Role of human resources crucial to Ramaphosa’s grand plan

Athoughtful economist friend is wont to argue that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration doesn’t have a structural reform problem, it has a human resources problem. The commitment to reforms that would remove constraints to investment, make it easier to do business and boost growth and jobs may be there. It’s the appetite and ability among those who people the public sector that’s often lacking. One legacy of state capture was that even apart from the cronyism and corruption, independent-minded public servants with initiative and experience weren’t exactly encouraged. And though this administration might be committed to rooting out corruption, there’s little sign it’s changing the bureaucratic, compliance-driven public sector mindset — nor the habit of appointing underwhelming, inappropriate people to senior positions. Unblocking constraints and creating Ramaphosa’s “capable state” requires human resources practices — management, training and incentives — that enable it to happen. Speeches and strategic plans won’t do it.

I was reminded of my thoughtful friend when I had two contrasting experiences of the public sector. One was with the City of Joburg. I fear that when I mention it began with a disputed bill, I may be deluged with letters from fellow Joburg ratepayers who, like me, had their electricity cut off for nonpayment. I need not bore readers with the details of the quadruplicate charges for rates and refuse, nor the lost battle to get through to the city’s call centre during the hard lockdown, when it appeared to shut down altogether, or subsequently, when it supposedly has been open.

Four days after we braved the queue and paid the disputed amount, we had still not been reconnected. But I am lucky to have a small solarpowered backup system. And I was able to contact the mayor’s spokesperson, who put me in touch with a City Power official who sent the reconnection team out at 6pm that evening.

I fear for those who are not so lucky.

I wonder too what would have happened to the economy had private sector call centres and branches shut down in the way many in the public sector did. Perhaps Ramaphosa’s messaging was taken by some to mean government departments should simply shut for the duration of the lockdown. But the trouble in many cases seemed to be that departments were not equipped or incentivised to put workfrom-home arrangements in place for clerical and professional staff — nor did they move heaven and earth to do so as many managements and their teams in the private sector did. The command-andcontrol management style that prevails in much of the public sector doesn’t easily lend itself to WFH.

Which brings me to my second, happier experience, with the home affairs branch in the Killarney Standard Bank. It’s not clear why so many official services needed to be shut down during lockdown — even if one couldn’t travel, was there any reason to stop issuing passports, not to mention other official documents? Even once home affairs opened up last month for passport applications, it proved impossible to book an appointment online. But to my delight and astonishment, I received a polite call apologising for the online system being down and saying they were phoning around and could offer me an appointment the next day. It took less than 20 minutes, and 10 days later I had my passport.

Evidently, the people of this particular branch sprang into action when the system didn’t. But it shouldn’t be a matter for surprise. The public service is supposed to be just that. One can’t generalise altogether from my micro experience to the macro, but if there were more people in it who focused on unblocking whatever constraints came up, and were trained and empowered and incentivised to do so, the government would have a far better chance of implementing the growth reforms it claims it wants to implement. Tackling human resources is not a silver bullet, especially given how contested are many of the promised reforms. But it would go a long way.

The people sprang into action when the system didn’t