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NEWS
The civil service should be viewed as a career destination of choice for those who want to make a difference in the life of their country, and not simply as a comfortable 9 to 5 office job or a place to earn a salary with minimal effort. .
“If some still hold this view, they should seize opportunities to exit public service to make way for those who are up to the task,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his Monday morning newsletter, announcing the start. of the Month of Public Service. on Tuesday.
“Being a public servant is an honor and a privilege. It requires dedication, selflessness, professionalism, commitment and the utmost fidelity to the principles of Batho Pele, of putting people first, ”she said.
Public Service Month is celebrated in September each year to promote a culture of pride and ethics in public service and improvement in all facets of service delivery.
“There are few callings more important to a person than the call to public service,” Ramaphosa said.
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“It is an opportunity to improve people’s lives and change society for the better. It carries great responsibility and often demands a lot from individuals and their families. “
Ramaphosa added that an optimized, efficient, and well-integrated civil service was the hallmark of a capable state.
“Likewise, an unproductive, inefficient and cumbersome civil service can frustrate the implementation of even the best policies,” he said.
He recognized that public servants were the first interface between the government and citizens and their encounters, whether positive or negative, are crucial in the way the state is perceived by the general population.
“Our key priority is to build a capable state. If we want to build a more capable state, we have to seriously and urgently address deficiencies in the organization and capacity of the public service, ”said Ramaphosa.
He added that the view that the public service was inflated was misplaced.
This Public Service Month should be an opportunity for the men and women who have been entrusted with this important responsibility to differentiate themselves, rededicate themselves to their vocation and fully understand what it really means to be a servant of the people.
President Cyril Ramaphosa
“Public servants include officials and administrators, but they also include doctors, nurses, policemen and women, and teachers who play an invaluable role in keeping our country moving,” he said.
“The real problem is whether, given the size, cost and needs of our country, the public service is working as it should. The experience of our people is that in various areas, the state is not meeting expectations. “
Fundamental problems
Ramaphosa said the state was working to fix some fundamental problems.
One of these areas was what he called “the ‘political-administrative’ interface, where the lines of responsibility at the highest levels of the state have become blurred.”
Ramaphosa explained by saying that political office holders, including ministers, MECs and mayors, “often drift into getting involved in administrative matters that should be the responsibility of professional public servants.”
Although the public service was obliged to implement the ruling party’s electoral mandate and be accountable to the executive, “they must be able to carry out this work without undue political interference.”
“Public service managers must have the space, the means and the resources to manage,” he said.
Read: What does it take for SA to have a motivated public service?
“High-level appointments are sometimes made for political considerations rather than experience. This severely limits the capacity and effective functioning of the state.
“While the ranks of our civil service comprise individuals committed to advancing the government’s program of action, it has also been associated over the years with sponsorship. This is manifested through the appointment of people to high-level positions based on considerations other than their ability to carry out the tasks of the position for which they are appointed ”.
Ramaphosa said that building a capable, ethical and developmental state was one of his top priorities, and he wanted the public service to be geared towards efficiency, performance and development results.
The best and the brightest
The civil service must attract qualified and high-caliber candidates. As one of the ways to achieve this, he said, the National Development Plan (PND) proposes a formal scheme for recruiting graduates for public service.
“Our people want the best and the brightest in society to serve them,” he said.
“Training and improving skills are essential to professionalize the civil service.”
Our key priority is to build a capable state. If we want to build a more capable state, we have to seriously and urgently address the deficiencies in the organization and capacity of the public service.
President Cyril Ramaphosa
He added: “The National School of Government is playing an important role in building a culture of lifelong learning for those already in the ranks. As an example, the school offers a certification program for anyone who wants to be appointed to the top management. Many of the school’s programs, from advanced project management to financial management to budgeting to change leadership, are offered online. “
“The school also collaborates with international training institutes to offer courses on broader governance issues.”
According to Ramaphosa, being a public servant was an honor and a privilege, requiring dedication, selflessness, professionalism, commitment, and the utmost fidelity to the principles of Batho Pele, of putting people first.
“Public servants are entrusted with the management of state resources for the benefit of the public and their protection against misuse and abuse. They are representatives of a government derived from the people and for the people, and they are guardians of our Constitution ”.
Corruption
Addressing the issue of “complicity of certain public servants in acts of corruption”, Ramaphosa said: “this Public Service Month should be an opportunity for the men and women charged with this important responsibility to distinguish themselves, to rededicate themselves to his vocation and to fully understand what it really means to be a servant of the people. “
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As the NDP reminds us, a capable developmental state cannot be created by fiat: “It has to be built, brick by brick, institution by institution, and sustained and rejuvenated over time.”
“Our ability to consistently acquire a high level of capability as envisioned by the NDP is a defining characteristic of what a capable developmental state should have to become an economically prosperous, socially inclusive and well-governed state that is capable of satisfying the needs of our people. “
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