PUBLIC SERVICE MONTH BY JESSIE TAYLOR
Growing SA Together
For an Ethical Public Service
S
eptember marks Public Service Month and offers the opportunity to reflect on the essential work carried out by the public sector. This year, the commemoration comes at a time when the South African government is putting measures in place to strengthen the public sector. The range of measures come on the back of the Commission into State Capture, chaired by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, which has investigated allegations of widespread corruption in state institutions. President Cyril Ramaphosa recently gave his testimony at the Commission and unveiled several government processes to fight corruption and improve the public sector. Bolstering professionalism in the public sector Public Service Month serves as
a reminder of what it means to serve communities and the impact the government and civil servants have, especially in terms of service delivery. It’s with this impact in mind that President Ramaphosa has announced measures to bolster public service delivery. These primarily look at how the Cabinet functions, strengthening institutions that had been ‘captured’ or influenced. This process has included changes in the leadership at some key institutions and changes to management at state-owned enterprises, as well as making policy changes. “One of the critical projects currently under way to strengthen the state involves the professionalisation of the public service. This aims to ensure that the public service is shorn of political partisanship and that
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the most qualified individuals enter its ranks,” President Ramaphosa says.
Government would implement rigorous controls over the use of public money Professionalising the public service involves training accounting officers across all spheres of government on the applicable legislative provisions, and the National School of Government (NSG) has a vital role in this. The NSG is a State training institution tasked to build public sector capacity, which was established based on the premise that a capable public service is necessary for society to flourish. The NSG plays a critical role in building an ethical,
