FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION WELCOMES PSC COMMITMENT TO CONSTITUTION AND NDP
The FW de Klerk Foundation welcomes the suggestion from the PSC (Public Service Commission) that government should re-evaluate its transformation and appointment policies.
At its recent Developmental State Conference, the PSC addressed the efficiency and efficacy of the South African public service, acknowledging that 20 years after the birth of democracy, capacity deficits persist and that national transformation practices have not been effective. It has alluded to government departments abusing affirmative action policies through ‘job reservation', by not appointing a white candidate when a suitable black candidate is unavailable (see City Press report).
The Conference, which reviewed the transformation, recruitment and vetting policies of public service institutions, and engaged on how to improve its operations, will now develop a strategic framework document which will be tabled before Parliament next year.
The PSC - which draws its mandate from Section 196(4) of the Constitution - is prescribed to promote the values and principles governing public administration in the public service, to investigate and monitor the public service and to propose measures to improve performance. In hosting the conference the PSC abided by its Constitutional mandate, as well as the NDP (National Development Plan) recommendations advocating the need to "move towards a state that is more capable, more professional and more responsive to the needs of its citizens".
The NDP commits to the establishment of a capable and developmental state. Such a state "does not materialise by decree, nor can it be legislated or waved into existence by declarations. It has to be built, brick by brick, institution by institution, and sustained and rejuvenated over time".