Mohl Modulasetulo, mohl Tona, mohl Motlat?a Tona, maloko a hlomphegago le baeng kamoka bao ba lego ka mo Ntlong ye, ke a le dumedi?a. A ke thome ka gore kabotekanyet?o ya let?at?i le, ke yeo e lego gore ka yona batho ba kua Limpopo, batho ba Botlhare projects ba tla gopola Tona Roy Padayachie, yo a re tloget?ego ka ge a ile a ba gopola gore ge marega a tsena ba tla kwa phefo, a ba fa dimpho t?a mapai. [Legoswi.]
A ke thome ka gore, ANC e thekga tekanyet?o ye. (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)
[Ms M C MOHALE: Hon Chairperson, hon Acting Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members and distinguished guests, I greet you all. I would love to first indicate that today's budget will remind the people in Limpopo, the people in Botlhare projects, about the late Minister Roy Padayachie. The late Minister gave them blankets to protect themselves against the cold winter weather. [Applause.]
Let me start by indicating that the ANC supports this Budget Vote.]
This budget must be seen within the context of the state's long-term programme of transforming Public Service and Administration. It is about an investment and the resourcing of one of the most critical arms of state in accordance with the requirements of our constitution to transform public administration. In the first instance, the role of this department was to transform Public Service and Administration in accordance with our constitutionally defined values and principles, which says it must promote and maintain high standards of professional ethics; promote the efficient, economic and effective use of resources; be development-oriented; provide services impartially, fairly, equitably and without bias; respond to people's needs and encourage people to participate in policy-making; be accountable; be transparent, providing the public with timely, accessible and accurate information; cultivate good human resource management and career development practices to maximise human potential; and be broadly representative of the South African people, with employment and personnel practices based on ability, objectivity, fairness and the need to redress the imbalances of the past to achieve broad representation.
Modulasetulo, go bohlokwa gore ge re dira dipoledi?ano t?a go sekaseka kabotekanyet?o ye, le go bona gore photfolio e dira mo go lekanego, re dire bjalo ka go ?omi?a diphihlelelo t?e bohlokwa bjalo ka kelo, eup?a ka kgopolo ya gore ke ya lebaka le letelele le mabaka a histori. Re se ke ra lahlegelwa ke tsela ya kamano e bohlokwa magareng ga kabotekanyet?o ye le morero wa maano a lebaka le letelele la go fetola mmu?o le dihlongwa t?e bjalo ka ditirelo t?a set?haba le taolo. Se se bohlokwa ke gore phetogo e ka se tsoge e bile ya lebaka le le kopana eup?a ke tshepet?o ya lebaka le letelele. (Translation of Sepedi paragraph follows.)
[Chairperson, it is crucial to employ important goals such as assessment when we discuss this budget and also to ensure that the portfolio committee is delivering as expected of them. This has to be a long-term initiative that also involves history. We do not have to lose the important relationship that exists between this budget and the long-term goals of changing the government and the Public Service and Administration. Change will always be a long-term, not a short-term initiative.]
Hon Chairperson, in the case of the overall assessment of where we come from, with regard to changing the Public Service, it is clear that a lot has indeed been achieved since 1994. Policies have been developed and are in place to entrench these constitutional values and principles. The process started with the very establishment of this department itself in 1995 to drive transformation, as defined in the Constitution.
The development and implementation of the White Paper on the Transformation of Public Service, in 1995, and the White Paper on Transforming Public Service Delivery of 1997 were the catalysts to a variety of policies and legislation meant to change public administration to meet constitutional principles.
The Batho Pele White Paper sought to embed the ethos of public service through the principles of consultation, services standards, access, courtesy, information, openness and transparency, redress, and value for money. Of critical importance was the implementation of the Public Service and the Public Finance Management Acts. All of these seek to establish a professional Public Service and Administration based on the ethos of a public service reflective society that we aspire to build. At the heart of these values and principles is the promotion of public participation in all matters of governance. It is about ensuring that the Department of Public Service and Administration is accountable and based on clean good governance.
We need to interrogate the aspect of public participation. The question we need to ask ourselves is whether we are doing enough in bringing our people on board.
Mohlala ke gore re ka bot?i?a gore ge re dut?e mo t?at?ing le la lehono, batho bao ba lego kua Limpopo, Ga-Modjadji, Bolobedu, ba kgona go t?ea karolo ka mo gare ga kopano yeo re nago le yona naa? Ana re swanet?e go dula mo Kapa, batho ba le kua diprofenseng t?e dingwe? Bjalo ka komiti ya photfolio ye, re swanet?e go ya mo go lego batho. Ge re swere dikopano, re di swarele mo go nago le batho, e sego gore re dule mo Kapa, ka gare ga diofisi t?a rena le meago e mebotse, re se mo batho ba lego gona. (Translation of Sepedi paragraph follows.)
[As we are sitting here today, we can ask ourselves whether the people in Limpopo, Ga-Modjadji and Bolobedu are able to take part in this sitting. Are we supposed to stay here in Cape Town while the people we are serving are in other provinces? As members of this portfolio committee, we have to go to the people. We don't need to hold our meetings in our nice and beautiful offices and buildings here in Cape Town, but where the people are.] In ensuring that these ethos, values and principles of public service and administration are entrenched, Parliament needs to play a much bigger and active role in its oversight. This would be done by exploring the possibilities of establishing a cluster committee model for oversight over Public Service and Administration issues. This is important, because the values and principles, as defined in Chapter 10, section 195 of the Constitution, are transversal and cut across all government institutions. Our scrutiny of this budget requires us to assess the extent to which its programmes are consistent with and support the advancement of the constitutional principles.
When assessed against this historical perspective, it is clear that the current challenges facing the Public Service are more to do with capacity than with policy. It is imperative therefore that the department is encouraged and supported to focus on strengthening the institutional and human resource capacity of public service and administration through its programmes.
The emphasis in this regard is now evident in its current aim of leading the modernisation of the Public Service, through a generally applicable framework of norms and standards, to improve service delivery. It is clear that the magnitude of the current service delivery shortcomings require a new way of doing business in the Public Service. This was aptly defined by the President that the Public Service needs to work differently and faster. Modulasetulo yo a hlomphegago, ka gona, kgoro ye e nyaka go netefat?a gore lenaneo la phetogo ya ditirelo t?a set?haba le potlaki?we. Go tloga mola seemo sa thero ya melao le semolao di fetogago go kgotsofat?a bonnyane bja dinyakwa t?a Molaotheo, go a gapelet?ega gore go t?ewe lenaneo le lengwe la phetogo ya ditirelo t?a set?haba. Tlhoko ye e ngwadilwe ka go pego ya Khomi?ene ya Peakanyo ya Boset?haba, go lekodi?i?a gore ditlhotlo t?eo ditirelo t?a rena t?a boset?haba di kopanego le t?ona di ka rarollwa bjang. Go bohlokwa kudu gore kgoro e thome go bona dit?hi?inyo t?a ditharollo t?a ditlhotlo ka morero wa go di amanya le t?e dingwe t?a dikgopolo t?a bona ka ga mananeo a phetogo.
Bjalo ka Palamente, seabe sa rena ke go netefat?a gore mananeo a sebjalebjale a kgoro a tla hola set?haba ka kabo yeo e kanoafadit?wego ya ditirelo, ya netefat?a gore phetogo ya sebjalebjale e swanelwa ke go ba le dipoelo t?a temogo ya tlhabollo ya go ya go ile go batho ba gaborena, le gore ditirelo t?a set?haba le taolo di godi?a pu?o yeo e hlwekilego ye botse. Re hlohlelet?wa gore re hlokomele gore bont?i bja mananeo a, a lebi?it?we go fihlelela maikemi?et?o a. Inkomu, ndza khensa. [Va phokotela.] (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)
[Hon Chairperson, this department wants to speed up the change programme in the Public Service. After a change in the way in which the legislation is being made in order to meet the needs of the Constitution, there is a need for another change programme in the Public Service. This need has been written in the National Planning Commission, with the aim of finding the solutions to the challenges that were encountered by the Public Service. It is crucial for the department to link the suggested solutions to the ideas they have about the change programmes.
Parliament has a responsibility to make sure that the modern programmes in the department benefit the people by providing a better delivery of services. The outcomes of the modern programmes should address sustainable development. The Public Service and Administration has to promote good and clean governance. We are encouraged to make sure that many of these programmes focus on achieving these goals.]