference toolfor social security experts but also for newincumbents working in frontline officesand other interested people assistingapplicants with their grant applicationssuch as representatives from respectivenon-governmental organisations.

Thirdly, in the first manual the proce-dures were illustrated with MicrosoftClipart. Although useful in principle itwas felt that the artwork should be morealigned to the content of the manual.Therefore, it was decided to ask profes-sional graphic designers to map out eachprocess individually. Finally, frontlinestaff in provincial offices asked for a man-ual that would be more guided by practi-cal questions of implementation ratherthan just stating what is required in theo-ry in terms of policy and law.

The implementation of the project wasagreed to at senior level in an exchange ofletters between the director generals fromthe Office of the Public ServiceCommission and the Department of SocialDevelopment. Subsequently, a projectSteering Committee was formed with rep-resentatives from the Department of SocialDevelopment, the Office of the PublicService Commission and the GermanAgency for Technical Coopera-tion.

Advocate Greg Moran who is not onlyan expert in administrative justice butalso a well-known plain language editorassisted the Steering Committee with hisadvice. Three students from theDepartment of Graphic Design of theUniversity of Stellenbosch won therespective tender and did the requiredillustrations as well as the layout of themanual.

The processObviously, the existing procedure manual

of the Department of Social Developmentconstituted the main reference point in theinitial phase of the project. In a first step, itwas scrutinised in terms of its compliancewith the relevant policy and law.References to specific provisions in theSocial Assistance Act, the Regulations andthe Promotion of Administrative JusticeAct (AJA) were added where applicable.According to the findings made at thisstage relevant processes were amended orcomplimented. All this was done in a deskstudy compiled by a legal team.

In order to verify the results obtainedfrom the desk study the second step of theproject followed a more consultativeapproach. Representatives from the socialsecurity directorates of all nine provincialDepartments of Social Development

The plain languagetext and the

illustrations are themain features thatmake the manual

very attractive. This is also true for

the humorousapproach taken

by the artists

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were invited to a workshop where theamended procedures were presented ineight different stalls each of them dealingwith the application procedure for one ofthe eight different grants.

At each stall people from differentprovinces discussed the procedures interms of the practices followed in theirrespective jurisdiction. It emerged that insome instances procedures differed fromprovince to province because due to thescope of discretion left in the legal frame-work there is not necessarily only onelawful way for the grant administrationprocess. As a result, participants engagedin very interested debates as to whatwould be the most effective way of deal-ing with a citizens application.

In some instances consensus could notbe reached. Participants of each stall wereasked to present their findings to the ple-nary including all possible alternatives inthe grant administration process. Thisresulted in another debate involving thelegal advisor of the Steering Committeeas well. On the basis of the outcome of

these discussions a new draft text of theprocedure manual was developed anddistributed to all provincial departmentsfor their comments.

In a second workshop the final draftwas discussed once again in order tomake sure that the plain language text didcover the outcome of this process in ade-quately.

As indicated, the question of how theinformation is presented is core to the suc-cess of this project. This was also observedwhen compiling the 12 different chapters.The first four chapters explain the gener-al grant administration process whereaseach of the other eight is designated to aspecific grant. Each of the latter containsall the relevant information required forthe administration of that particulargrant. In other words, each of the eightchapters can stand on its own. Therefore,it will be sufficient for a person lookingfor information on the Child SupportGrant to simply study that particularchapter as opposed to the entire booklet.It is believed that this feature will make

the manual even more user-friendly.When the final draft text was available

three students from the University ofStellenbosch began with the illustrationsas a fourth step in this project. Their briefwas to visualise the procedures describedin the manual step-by-step, i.e. from thecitizens’ application to rendering therequested service. This approach wastaken to further unpack the informationcontained in the manual and to make ituser-friendlier.

The aim of this effort is to avoid a situ-ation sometimes observed in governmentwhere guides containing comprehensiveinformation are rather shelved than used.New incumbents in particular will find itvery useful to be equipped with a refer-ence tool that is self-explanatory and funto read. But the large number of new poli-cies, regulations and laws as well as theirgeneral nature sometimes even over-whelms frontline staff. In those cases theapplication to a particular service turnsout to be difficult.

Likewise, civil society organisationssuch as advice offices trying to assist thosein need will benefit tremendously fromthe information provided in the proce-dure manual.

Lessons learnedIn essence, process mapping means totranslate a prescribed policy into practiceby unpacking it in a step-by-step flowchart. At a first glance this seems to be aneasy task. But in practice it turns out to berather difficult because legal documentsare not always conducive to clear-cutprocesses. In particular, people werestruggling to determine when exactly adecision is taken in an application processalthough this information is core for com-pliance with the requirements of thePromotion of Administrative Justice Act(AJA).

Furthermore, unpacking a servicedelivery process requires an in-depthknowledge and understanding of the rel-evant administration as well. Therefore,it was crucial for the success of this projectto develop the manual in close consulta-tion with social security experts from theprovinces. It is one of the strength of this

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project that this fundamental requirementhas been observed all along. Nonetheless, itwould have been preferable to haveprovincial representatives participating inthe drafting team as well. Their contribu-tion could have avoided some of the dis-cussions about the draft that caused someconfusion and delays in the process.

The plain language text and the illustra-tions are the main features that make themanual very attractive. This is also true forthe humorous approachtaken by the artists. Yet, itwas very im-portant forthe Steering Comm-ittee to make sure thatthe examples em-ployed were appro-priate so that nouser feelsembarrassedor eveno f f e n d e dwhen read-ing thehandbook.For the same

reason one had to make sure that the char-acters appearing in the manual are bal-anced in terms of race and gender.

When analysing the illustrations and thetext as well as their relationship with oneanother it becomes apparent that lots ofthoughts went into these aspects of thedocument. In fact, ensuring a stimulatingcommunication with the potential readerrequired far more attention than anticipat-ed. On the other hand, the usefulness of

the guide depends to a large extent on

the question whether it succeeds to activatea relationship with the reader. It was there-fore important to invest time and resourcesin this part of the work.

No matter how colourful, reader-friendly and attractive a manual is all thesefactors only contribute to the likelihood forthe guide to be used.

However, the latter should never betaken for granted. As the experiences withregard to the first procedure manuals ofthe Department of Social Developmenthave shown it remains important to moni-tor the manual’s application in day-to-dayadministration.

Should it not be utilised to the desiredextent reasons need to be identified. Tomitigate this risk a communication strate-gy introducing the new manuals is veryimportant. In addition, training sessionsmay be required as well and thereforeshould be provided for.

More manuals to followThe procedure manual on social grantshas just been completed but will only bethe first in a series. In fact, the Departmentof Home Affairs has already joined theparty and — in cooperation with the PSCand GTZ — is busy producing a proce-dure manual for all civic services. Otheressential government services includingthose at local government level will follow.In increasing access and transparency thisinitiative is just be another step to fightpoverty and work towards a new servicedelivery culture in government.

It underlines the benefits of democracy— a better life for all.

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By David B Lipsky, Ronald L Seeber & Richard D Fincher

Emerging Systems of Managing Workplace Conflict presentsillustrative real-life examples as well as cutting-edge methodsand tools for integrating systems of dispute resolution intostandard corporate procedures.

This vital resource investigates the systems organizationshave developed to manage common and costly workplace con-flicts involving supervisor-employee relationships; race, age,

and gender discrimination complaints; sexual harassment;occupational safety and health; reasonable accommodation ofthe disabled; and wrongful termination.

The book is filled with illuminating case examples and sto-ries from organizations, such as Warner Brothers, Universal-Studios, Johnson & Johnson, Shell, Prudential, and others, thathave instituted systems of dispute resolution in response toongoing destructive conflict, expensive litigation, and cripplingsettlements.

B o o k R e v i e w s

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Improving Learning Transfer in Organizations

By EF Holton III and Timothy T Baldwin

Improving Learning Transfer in Organizations features contribu-tions from leading experts in the field learning transfer, andoffers the most current information, ideas, and theories on thetopic and aptly illustrates how to put transfer systems intoaction. In this book, the authors move beyond explanation tointervention by contributing their most recent thinking on howbest to intervene in organizational contexts to influence thetransfer of learning. Written for chief learning officers, trainingand development practitioners, management development pro-fessionals, and human resource management practitioners, thisimportant volume shows how to create systems that ensureemployees are getting and retaining the information, skills, and

knowledge necessary to accomplish tasks on the job. Improving Learning Transfer in Organizations addresses learn-

ing transfer on both the individual and organisational level.This volume shows how to diagnose learning transfer systems,create a transfer-ready profile, and assess and place employeesto maximise transfer. The book includes information on how todetermine what process should be followed to design an organ-ization-specific learning transfer system intervention. Theauthors focus on the actual learning process and show how touse front-end analysis to avoid transfer problems. In addition,they outline the issues associated with such popular work-basedlearning initiatives as action learning and communities of prac-tice, and they also present applications on learning transferwithin e-learning and team training contexts.

Simulations and the Future of Learning: An Innovative (and PerhapsRevolutionary) Approach to e-Lear

By Clark Aldrich

The book outlines the design principles and critical decisionsaround any simulation’s components- the interface, the physicsand animation systems, the artificial intelligence, and sets and

figures. Using this accessible resource, readers will learn how tocreate and evaluate successful simulations that have the follow-ing characteristics: authentic and relevant scenarios; appliedpressure situations that tap user’s emotion and force them to act;a sense of unrestricted options; and replayability.

Emerging Systems for Managing Workplace Conflict

These book reviews are taken from the Knowledge Resources catalogue/database. For more information see www.kr.co.za

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OddsEnds

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&Intellectual talk

The famous Did You Hear? column in Financial Mailrecently told a thought-provoking story about brains ver-sus brawn: Footballer Craig Bellamy of Newcastle Unitedrecently made it apparent why he was in a physical careeras opposed to an intellectual one. Bellamy and managerGraeme Souness have been waging a war of words formonths over what position he should play.

After hearing a radio interview when Souness saidBellamy had threeatened to feign injury rather than playout of position, Bellamy told Sky Sports: “I couldn’tbelieve that he (Souness) went behind my back right infront of my face.”

Hhhm ... makes you think, neh?

People who should have won this year’s Nobel Prize Britney Spears and Eminem who, combined, have writtenmore books than they’’ve read. America’s oil companies for a lifetime body of work prov-ing that oil and water don’t mix. Bill Gates for creating the X-Box and convincingAmericans that their children need a $200 video gamesystem during a recession.

Restroom useEntirely too much time is being spent in the restroom. Inthe future, we will follow the practice of going in alpha-betical order. For instance, all employees whose namesbegin with “A” will go from 8:00 to 8:10, employeeswhose names begin with “B” will go from 8:10 to 8:20and so on. If you’re unable to go at your allotted time, itwill be necessary to wait until the next day when yourturn comes again. In extreme emergencies employees mayswap their time with a coworker. Both employees’ super-visors must approve this exchange. in writing. In addi-tion, there is now a strict three-minute time limit in thestalls. At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound,the toilet paper roll will retract, and the stall door willopen.

Teaching the teachersA teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where hisinfluence stops.Henry Brooks Adams, US historian-author (1838-1918)

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bridging the gap between two economies · 2008-12-04 · guy peters in his monograph managing...

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