EC government’s professionalism under fire

THE levels of professionalism in the Eastern Cape administration are below the accepted standards.

This is according to an annual report by the legislature’s portfolio committee on the Office of the Premier (OTP).

The report, tabled this week, found some departments do not have functional governance structures, internal audit units or risk management arrangements in place.

The committee found that as a result of the OTP’s oversight shortcomings:

● The provincial administration was weak in leveraging ICT to enhance service delivery as there is no integrated planning on ICT projects and the provincial video conference is nonfunctional;

● The HR management effectiveness in the province is weak as its compliance rate is just above 70%, while the accepted norm should stand at 80%; and

● The province was lagging behind in integrity management as municipalities do not have anti-corruption policies or plans, and lack capacity to deal with fraud and corruption.

The UDM’s Thando Mpulu said all problems engulfing the provincial administration were because “the Office of the Premier is a dumping place for comrades who have not succeeded in their previous political deployments”. According to Mpulu, there was a willy-nilly placement of people in the provincial government, even in positions that do not exist in the organogram.

“A case in point is the former CFO in the OTP [Nomawethu Ngcakani] who was dumped at the executive and later found herself wandering in the province.”

Ngcakani was suspended as CFO in the Office of the Premier last year over payments to a service provider before services were rendered. However, she was cleared of any wrongdoing following an internal probe.

Instead of getting her job back after being cleared, provincial administration head Marion Mbina-Mthembu told Ngcakani to report for duty at the department of education.

Ngcakani refused the offer and opted to quit.

Premier Phumulo Masualle denied that his office was a dumping ground for politicians, saying he was the only politician in that office.

Mpulu accused Masualle of incorrectly stating that all was well in the department of education whereas the situation conflicted that story.

The DA’s Edmund van Vuuren slammed the provincial government for ignoring ordinary people, saying this could be blamed on professionalism being at an all-time low.

Leadership effectiveness was also in shambles, said Van Vuuren, because four provincial departments did not have functional governance structures and seven had dysfunctional audit units.

Masualle noted concerns raised by the portfolio committee but added that there were improvements.

“Improvement is never complete – there is going to be continued endeavour to even get better and some of the criticism I have taken in that spirit,” he said. —