Civil servants will be uncivil, Cyril

EXPERTS: PRESIDENT WANTS ‘PROFESSIONALISM’, BUT...

‘Those who did not take up opportunities to learn will be on the exit.’

Not only will professionalising the public service take time and determination, but experts believe President Cyril Ramaphosa can expect resistance from those who are incompetent and unqualified for their present government positions.

In his weekly letter to the nation, Ramaphosa emphasised that government departments needed to be “insulated from politics”.

Ramaphosa said professionalisation was necessary for stability in the public service, especially in the senior ranks.

The president also lamented the appointment of unqualified people to key positions.

“Twenty-seven years into deit can be said of the public service that while several pockets of excellence exist, we have serious challenges in many government departments with regards to skills, competence and professionalism.

“All too often, people have been hired into and promoted to key positions for which they are neither suitable nor qualified.”

He suggested that it is time for change and hopes the draft National Implementation Framework towards the Professionalisation of the Public Service would rectify things by ensuring a state that “is insulated from undue political interference and where appointments are made on merit”.

Political science and public policy expert Levy Ndou said: “It will start with a lot of resistance and this will be coming from people on the exit. The ANC made available opportunities to learn. Those who did not take up those opportunities will be on the exit.”

He said it was about moving SA to a developmental state and the situation where ministers have powers or are allowed to appoint whoever they want to key positions without proper qualifications must change.

“The emphasis is now on qualification. Our approach needs to change and that is what Ramaphosa is doing,” Ndou said.

However, he said to achieve this, the country’s universities would have to produce the calibre of graduates the public service needs for transformation.

“This will require serious adjustment to our qualifications setting,” Ndou added.

Ramaphosa also emphasised that government departments needed insulation from politics.

He referred to the related problem of political and executive interference in the administration of the public service.

Public governance project manager at the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse Thabile Zuma said the work must start now.

“It is not going to be an easy task and likely take time before we can experience the needed change, but it’s a process that we need urgently,” she said.

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