Chairman, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon colleagues, and hon visitors. It is a great honour to be part of today's debate on the Budget Vote for Public Service and Administration. I believe that this is the heart of the government. You can have policies, systems, etc, but they must be implemented and executed at a high standard of efficiency.
Ons gaan binne dae die grootste sportgebeurtenis in die wreld aanbied. Besoekers van oor die hele wreld gaan ons land besoek en hulle gaan menings vorm oor ons effektiwiteit en vermo om die land te bestuur. Wat is die boodskap wat hulle met hulle gaan saamneem? Gaan dit positief of negatief wees? Gaan dit toerisme en handel in ons land bevoordeel of benadeel?
As ons kyk na die Begroting en die totale beplanning, is dit goed, maar dit word nie geimplementeer nie. Ek het die waarnemende direkteur-generaal in ons komitee gekomplimenteer met die wyse waarop sy dit voorgestel het, maar dit word nie uitgevoer nie. Die norme en waardes wat gestel word, word nie uitgevoer nie.
Onbekwaamde persone, met geen of baie swak opleiding, word in belangrike poste aangestel. Salarisse van top amptenare vergelyk goed en is in baie gevalle selfs beter as in die private sektor, maar die sin vir dissipline en verantwoordelikheid ontbreek, want daar is geen risiko aan die pos gekoppel dat die persoon moet presteer nie. Korrupsie gedy in al die staatsdepartemente en veral staatsinstellings. Baie min of niks word gedoen om die skuldiges te ontmasker en te straf nie.
So, byvoorbeeld, kyk ons na die munisipaliteite. Munisipale bestuuders en artikel 56-aanstellings beweeg van een raad na die volgende en laat 'n spoor van onbevoegdheid en korrupsie agter. So gebeur dit ook met die staatsdiensposte. Niemand behoort aangestel te word wat 'n rekord van swak administrasie of korrupsie het nie.
Daar bestaan 'n simpatie met die oortreders wat ongekend is. Hulle word beskou as verdruktes en verontregtes en moet gedurig geleentheid gegun word om met hul optrede voort te gaan. Hierdie oortreders wat so beskerm word, is die rede vir al ons probleme. Skuldiges moet ontmasker, vervolg en gestraf word. Dit is nie die gemeenskap se skuld dat hulle korrup en oneffektief is nie. Hoekom geniet hulle voorkeurbehandeling? Wat maak hulle anders as ons gewone burgers?
'n Effektiewe en doeltreffende staatsdiens se waarde is ongekend. Die nodige stelsels en fondse bestaan in ons land maar, soos reeds genoem, l die fout by die toepassing.
Die President het belowe dat Ministers en alle staatsdiensamptenare prestasiekontrakte gaan teken. Die vraag is: Hoeveel is daar al geteken? Om te teken het geen waarde as dit nie toegepas word nie. Ek verwys weer na munisipaliteite. Ons het al by munisipaliteite gesien dat hierdie kontrakte se waarde nul is. Ek weet van geen munisipale of artikel 56-bestuurder wat nie sy 100% prestasiebonus kry nie. Hierdie prestasiemeting in die staatsdiens moet volgens vasgestelde prosedures geskied en moenie gebaseer wees op of ek van jou hou, of dat jy doen wat ek wil h nie.
Op hierdie stadium word daar nie teen oneffektiwiteit en korrupsie gepenaliseer nie. As ons na staatsinstellings soos die Landbank, SAUK, SAL en Eskom kyk, dan het elkeen 'n geskiedenis van ondoeltreffendheid en gevalle van korrupsie. Groot bedrae is uitbetaal om van amptenare ontslae te raak. Is dit reg dat die belastingbetalers vir sulke foute moet betaal? Hoekom geniet hierdie skuldiges soveel simpatie en voorkeurbehandeling?
In die strewe om diens te lewer moet daar gesoek word na maniere om amptenare met integriteit te werf. Hoeveel poste word deur waarnemende persone gevul? Is die werwingsbeleid en aanstellingsprosedure ingestel? Wat bepaal 'n aanstelling? Moet daar nie meer gekyk word na die beginsel van "fit for purpose" nie?
As ons kyk na die Staatsdienskommissie, wat 'n grondwetlike instelling is en waarvan vereis word dat hy onpartydig en onafhanklik moet wees, dan kom daar twyfel in jou gemoed nou dat daar nie meer 'n eie Begrotingspos is nie, maar dat dit 'n funksie van die departement geword het. Hoe kan jy skeidsregter oor jouself wees?
Enkelstaatsdiens is 'n onderwerp wat genoem word, om baie probleme op te los. As dit gebeur beweeg ons heeltemal weg van ons mense aan wie diens gelewer moet word en gaan beheer oor doeltreffendheid en effektiwiteit nog swakker wees.
Ek wil afsluit met 'n beroep op die agb President en sy Kabinet. Pas die beginsels van Batho Pele streng toe. Kom ons sien die hele land se bevolking raak en probeer aan hulle die bes moontlike diens te lewer, in plaas van 'n paar kamerade wat beloon moet word omdat hulle goeie partygenote is. Ek dank u. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[In a few days we are going to host the world's biggest sports event. Visitors from all over the world will come to our country and form an opinion on our competence and ability to govern the country. What message will they be taking back with them? Will it be positive or negative? Will it promote or prejudice tourism and trade in our country?
When we look at the budget and its overall planning, it is good, but it is not being implemented. In our committee I complimented the acting director- general on the way in which she presented it, but these plans are not being carried through. The norms and values that have been set are not being executed.
Incompetent persons, with little or very poor training, are appointed to important positions. The salaries of top officials compare well to and often even exceed those in the private sector, but the sense of discipline and responsibility is lacking because there is no risk linked to poor performance in the post by the incumbent. Corruption is thriving in all of the state departments and in particular in public institutions. Little or nothing is being done to expose the culprits and punish them.
Take municipalities, for instance. Municipal managers and section 56 appointees move from one board to the next, leaving behind a trail of incompetence and corruption. The same happens with Public Service posts. People with a record of poor administration or corruption should not be appointed.
The sympathy that prevails with these transgressors is unheard of. They are regarded as oppressed and aggrieved people who must constantly be granted a chance to continue with their actions. These transgressors, who are being protected in this manner, are the reason for all our problems. The guilty ones should be exposed, prosecuted and punished. It is not the community's fault that they are corrupt and incompetent. Why do they enjoy preferential treatment? What makes them different from the average citizen?
The value of an effective and efficient Public Service is not acknowledged. In our country the systems and funding required are all in place but, as already mentioned, the difficulty lies with the implementation.
The President has promised that all Ministers and public servants will be signing performance contracts. The question is: How many have been signed so far? To have signed is of no value if there is no enforcement. Again I am referring to municipalities. We have already seen that these contracts are of no value in municipalities. I know of no municipal or section 56 manager who does not receive his 100% performance bonus. Such performance measurement in the Public Service should take place according to set procedures and should not be based on whether I like you or whether you do what I want you to do.
At this stage there are no penalties regarding incompetence and corruption. Looking at state institutions such as the Land Bank, SABC, SAA and Eskom, each one has a history of incompetence and corruption. Large amounts of money have been paid to get rid of officials. Is it right that the taxpayers should be paying for such mistakes? Why do these guilty parties enjoy so much sympathy and preferential treatment?
In striving to deliver a service, ways should be found of recruiting officials with integrity. How many posts are filled by acting persons? Are the recruitment and appointment procedures in place? How are appointments determined? Shouldn't there be more emphasis on the principle of being fit for purpose?
Looking at the Public Service Commission, which is a constitutional body that is required to be impartial and independent, doubt starts to arise now that it no longer has its own Budget Vote and has instead become a function of the department. How can you police yourself?
The subject of a single Public Service has been mentioned as a way of solving many problems. If this should happen, we will distance ourselves from those people to whom these services should be rendered, and then control over competence and efficiency will decline even more.
I want to conclude with an appeal to the hon President and his Cabinet. Apply the principles of Batho Pele strictly. Let's take note of the total population of the country and attempt to render the best possible service to them, instead of to a few comrades who have to be rewarded for being such good party comrades. I thank you.]