Importance of public service highlighted ahead of SADC meeting

The inaugural meeting of SADC Public Service Commissions being held in Cape Town wants the region’s Heads of State to make the public service as an enabler of service delivery.

The SADC Heads of State prepare to meet later this month in Zimbabwe, where that country is expected to take up the chairpersonship position.

The SADC Public Service Commissions met for the first time in Cape Town and now want formal recognition at the next SADC meeting.

The Chairpersons of the SADC Public Service Commissions want the public service to be at the center of the SADC meeting in Zimbabwe.

The Forum says the Heads of State must note that issues like trade, security and education are dependent on the delivery by a capable public service.

“Let these governments not just look at these broad programmes but look at the delivery mechanism and the quality of that public service and we are the extension of parliaments, of governments in a sense of oversight, in a sense of accountability, in a sense of inspections and proposals of improvement of capacity of public service,” says Prof. Somadoda Fikeni, Chairperson of SA Public Service Commission.

“The advice to them is strengthen public service commissions. Ensure that they are well funded. They are operationalised well. And they do that which they were mandated to do create a sense of professionalism, integrity, fairness and transparency,” says Dr. Choolwe Beyani, President of the African Public Service Commissions.

At this Forum, there was consensus that the public service must be professionalized and transparent.

“The public service commissions play an important role in making sure that people are employed on a meritorious level and ensure that there is confidence in the public services and there is no notion that you must know someone before you get employed,” Beyani added.

SADC countries have noted that they share common challenges and they have agreed to share skills to ensure sound governance in the public service.

“Somewhere along the way we seemed to take a detour where your appointment of people in public service in terms of loyalty instead of competence. Where you see some weaknesses which led to corruption being so rampant hence, we had investigations such as your state capture, such as your Nugent Commission and many others such as the PPE scandals,” Fikeni elaborates.

“Before the second republic there had been some kind of decline, very precipitous decline in terms of the performance of the public entities in Zimbabwe. At some point public entities be it state enterprises, your parastatals and all other statutory bodies constituted about 48% of the economy but at some point, that contribution fell to something like 12%,” says Dr. Vincent Hungwe, Chairperson of Zimbabwe Public Service Commission.

“We want a public service that is skilled. In that context we introduced the performance management system wherein we monitor performance, and we also introduce skills of service where qualifications are stated for professional progression,” says Simangaliso Mamba, Chairman of Eswatini Civil Service Commission.

Meanwhile, the Forum has agreed not elect its first leadership until consultations with member countries are completed.

Video: Governance in Africa – Inaugural meeting of SADC Public Service Commissions under way in Cape Town