Thestateisfallingshortofexpectationsinprovidinganeffectivepublicservice,writesCyrilRamaphosa.

There are few callings more important for a person than the call to public service. It is an opportunity to improve people'slives and change society for the better. It carries great responsibility and often demands much of individuals and theirfamilies.

TuesdayisthestartofPublicServiceMonth,whichisheldinSeptembereachyeartopromoteacultureofprideandethicsin the public service and improvement in all facets of service provision.A streamlined, efficient and well-integrated civilserviceisthehallmarkofacapablestate.Likewise,anunproductive,inefficientandcumbersomecivilservicecanfrustratetheimplementationofeventhebestpolicies.

Public servants are the first interface between government and citizens. Their encounters, whether positive or negative, arecrucial in how the state is perceived by the wider population. Our key priority is to build a capable state. If we are to build amorecapablestatewehavetoseriouslyandurgentlyaddresstheshortcomingsintheorganisationandthecapacityofthepublicservice.

Publicserviceperformance

Theviewthatthepublicserviceisbloatedismisplaced.Publicservantsincludeofficialsandadministrators,buttheyalsoinclude doctors, nurses, police men and women and teachers who play an invaluable role in keeping the wheels of ourcountry turning. The real issue is whether - given its size, cost and needs of our country - the public service is performingasitshould.

The experience of our people is that in several areas, the state is falling short of expectations. There are some fundamentalproblems that we are working to fix. One of the areas to which we're giving attention is known as the 'political-administrative'interface,wherelinesofaccountabilityatthemostseniorlevelsofthestatehavebecomeblurred.

PoliticalofficebearerssuchasMinisters,MECsandMayorsoftenveertowardsgettinginvolvedinadministrativemattersthat should be the responsibility of professional public servants. While the public service is required to implement theelectoral mandate of the governing party and to account to the Executive, they need to be able to do this work withoutunduepoliticalinterference.Publicservicemanagersmustbegiventhespace,themeansandtheresourcestomanage.

Seniorappointmentsaresometimesmadeonpoliticalconsiderationsratherthanexpertise.Thisseverelylimitsthecapacityand effective functioning of the state. As much as the ranks of our civil service comprise individuals committed to drivinggovernment'sprogrammeofaction,ithasalsoovertheyearsbeenassociatedwithpatronage.Thisismanifestedthroughtheappointmentofpeopleintoseniorpositionsbasedonconsiderationsotherthantheircapabilitytoexecutethetasksoftheofficetheyareappointedto.Thebuildingofacapable,ethicalanddevelopmentalstateisamongourforemostpriorities.Wewantthepublicservicetobeorientedtowardsefficiency,performanceanddevelopmentaloutcomes.

The civil service should attract high-calibre and qualified candidates. As one of the ways of achieving this, the NationalDevelopmentPlan(NDP)proposesaformalgraduaterecruitmentschemeforthepublicservice.Ourpeoplewantthebestand the brightest in society to serve them. The civil service must be seen as a career destination of choice by those whowant to make a difference in the life of their country, and not merely as a comfortable 9-to-5 desk job or a place to earn asalarywithminimaleffort.

Should some still harbour this view they should take advantage of opportunities to exit the public service to make way forthosewhoareuptothetask.Trainingandupskillingiscriticaltoprofessionalisingthecivilservice.

TheNationalSchoolofGovernmentisplayinganimportantroleinbuildingacultureoflifelonglearningforthosealreadyinthe ranks. As an example, the school offers a certificate programme for anyone who wants to be appointed into seniormanagement.

Many of the school's programmes - from advanced project management to financial management and budgeting to changeleadership - are offered online. The school is also engaged in collaboration with international training institutes to offercourses on wider governance issues. Being a public servant is an honour and a privilege. It demands dedication,selflessness,professionalism,commitmentandtheutmostfaithfulnesstotheprinciplesofBathoPele,ofputtingthepeoplefirst.

Corruption

Public servants are entrusted with managing state resources for the benefit of the public and in guarding against them beingmisused and abused. They are representatives of a government derived of the people and for the people, and areguardiansofourConstitution.

Atatimewhenwehavebeenconfrontedwithaseriesofscandalsthatpointtoclearcomplicitybycertainpublicservantsinacts of corruption, this Public Service Month should be an opportunity for the men and women tasked with this weightyresponsibilitytosetthemselvesapart-torededicatethemselvestotheircallingandtofullycomprehendwhatittrulymeanstobeaservantofthepeople.

ToattainthedevelopmentprioritiesandtrajectorySouthAfricahasembarkeduponattheadventofdemocracy,theStatehad to reorganize its machinery in terms of policy direction, structures and systems for the implementation thereof. Thecontext to attain Government's development priorities has been reorganized in the National Development Plan, 2030 as theoverarching strategic Vision 2030 planning document, which is coordinated form the Department of The Presidency. Inmoving towards realizing development priorities, holistic sustainable development is placed as a cornerstone on whichdevelopment must accrue. There is undoubtedly a direct relationship between public sector research and developmentpriorities of all three spheres of Government.Ongoing research from various sources and Institutions inform thedevelopmentaltrajectoryoftheCountry.

As the NDP reminds us, a capable developmental state cannot be created by decree: "It has to be built, brick by brick,institution by institution, and sustained and rejuvenated over time." Our ability to steadily acquire a high level of capabilityas envisaged by the NDP is a defining characteristic of what a capable developmental state should have to become aneconomicallyprosperous,sociallyinclusiveandawell-governedstatethatisabletomeettheneedsofourpeople.

(https://www.news24.com/news24/columnists/cyrilramaphosa/cyril-ramaphosa-the-shortcomings-of-the-public-service-need-to-be-addressed-20200831).

AnswerALLthequestionsinthissection.

Question1 (15Marks)

Inthenarrative,PresidentRamaphosaemphasisedthatPublicservantsareentrustedwithmanagingstateresourcesforthe benefit of the public and in guarding against them being misused and abused. Public servants are representatives of aGovernment derived of the people and for the people, and are guardians of our Constitution. To ensure sustainable servicedeliveryandoptimumuseofresources,Governmentneedstoprioritisegoalsaspartoftheirstrategicplanningprocess.Inviewofthisstatement,criticallydiscusstheimportanceofstrategicmanagementandnationalplanningforthenewpublicsector.

Question2 (15Marks)

In the narrative it is alluded that there is undoubtedly a direct relationship between public sector research and developmentpriorities of all three spheres of Government.Ongoing research from various sources and Institutionsinform thedevelopmentaltrajectoryoftheCountry.Withtheaidofsuitableexamplesexplainthisrelationship.