Hon Chairperson and hon members, there have been several strands of work to review the workings of the civil service and the public sector in general, before and after the 2009 elections.
Since the inauguration of this administration, the Minister in the Presidency responsible for performance monitoring and evaluation was mandated by Cabinet to lead a process called the macro-organisation of the state. This built on previous reviews, which necessitated the creation of new departments aimed at improving effectiveness and streamlining government programmes.
Given the importance that government has placed on the transformation of the Public Service, we have included this project in the 12 outcomes designed to improve the performance of the state. The aim is to build an efficient, effective and development-oriented Public Service.
Government, led by the President, has had a number of engagements with public servants including school principals, municipal managers, police station commanders and directors-general. These engagements have focused precisely on the issues raised by hon Mokgobi, such as improving the capacity and performance of the state in relation to meeting the electoral mandate. In addition, these engagements have emphasised the need to strengthen intergovernmental relations since, in many instances, service delivery is slowed down due to poor co-ordination among the spheres of government.
The National Planning Commission has an important role to play in shaping the manner in which we do things in government. As Minister Manuel has said on countless occasions, his portfolio will help us develop a long-term plan which will impact on the organisation and capacity of the state as we seek to improve our ability to tackle the challenges of modest growth, employment, service delivery and human capital development. Thank you.