TOO MUCH FOCUS ON POOR LEADERSHIP OVERSHADOWS THE REAL ISSUES WEAKENING SA's GOVERNANCE
10 February 2015
In reviewing President Jacob Zuma's opening of parliament speech, it would be useful to examine the government's approach to the systemic operational issues that are currently weakening governance. Poor leadership, as widely recognised in the power generation crisis, is indeed just only one part of the complex puzzle.
The Public Affairs Research Institute has over the last five-years been doing research in government departments to identify what is driving institutional weakness. In this regard, PARI has pioneered a new field of study in South Africa, Institutional Studies. The work is beginning to reveal that there are patterns across government departments, municipalities, and agencies that if addressed have some prospect of helping government to work better.
These patterns indicate that too much focus is paid to individual leadership rather than the institutions of the public sector. Without strong institutions it is very difficult to plan effectively and to implement policies reliably.
The public will know if President Zuma has covered what matters the most if his speech provides practical ways to save SA institutions from collapse. He will have to pay attention to four patterns critical in the governance of SA:
Stabilise the senior management function in public institutions: The design of the models for service delivery lie with senior managers. With high levels of senior staff turn-over at senior management levels, service delivery plans are affected. Changes lead to tremendous instability as plans are interrupted, leading to inconsistencies in implementation.
Strengthen the implementation processes: SA's policies and strategies are not supported by guided and effectively managed implementation processes. Government has outsourced critical areas of work to third parties. Public servants end up managing contracts, with no or little control over operational implementation and with weak processes to monitor and evaluate outcomes. This is fully explained in the report, The Contract State: The Outsourcing and Decentralisation in Contemporary South Africa
Improve basic office administration: Basic processes like record keeping, filing, office registers, are not systematically adhered to in all government levels and departments, making it difficult enforce accountability and effectiveness.
Build capacity to do procurement: About 41% of the 2013/14 budget was allocated to procurement. Effectively, government departments are outsourcing the lion's share of their work to private contractors.Yet this vital role is poorly understood and frequently treated as an afterthought. Poor supply chain management makes departments vulnerable to corruption and compromises their ability to deliver services.
Assessing how the President responds to these systemic challenges will provide insight into whether government has realistically assessed its challenge or has delivered a speech that positions the ANC led government for the 2016 local government elections.
Statement issued by Ivor Chipkin, Executive Director, PARI, February 10 2015
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